Divisional Round: New England Patriots at Denver Broncos (Invesco Field at Mile High), with a Conference Championship spot at stake. Kickoff: Sat January 14, 2006 at 8:16pm. Winner advances to the Conference Championship. The losing team's season is over.[1][2]
The divisional round is where the bracket is supposed to take its real shape. New England Patriots traveling to Denver Broncos at Invesco Field at Mile High, with the league watching to see whether the better team or the better matchup wins. Bye-week home favorites carry the weight of expectation; the visiting wild-card winner walks in with no one expecting them and nothing to lose.
The bracket has narrowed to the teams that survived the regular season. New England Patriots and Denver Broncos are two of them; the rest of the league is in scouting mode for the offseason. What happens in Invesco Field at Mile High shifts the rest of the tree: a road favorite winning rearranges seeding expectations; a home upset shows the bracket math underweights heart.
New England Patriots versus Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round. The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of New England Patriots-Denver Broncos cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 10-6 | L1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 9-7 | W6 |
| Buffalo Bills | 5-11 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 4-12 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 11-5 | L2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 11-5 | W4 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 6-10 | L1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 6-10 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 14-2 | W1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 12-4 | W3 |
| Tennessee Titans | 4-12 | L3 |
| Houston Texans | 2-14 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 13-3 | W4 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 10-6 | W2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 9-7 | L2 |
| Oakland Raiders | 4-12 | L6 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks | 13-3 | L1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 6-10 | W1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 5-11 | -- |
| San Francisco 49ers | 4-12 | W2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 11-5 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 10-6 | W5 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 9-7 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 6-10 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 11-5 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 9-7 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 5-11 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4-12 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | 11-5 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 11-5 | W2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 8-8 | L3 |
| New Orleans Saints | 3-13 | L5 |
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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 0361313 |
| Denver Broncos | 0 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 010172727 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Patriots | Adam Vinatieri 40 yard field goal | 3-0 |
| Broncos | Mike Anderson 1 yard rush ( Jason Elam kick) | 3-7 |
| Broncos | Jason Elam 50 yard field goal | 3-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Patriots | Adam Vinatieri 32 yard field goal | 6-10 |
| Broncos | Mike Anderson 1 yard rush ( Jason Elam kick) | 6-17 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Broncos | Rod Smith 4 yard pass from Jake Plummer ( Jason Elam kick) | 6-24 |
| Patriots | David Givens 4 yard pass from Tom Brady ( Adam Vinatieri kick) | 13-24 |
| Broncos | Jason Elam 34 yard field goal | 13-27 |
Denver Broncos defeated New England Patriots 27-13 at Invesco Field at Mile High in the Divisional Round. The final scoring play was Broncos: Jason Elam 34 yard field goal. Top line of the day: Tom Brady: 341 pass yards on 20-of-36, 1 TD, 2 INT. Denver Broncos move on to the conference final.[1][2]
Denver Broncos walked out of Invesco Field at Mile High as the team that survived a Divisional Round New England Patriots will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 27-13. The final scoring play came from Broncos: Jason Elam 34 yard field goal. Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Denver Broncos move on to a conference championship.
Denver Broncos 27, New England Patriots 13. Round: Divisional Round. Attendance: 76238. Q2: 3 scoring plays. Q3: 2 scoring plays. Q4: 3 scoring plays. Top performers:
- Tom Brady: 341 pass yards on 20-of-36, 1 TD, 2 INT
- Mike Anderson: 69 rush yards on 19 carries
- Deion Branch: 8 catches for 153 yards
Divisional Round, played at Invesco Field at Mile High. Final: New England Patriots 13, Denver Broncos 27, with Denver Broncos taking the result by 14. **Second quarter**
- Patriots: Adam Vinatieri 40 yard field goal
- Broncos: Mike Anderson 1 yard rush ( Jason Elam kick)
- Broncos: Jason Elam 50 yard field goal
Third quarter
- Patriots: Adam Vinatieri 32 yard field goal
- Broncos: Mike Anderson 1 yard rush ( Jason Elam kick)
Fourth quarter
- Broncos: Rod Smith 4 yard pass from Jake Plummer ( Jason Elam kick)
- Patriots: David Givens 4 yard pass from Tom Brady ( Adam Vinatieri kick)
- Broncos: Jason Elam 34 yard field goal
Top performers
- Tom Brady: 341 pass yards on 20-of-36, 1 TD, 2 INT
- Mike Anderson: 69 rush yards on 19 carries
- Deion Branch: 8 catches for 153 yards
| Patriots | Broncos | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 15 | 16 |
| Total Yards | 420 | 286 |
| Turnovers | 5 | 1 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 20/36 | 15/26 |
| Pass yards | 341 | 197 |
| Pass TD | 1 | 1 |
| Interceptions | 2 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 0 | 2 |
| Sack yards lost | 0 | 7 |
| Net pass yards | 341 | 190 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 21 | 32 |
| Rush yards | 79 | 96 |
| Rush TD | 0 | 2 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 3 | 1 |
| Fumbles lost | 3 | 0 |
| Penalties | 8 | 4 |
| Penalty yards | 82 | 24 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NWE | |||||
| Tom Brady | 20/36 | 341 | 1 | 2 | |
| DEN | |||||
| Jake Plummer | 15/26 | 197 | 1 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NWE | ||||
| Corey Dillon | 13 | 57 | 0 | 17 |
| Kevin Faulk | 7 | 23 | 0 | 5 |
| Tom Brady | 1 | -1 | 0 | -1 |
| DEN | ||||
| Mike Anderson | 19 | 69 | 2 | 18 |
| Tatum Bell | 6 | 19 | 0 | 8 |
| Jake Plummer | 7 | 8 | 0 | 6 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NWE | ||||
| Deion Branch | 8 | 153 | 0 | 73 |
| David Givens | 5 | 54 | 1 | 21 |
| Andre' Davis | 1 | 51 | 0 | 51 |
| Troy Brown | 1 | 33 | 0 | 33 |
| Kevin Faulk | 2 | 20 | 0 | 14 |
| Daniel Graham | 1 | 18 | 0 | 18 |
| Corey Dillon | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Heath Evans | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| DEN | ||||
| Rod Smith | 6 | 96 | 1 | 42 |
| Ashley Lelie | 5 | 50 | 0 | 17 |
| Jeb Putzier | 3 | 37 | 0 | 24 |
| Mike Anderson | 1 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
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