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Insult and injury: Patriots lose to Broncos in AFC Championship game

Trevor Cullen
Connector Editor

Team of destiny? Not the 2013 Patriots.

The Patriots suffered through a season of injuries, managing to go 12-4 and even make it to within a game of going to their sixth Super Bowl since 2001. But key personnel losses on each side of the ball finally caught up to New England, who never stood a chance against a resurgent Peyton Manning and Denver’s star studded receiving corps, losing in a game where the 26-16 score did not reflect the beat down the Patriots suffered.

The Manning vs. Brady “legacy” game never lived up to the hype, as the Broncos scored first and never trailed in the game. The Denver defense stymied the Patriots offense, especially the run game, limiting Legarrette Blount to six yards on five carries and forcing Tom Brady to try and beat them with his collection of five foot something receivers.

Despite what can be said about Brady’s lack of targets and the losses of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, Sunday’s game also highlighted a fact that Patriots fans are going to have to get used to — Brady is not nearly the quarterback he was a decade ago. He missed two deep completions to Julian Edelman and Austin Collie that a 2004 Brady would have completed with ease.

Even acknowledging this fact, it was amazing that the Patriots had made it to the AFC Championship game in the first place. While the Patriots thrived on miraculous, come-from-behind wins throughout the regular season, their matchup against the Broncos finally highlighted all the shortcomings of the team.

Manning shredded the secondary for 400 passing yards, in part thanks to Aquib Talib suffering an injury early in the game on a questionable hit/screen by Wes Welker. The Patriots front seven also proved useless, not registering one sack all game. Between an anemic defense and an offense that more or less comprised of Brady and Edelman, there was just no feasible way that the Patriots could pull off the upset.

And let us not forget that, when they came back and beat Denver at home in the regular season, they still had Gronkowski, and the Broncos were missing their own star tight end Julius Thomas. With the roles reversed for the championship bout, New England saw just how much of a factor Gronkowski is.

So as dejected New England fans turn to the Bruins (sorry, Celtics) and wait for the Red Sox pitchers and catchers report (February 15th, for those counting the days) they will look back at the 2013 Patriots and, hopefully with time, be proud of what their afflicted football team accomplished.

Bill Belichick was a strong candidate for Coach of the Year, and when jerseys with names like Mayo, Wilfork, Vollmer and Gronkowski appear back on the field in 2014, Patriots fans will again put their faith in Brady and Belichick to deliver their team to the Promised Land.