Broncos Lead At Halftime Thanks To Patriots Miscues

The Broncos are going to California at this rate.

Image via USA TODAY Sports/Ron Chenoy

Tom Brady won't make his seventh trip to the Super Bowl this year if things don't change. The Broncos are in control of this one as they lead 17-9 going into the half.

Fourteen of the Broncos' points came from two touchdown passes from Peyton Manning to Owen Daniels: a 21-yarder in the first quarter followed by a 12-yarder in the second. The only real faux pas came from the dropped pass to Ronnie Hillman that you see below. Well, the officials originally ruled it a dropped pass, but Bill Belichick challenged the call because he thought it was a fumble on a lateral pass. He was right; the call was overturned and the Broncos suffered a giveaway.

Pass AFC Championship: Patriots at Broncos CBS https://t.co/xpWqTM0jS4 pic.twitter.com/ivKQlRsaif

But that's an inconvenience compared to what the Patriots are going through. New England's touchdown—a 1-yard run from Steven Jackson, a direct consequence of the fumble— was overshadowed by how Stephen Gostkowski missed his first extra point since 2006. Then there's Tom Brady, who's just trying to survive against this Broncos defense.

Brady threw two ugly interceptions before the half, the second time he's ever done so in the playoffs. In the first, Von Miller looked like he was the intended target. 

Throwing it into double coverage didn't work out too well for him either.

Microsoft also apparently makes unreliable tablets. The Patriots' Microsoft Surface tablets malfunctioned during at least one defensive possession. Failing tech doesn't help in AFC Championships. Neither do interceptions.

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