NFL: Broncos 20, Patriots 17: McDaniels beats his old boss, Belichick
By EDDIE PELLS
AP National Writer
DENVER — On a day that was all about Broncos history, this might ring a bell: A 98-yard, fourth-quarter drive to save the game and get a city thinking Super Bowl.
Kyle Orton moved Denver from its 2 to the end zone to tie it Sunday, then Matt Prater kicked a 41-yard field goal in overtime for a 20-17 victory over New England that made rookie Broncos coach Josh McDaniels a winner over his old boss, Bill Belichick.
On a day when they wore mustard-yellow jerseys and vertically striped socks to celebrate their 50th anniversary, the Broncos improved to 5-0 for the first time since 1998 — the last time they went to the Super Bowl.
Orton threw for 330 yards and two scores and did his best John Elway impression. McDaniels pumped his fist over and over as he ran toward the stands after a postgame hug with Belichick at midfield. And the defense — well, it held New England scoreless in the second half and looked a lot like the Orange Crush of yore.
Denver’s fourth-quarter drive certainly wasn’t “The Drive” — Elway’s classic, 98-yard march that helped beat the Browns 23-20 back in 1987 — but it will go down as one of the best in this franchise’s history.