Tom Brady didn’t shy away from the questions about his spotty performance Sunday.
That’s not his nature. He meets things head-on. And Sunday he knew Peyton Manning outplayed him and the Broncos outplayed the Patriots in the AFC championship game, winning 26-16.
“Peyton played great, and the Broncos did as a team,” said New England’s quarterback. “Manning is one of the greatest players to play the game. He played great.”
Manning completed 32-of-43 passes for 400 yards and two touchdowns. Brady, through three quarters, had put only three points on the board. He got hot in the fourth period against soft coverage as Denver was protecting a big lead, and finished 24-for-38 for 277 yards and a touchdown.
Brady was erratic, especially on deep throws in the first half. He missed wide-open wide receiver Julian Edelman on a deep pass in the first quarter that could have been a touchdown, and he overthrew Austin Collie on a deep sideline route late in the second quarter.
“We didn’t score enough points,” Brady said. “We did a decent job to get to this position. I wish I could have done more to help us. We were executing better in the fourth quarter and were able to find some spots. I wish we could have done that for four quarters. There always are things I can do better.”
Brady scored New England’s final points on a 5-yard run with 3:07 left to cut Denver’s margin to 10 points. New England needed a two-point conversion to have any chance at a comeback, but the Patriots ran the ball instead of letting Brady throw. Running back Shane Vereen was stuffed at the 1-yard line. The Broncos then recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.
“We didn’t do enough early to stay on the field and score points,” Brady said. “We got in a hole, and it was too tough to dig our way out.”
The Patriots were down 20-3 after three quarters. They mounted a long drive late in the third quarter, but on fourth-and-3, coach Bill Belichick elected to go for it rather than try a 46-yard field goal. Brady was sacked for a 10-yard loss.
“It was a key play in the game,” Belichick said. “There were a lot of key plays.”
“Anytime you come up short, it’s not a good feeling,” Brady said. “I’ve had some tough losses in Super Bowl games. Losing always is tough at the end of the year.”
Brady and Manning met for a moment after the game.
“I wished him good luck,” Brady said.
