Here are the heroes and zeros from the Broncos’ 26-23 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday evening at Empower Field at Mile High.
Heroes
Marvin Mims Jr.: If you haven’t noticed already, Denver’s rookie wide receiver is pretty fast. Mims provided his team some juice when he bolted across the field for a 52-yard punt return in the first quarter, making multiple Patriots players miss along the way. Denver took advantage of the solid field position with a 3-yard rushing touchdown from running back Javonte Williams with 5:15 left in the first quarter. Mims kept Denver’s hopes alive in the fourth when his 47-yard reception helped set up tight end Lucas Krull’s touchdown reception to cut the deficit to 23-15.
Christian Barmore: The Patriots defensive lineman made Russell Wilson’s life a living nightmare on Sunday. Barmore totaled three sacks, four quarterback hits and nine tackles (two for loss). At the start of the third quarter, Barmore went around Broncos left guard Ben Powers with ease for the sack. Barmore ended the quarter the same way, as he sacked Wilson while causing the ball to pop out in the final seconds.
Brandon Johnson: Denver’s second-year wide receiver stepped up when it mattered most. Johnson scored on a 2-point conversion after Krull’s touchdown catch. With 2:59 left in the fourth, Johnson cut a 21-yard touchdown pass from Wilson to shrink the deficit down to 23-21 before the Broncos completed the 2-point conversion to tie the game.
Zeros
Marvin Mims Jr.: Can a player be a hero and zero in the same game? You can certainly make an argument for Mims. After the Patriots scored on a Mike Gesicki’s touchdown catch, Mims fumbled the ball on the kick return before defensive back Cody Davis recovered and scored with 1:28 left in the third quarter.
Pat Surtain II: Denver’s star cornerback rarely gives up big plays, but he gave up a couple on Sunday night. With 47 seconds left in regulation and the Patriots needing to get into field goal range, Surtain gave up a 27-yard reception to wide receiver DeVante Parker to put New England in Broncos territory. A few plays later, kicker Chad Ryland converted a go-ahead 56-yard field goal attempt.
Denver’s playoff hopes: As the Broncos watched Patriots kicker Chad Ryland’s game-winning field goal attempt soar through the uprights with two seconds left, their playoff hopes vanished at the same time. Denver’s playoff chances drop to 5% with the loss to the Patriots, according to the New York Times playoff simulator. Instead of a Christmas miracle, Santa dropped a lump of coal into Sean Payton’s Christmas stocking — and now the team will have some decisions to make on how they want to proceed with the rest of the season.
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