The Christmas comeback was almost complete. After Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos stormed back from a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter to tie the score against the New England Patriots on Sunday night, all they needed were a few more big plays to move into range for a game-winning field goal.
The journey to that point had been ugly, stained with coal. The Broncos started their opening offensive drive on the Patriots’ 6-yard line by virtue of a first-play takeaway. They came away with no points. The Broncos punted four straight times to begin the second half. Oh, and they fumbled a kickoff return that the Patriots returned for a touchdown.
Still, there they were. Their own 39-yard line. Nearly two minutes left. All three timeouts. Wilson and play caller Sean Payton at the controls. A chance to right all the wrongs.
“Then, all of a sudden, the script flipped,” Payton said.
The Broncos went three-and-out, the latest failure in a late-season offensive collapse. They were forced to punt the ball back to New England, and Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe hit DeVante Parker for a 27-yard gain on third-and-3. After two more short passes, the Patriots were in range for a 56-yard field goal by rookie Chad Ryland.
Just like that, the Broncos had suffered a 26-23 defeat that all but ended their chase for the playoffs.
