Blame Patriots' Fourth-Quarter Miscues For Loss To Broncos - Not The Officials
By Matt Dolloff (@mattdolloff)
BOSTON (CBS) -- Considering the Patriots' remarkably consistent execution and lack of glaring mistakes on special teams, it was easy to forget that they trusted an undrafted rookie with two career games to catch a punt in the snow in the fourth quarter of what was the most important game of the season.
Chris Harper reminded New England of that the hard, painful way as he bobbled the ball into the waiting arms of Denver Broncos defenders early in the fourth quarter. It was a very un-Patriots-like blunder - probably shocking many in New England who were used to seeing the special teams unit execute every play flawlessly - that set off a frustrating chain of events that ultimately doomed New England in their 30-24 overtime loss.
Much of Patriots Nation will be quick to blame the loss on the atrocious officiating, especially in the fourth quarter - and make no mistake, it was yet another dreadful night for the zebras. But it wasn't the only reason the Patriots lost the game. You can't heap all of the blame on the men in stripes.
Blame the Patriots defense, who looked pedestrian without both Dont'a Hightower and Jamie Collins on the field. The game unraveled late in the fourth, as the Patriots allowed a Manningham-esque bomb to Emmanuel Sanders and failed to keep C.J. Anderson out of the end zone, twice.
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Blame Harper, who despite his inexperience still should have secured the ball on a play for which he undoubtedly spent some of the week preparing. He should have set up at least a clock-chewing drive with the Patriots up two scores, but instead breathed new life into the Broncos and swung momentum completely in Denver's favor. Blame special teams coach Joe Judge for not having Harper prepared to make the play, or simply sending someone more reliable out to field the ball in that situation.
And yes, blame Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels for their uncharacteristically questionable play-calling on the penultimate Patriots drive of regulation. On first-and-10 from their own 40, following an admittedly horrendous offensive pass interference call on Rob Gronkowski on the previous drive, a run - or at least a higher-percentage pass play - could have taken more time off the clock and/or forced Denver to burn timeouts. But Tom Brady instead threw to Gronk, who hurt his knee on the play and fortunately may have avoided a serious injury.
It was the same kind of needlessly aggressive play-calling that let the Bills back into the game in Week 2. There's no guarantee that the Patriots salt that game away if they pick up another first down or drain the clock more, and Gronk is certainly one of the most reliable pass-catchers in the game - but they certainly could have had themselves in a better position to finish the Broncos off by running the ball more.
It took an impeccable last-minute drive by Tom Brady and another epic clutch kick for Stephen Gostkowski for the Patriots to even force overtime in a game they were in position to win early in the fourth. A handful of embarrassing officiating gaffes may have helped the Broncos secure the win, but the Patriots should not have been in a spot to lose their lead in the first place.
But to be fair, Patriots fans have a legitimate gripe with the NFL and its shoddy officiating after Sunday night's debacle. The OPI on Gronk was the absolute epitome of a phantom call, a reactionary flag thrown for a player whom the league is apparently singling out to watch for interference. If anyone was interfered with on that play, it was Gronk.
The holding call on Patrick Chung in the end zone as arguably worse, as the flag gave the Broncos a fresh set of downs to set up the go-ahead touchdown. The officials have shown a reluctance to let their calls influence or decide the end of a game, as with the infamous batted ball play with the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions, but curiously decided to throw the flag in that spot on what was at best a borderline hold.
It looks even worse (and perhaps, to some New England fans, suspicious) considering that it wiped out an awesome individual effort by Alan Branch to get a sack. That it took the perfect storm of bad calls, injuries, rare miscues, and big plays by the Broncos to hand the Patriots their first loss shows how great they really are.
But ultimately, the officials should not shoulder all of the blame for this loss, especially considering that many other teams (perhaps all of them) have been hosed by poor officiating this season. It's nothing new and the Patriots are far from the league's only victim. That all evens out in the end and it's not completely in the Patriots' control. What they can control is the plays they call, the personnel they use for them, and the execution of said plays.
The Patriots may have fallen victim to the ongoing officiating problems in the league, but they also fell victim to themselves in the fourth quarter of that game. Without their crucial miscues, the referee clown show may not have mattered.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read more from Matt here. Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
