Amidst a forgettable season, the Patriots authored their most memorable performance on Christmas Eve in Denver.
Bailey Zappe’s crew watched a 16-point lead evaporate in the fourth quarter, but an unlikely hero saved the day in the game’s final minute. Here are 10 takeaways from a wild 26-23 win over the Broncos:
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1. Ryland finds redemption
In a terrible first half, embattled kicker Chad Ryland drilled the goalpost to miss an extra point and pushed a 47-yard field goal so wide right that it missed the screen. But with the game on the line, the rookie drilled a 56-yard game-winner with 0:02 remaining to lift the Patriots to an improbable 26-23 win.
“Often times you find the greatest treasure in the darkest caves,” Ryland said. “And I’ve obviously been struggling a little bit this year, and I was really, really fortunate to be surrounded by a team that believes in me. And that helps me to… knock the last one down.”
2. Big night for Barmore
Christian Barmore was an absolute menace on Sunday night. The third-year defensive tackle sacked Russell Wilson three times and was living in the Denver backfield. He registered four quarterback hits, two tackles for a loss, and was also in the middle of a fourth down stop at the goal line on Denver’s opening possession.
Barmore has always flashed great potential. In 2023, the young building block has realized it.
3. Zappe gets it done
The Patriots offense has been markedly better since Zappe got behind the wheel. Without JuJu Smith-Schuster and Hunter Henry, Zappe didn’t miss a beat at Mile High. He completed explosive pass plays of more than 25 yards to Jalen Reagor, Pop Douglas, and DeVante Parker, and found tight end Mike Gesicki for a second half touchdown.
Though things sputtered for much of the fourth quarter, the second-year passer still managed to engineer a game-winning drive that got into Ryland’s range. He finished 25-of-33 for 256 yards and threw a pair of touchdowns.
“I’m on cloud nine,” Zappe said.
4. Parker delivers
The veteran wideout finished with four catches for 65 yards, and the biggest catch of the night came on New England’s final drive. With the Patriots facing a third-and-3 on their own 26-yard line, Parker shook free from Patrick Surtain II and hauled in a 27-yard reception.
“You put it up there and give them a chance, I like my guy better than anybody else,” Zappe said.
5. Mapu delivers key takeaway
With the Broncos reeling late in the third quarter, Marte Mapu dealt Denver a serious blow. The rookie safety punched the football out of Marvin Mims’ hands on a kickoff, Cody Davis scooped it up and stumbled into the end zone, giving the Patriots a 23-7 lead. It was the second week in a row Mapu forced a turnover and came at a crucial time.
6. Not all great for special teams, though
Midway through the first quarter, the punt team allowed Mims to rip off a 52-yard return. Without Matthew Slater for the first time in 100 regular season games, Chris Board took the captain’s place at gunner. Suffice to say, it wasn’t a seamless transition. Coupled with Ryland’s misses and a penalty on Board that cost the Patriots 19 yards in fourth quarter field position, it was a mixed bag.
7. Pharms makes impressive recovery
When Jahlani Tavai forced a second-quarter fumble, Broncos guard Ben Powers landed right on top of the loose football. A pile formed, and somehow rookie Jeremiah Pharms was able to weasel the ball away from Powers and came up with it. It was one of those impressive little things that rarely happens.
8. Brutal start for Ferentz
Somewhat surprisingly, James Ferentz got the nod at left guard over rookie Atonio Mafi. It didn’t go well. On the very first play from scrimmage, Ferentz was flung to the ground by D.J. Jones, who proceeded to strip-sack Zappe. The next series was a three-and-out, and from there, Ferentz was benched for Mafi.
9. Amusing hot mic moment from Belichick
Bill Belichick lost his mind late in the first half, ripping into officials for seemingly not giving his defense enough time to substitute after a Broncos penalty. The Patriots coach’s yells were caught on NFL Network’s broadcast. You can see a clip here.
10. Bad news for the draft pick
With the win, the Patriots improved to 4-11 on the season and fell to No. 4 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft order. Their final two games are at Buffalo and home against the Jets in the season finale.
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