DENVER – Tom Brady won 35 postseason games. That’s the most playoff wins by any NFL quarterback.
When the calendar turned to January, and the tournament began, the GOAT beat everyone.
Save for one team.
Brady couldn’t take down the Broncos in Denver. He went 0-3 in the altitude at Mile High. He lost to Peyton Manning twice (2014, 2016) and Jake Plummer (2006).
Overall, the Patriots, a team with six Super Bowl titles, and an NFL best 39 playoff wins, are 0-4 against Denver during the postseason.
Along with Brady going 0-3, Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway also beat the Raymond Berry-coached Patriots in 1987 to account for the four losses.
Will Drake Maye & Co. have a breakthrough today when they take on the Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High with the winner earning a ticket to the Super Bowl? Can they undo the spell at their playoff House of Horrors?
Or will Mile High continue to be the Patriots playoff kryptonite?
The altitude and extreme noise generated by the fandom factor into every game played there.
And just as a constant reminder for what opposing teams have to deal with, the Broncos have he number 5280 on their helmets and jerseys to represent Denver’s elevation of 5,280 feet (one mile) above sea level. And a nod to the “Mile High City” name.
“It is a tough place to play because you find yourself really getting gassed,” Patriots Hall of Famer Rodney Harrison said. “In the second quarter, you’re like: ‘(Expletive)! How many more quarters do we got?’’’
“It’s real. And that’s to their advantage,” he went on. “Just like the Patriots use the cold weather.”
Former Patriot Duron Harmon agreed.
“Everybody has their opinion on the altitude. It’s a factor,” Harmon said. “A real factor that you have to be mentally tough to be able to deal with that and not have it creep up into your mind where it’s an excuse.”
The Broncos have enjoyed the impact of their home field advantage. They are 18-5 in home playoff games and hope it does the trick against the Patriots.
Mike Vrabel’s team is actually favored to win, and come away with the team’s first playoff victory in the Mile High city.
Not having to face starter Bo Nix, who fractured his ankle in last week’s overtime win over Buffalo, and landing with a backup (Jarrett Stidham) should help the cause.
But the thin air and decibel-shattering crowd noise will still be difficult to navigate.
With the help of Patriots who competed in each of those four losses, let’s revisit why Denver has been such a House of Horrors.
1986 AFC Divisional Round
The Patriots had been in the Super Bowl the previous season after going 11-5, and making it through the AFC playoffs. They ultimately got blown out by the Chicago Bears, but felt they had a good enough team to return and change their fate in the championship game.
It didn’t happen.
After posting another 11-5 season under Raymond Berry, their next playoff journey began with a date in Denver to face the Broncos.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Andre Tippett said Berry had the team spend the week in Denver, with practices held at the Air Force Academy, to help get adjusted to the altitude.
They still lost, 22-17.
The Patriots held a 17-13 third quarter lead thanks to a flea-flicker from Tony Eason to Stanley Morgan, who had two touchdown catches in the game.
But John Elway threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to Vance Johnson to put the Broncos in front, and the lead held.
“We weren’t as prepared as we thought we would be,” Tippett said. “I think we took advantage of the opportunity to be in the environment. The few times we had played out there, we were at a disadvantage. Raymond being the innovator that he was, decided to have us go out early. We thought we had good practices, obviously it didn’t turn out that way.”
2005 AFC Divisional Round
The Patriots entered the 2005 postseason having won three of the last four Super Bowls. They finished the regular season 10-6.
They beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in the wild-card round to earn a date with Jake Plummer and the 14-3 Broncos in the divisional round.
They were the underdog, but with all of their championship pedigree, there was no reason to think Tom Brady & Co. wouldn’t prevail.
Only the Broncos has other ideas.
They took down the Patriots, marking the team’s first playoff loss in the Bill Belichick/Brady era.
And it wasn’t close. The Patriots, who headed out of Mile High with a 27-13 loss, had five turnovers in the game, with the Broncos turning four of those into points.
“It was not a clean game,” tight end Christian Fauria recalled. “I think we had a special teams turnover, I want to say Kevin (Faulk) had a turnover, and we had the big Champ Baily-Ben Watson chase down to the one. I just remember it being sloppy.
“I don’t think it had anything to do with the elevation, which people are pushing like crazy. It had nothing to do with altitude. We played like crap.”
The Patriots committed uncharacteristic mistakes across the lot. Mr. Clutch Adam Vinatieri, who connected on his first 21 field goal attempts in the playoffs, missed a 42-yarder. Troy Brown muffed a Denver punt, with the Broncos recovering on the Patriots 15-yard line.
And Brady threw two picks.
“I’m not going to dismiss how challenging it is to play in that stadium,” Fauria said. “There’s a reason why they put 5280 on a decal in front of their helmet. It’s a constant reminder and symbol they push to their opponents. ‘The air’s thin! The air’s thin!’’’
So that made it 0-2 in Denver during the postseason. It should be noted that Patriots coach Mike Vrabel was a member of that Patriots team.
2013 AFC Championship Game
This was the first of two Brady-Manning wars in Denver.
The Broncos won rather easily, 26-16.
The Patriots had demolished Manning’s former team – Indianapolis – in Foxborough in the lead-up divisional round game after a bye the opening week, but couldn’t get past Peyton in the AFC Championship.
Manning threw for 400 yards and two touchdowns. Brady, operating with a banged up wide receiver room, had 277 yards and one touchdown.
“We were playing against one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game, and that made it harder,” Devin McCourty said. “But to me, it was more circumstance than anything else.”
McCourty pointed to the defense losing top corner Aqib Talib, who had been marking DeMaryius Thomas, during the game. The Broncos also had Eric Decker and Wes Welker to contend with, so it wasn’t optimal having to go to a Plan B.
The offense also had its injury issues. Rob Gronkowski was lost to a torn ACL in December, while Danny Amendola had a lingering groin injury that kept him out of the game.
Meanwhile, Julian Edelman (10 catches, 89 yards, 1 TD), played through bad foot injury (metatarsal fracture) in the game. In short, Brady was throwing to the likes of Austin Collie and Aaron Dobson with a Super Bowl berth on the line. Special teams ace Matthew Slater also had to be utilized.
“That was my rookie year, and I remember us being hit with the injury bug,” former safety Duron Harmon said. “We went out there and competed. But that’s a very hostile environment.
“I don’t think that fan base gets enough credit for how hostile they’ll make the game.”
The Patriots had played the Broncos during the regular season in Foxborough in November with a healthier team – and friendlier environment – and won 34-31 in overtime in a thriller.
They couldn’t double their pleasure with the rematch in Denver with more riding on the contest.
2015 AFC Championship Game
Round Two of Brady-Manning in Denver saw the Broncos eke out a 20-18 win.
The Broncos were in control for much of the game, but Brady and Gronkowski nearly pulled off a miracle.
Down 20-12 with a 4th and 10 at midfield with 1:34 to go, Brady threw a laser to Gronk down the seam for a 40 yard completion.
Then on 4th and goal from the four with 12 seconds to play, Brady found Gronkowski once again for a touchdown.
Stephen Gostkowski had missed an extra point on a score earlier in the game, so the Patriots needed a two-point conversion to tie the game and send it into overtime.
McCourty recalled the emotion of the moment on the sideline during those closing seconds.
“Tom and Gronk had a freaking crazy end of the game drive. He hits Gronk in double-coverage in the back of the end zone, scores,” McCourty said. “We were on the bench, saying, ‘Just throw it back to Gronk’ on the 2-point conversion.
“On that drive, Gronk was getting double-teamed, and Tom was just throwing it up to him.”
So why not do it again on the potential game-tying two-point conversion?
Brady opted to go in another direction. He had his eye on Julian Edelman, only the pass was deflected by former Patriot Aqib Talib.
Gronk? Somehow the Broncos forgot to cover him. He was wide open in the corner of end zone. That image still haunts the players.
“Tom probably figured Gronk was going to get double-covered,” Harmon said. “But he was wide open in the right corner of the end zone. I’m picturing that right now. But you know, it’s all good.”
Running back James White said it was just a bad day at the office for the offense. He insisted there was no other cause.
“That game had nothing to do with altitude,” White said. “We just played awfully on offense. They had Von Miller. They had a field day.”
Brady was battered in the game. He was sacked four times, and hit 17 times.
“That was one of the best defenses of my generation for sure,” said McCourty, who tabbed it the “Von Miller game.”
McCourty believes it was simply a matter of being outplayed.
“They got us. They beat us in that game,” McCourty said. “So they beat us in two playoff games (’13 & 15’) there which sucks the most.”
Harmon was hoping to celebrate his 25th birthday. Instead, it was the end of a promising season.
“You go out there with the mindset and focus, like, ‘Man, we’re gonna win. We’re going to go to the Super Bowl,’ and we end up losing,” Harmon said. “It’s tough. I’m hoping this team can make it happen.”
