Denver Broncos vs. New England Patriots: 2008 Week 7 Recap

Game story

In Week 7 of the 2008 NFL season on 2008-10-20, the New England Patriots took care of business against the Denver Broncos, pulling away with a 41–7 final that controlled the game from start to finish.

The highest-scoring period was Q2 with 14 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

J. Cutler (Denver Broncos) paced the passing game, with -0.26 total EPA, and +3.3% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, S. Morris (New England Patriots) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +8.60 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (-22.4% win probability) landed in the opening quarter when Denver Broncos changed the game: (3:06) 23-A.Hall right guard to NE 38 for -1 yards (94-T.Warren). FUMBLES (94-T.Warren), touched at NE 44, RECOVERED by NE-51-J.Mayo at DEN 37. 51-J.Mayo to DEN 37 for no gain (46-S.Larsen). PENALTY o

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 S. Morris · New England Patriots · Rushing · +8.60 total EPA · 16 snaps · +0.54 EPA/play
2. 2 B. Marshall · Denver Broncos · Receiving · +8.49 total EPA · 6 snaps · +1.41 EPA/play
3. 3 R. Moss · New England Patriots · Receiving · +8.23 total EPA · 5 snaps · +1.65 EPA/play
4. 4 E. Royal · Denver Broncos · Receiving · +5.79 total EPA · 9 snaps · +0.64 EPA/play
5. 5 W. Welker · New England Patriots · Receiving · +5.78 total EPA · 6 snaps · +0.96 EPA/play
6. 6 M. Cassel · New England Patriots · Passing · +4.67 total EPA · 32 snaps · +0.15 EPA/play
7. 7 K. Faulk · New England Patriots · Rushing · +4.39 total EPA · 4 snaps · +1.10 EPA/play
8. 8 D. Graham · Denver Broncos · Receiving · +3.73 total EPA · 2 snaps · +1.87 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• New England Patriots — S. Morris (Q2 37:37)
• New England Patriots — R. Moss (M. Cassel pass) (Q2 30:51)
• New England Patriots — R. Moss (M. Cassel pass) (Q3 22:40)
• New England Patriots — W. Welker (M. Cassel pass) (Q3 17:27)
• Denver Broncos — D. Graham (J. Cutler pass) (Q4 13:26)
• New England Patriots — B. Green-Ellis (Q4 3:13)

Field goals

• New England Patriots — S. Gostkowski (Q1 50:14)
• New England Patriots — S. Gostkowski (Q1 47:11)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: New England Patriots won the period 6–0. New England Patriots connected on a field goal from the DEN 13 (Q1 50:14) — (5:14) 3-S.Gostkowski 31 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-66-L.Paxton, Holder-6-C.Hanson.; New England Patriots connected on a field goal from the DEN 21 (Q1 47:11) — (2:11) 3-S.Gostkowski 40 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-66-L.Paxton, Holder-6-C.Hanson..

The second quarter: New England Patriots won the period 14–0. New England Patriots found the end zone from the DEN 4 (Q2 37:37) — (7:37) NE 50-Vrabel eligible. 34-S.Morris left tackle for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New England Patriots added 1 points from the DEN 2 (Q2 37:34); New England Patriots found the end zone from the DEN 13 (Q2 30:51); New England Patriots added 1 points from the DEN 2 (Q2 30:44) — 3-S.Gostkowski extra point is GOOD, Center-66-L.Paxton, Holder-6-C.Hanson..

The third quarter: New England Patriots won the period 14–0. New England Patriots found the end zone from the DEN 27 (Q3 22:40); New England Patriots added 1 points from the DEN 2 (Q3 22:32) — 3-S.Gostkowski extra point is GOOD, Center-66-L.Paxton, Holder-6-C.Hanson.; New England Patriots found the end zone from the DEN 6 (Q3 17:27) — (2:27) (Shotgun) 16-M.Cassel pass short left to 83-W.Welker for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN. NE 16-Cassel career bast 3 TD passes.; New England Patriots added 1 points from the DEN 2 (Q3 17:21) — 3-S.Gostkowski extra point is GOOD, Center-66-L.Paxton, Holder-6-C.Hanson..

The fourth quarter: The quarter finished even at 7–7. Denver Broncos found the end zone from the NE 10 (Q4 13:26) — (13:26) (Shotgun) 6-J.Cutler pass short middle to 89-D.Graham for 10 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Denver Broncos added 1 points from the NE 2 (Q4 13:21) — 5-M.Prater extra point is GOOD, Center-83-M.Leach, Holder-1-B.Kern.; New England Patriots found the end zone from the DEN 1 (Q4 3:13) — (3:13) NE 50-Vrabel eligible. 42-B.Green-Ellis right guard for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. NE 42-Green-Ellis 1st NFL TD.; New England Patriots added 1 points from the DEN 2 (Q4 3:09) — 3-S.Gostkowski extra point is GOOD, Center-66-L.Paxton, Holder-6-C.Hanson..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• Denver Broncos (Q1 48:06) — (3:06) 23-A.Hall right guard to NE 38 for -1 yards (94-T.Warren). FUMBLES (94-T.Warren), touched at NE 44, RECOVERED by NE-51-J.Mayo at DEN 37. 51-J.Mayo to DEN 37 for no gain (46-S.Larsen). PENALTY o [WPA -22.4% · EPA -7.68]
• Denver Broncos (Q1 53:57) — (8:57) (Shotgun) 23-A.Hall right end to NE 30 for 2 yards (29-L.Sanders). FUMBLES (29-L.Sanders), RECOVERED by NE-90-L.Smith at NE 32. 90-L.Smith to NE 32 for no gain (62-C.Wiegmann). [WPA -12.1% · EPA -4.51]
• New England Patriots (Q1 52:10) — (7:10) (No Huddle) 16-M.Cassel pass short left to 84-B.Watson pushed ob at DEN 16 for 29 yards (51-J.Winborn). [WPA +7.5% · EPA +1.92]
• Denver Broncos (Q1 59:01) — (14:01) 28-M.Pittman up the middle to DEN 39 for 9 yards (59-G.Guyton). [WPA +6.0% · EPA +1.79]
• New England Patriots (Q2 37:37) — (7:37) NE 50-Vrabel eligible. 34-S.Morris left tackle for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +6.0% · EPA +3.39]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• Denver Broncos (Q1 48:06) — (3:06) 23-A.Hall right guard to NE 38 for -1 yards (94-T.Warren). FUMBLES (94-T.Warren), touched at NE 44, RECOVERED by NE-51-J.Mayo at DEN 37. 51-J.Mayo to DEN 37 for no gain (46-S.Larsen). PENALTY o [WPA -22.4% · EPA -7.68]
• Denver Broncos (Q1 53:57) — (8:57) (Shotgun) 23-A.Hall right end to NE 30 for 2 yards (29-L.Sanders). FUMBLES (29-L.Sanders), RECOVERED by NE-90-L.Smith at NE 32. 90-L.Smith to NE 32 for no gain (62-C.Wiegmann). [WPA -12.1% · EPA -4.51]
• Denver Broncos (Q3 21:08) — (6:08) (Shotgun) 6-J.Cutler pass short middle intended for 81-N.Jackson INTERCEPTED by 36-J.Sanders at NE 26. 36-J.Sanders ran ob at NE 35 for 9 yards. PENALTY on NE-75-V.Wilfork, Unsportsmanlike Cond [WPA -0.0% · EPA -4.01]
• New England Patriots (Q3 22:40) — (7:40) (Shotgun) 16-M.Cassel pass short left to 81-R.Moss for 27 yards, TOUCHDOWN. NE 81-Moss 129th career TD, 8th place all-time. 128th career TD reception, 4th all-time. [WPA +2.0% · EPA +3.79]

Quarterback report card

J.Cutler led all passers in efficiency for Denver Broncos, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• J.Cutler (Denver Broncos) · 33 dropbacks · 51.5% completion · +3.3% CPOE · -0.01 EPA/play · -0.26 total EPA
• M.Cassel (New England Patriots) · 32 dropbacks · 56.2% completion · +9.6% CPOE · +0.15 EPA/play · +4.67 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

New England Patriots held the efficiency edge in offensive EPA per play (+0.27 vs -0.16), even if the scoreboard told a different story.

• Denver Broncos: 11 drives, -12.03 total EPA, 1 scoring drives
• New England Patriots: 12 drives, +22.34 total EPA, 7 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• New England Patriots leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• S. Morris (New England Patriots) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
• J. Cutler (DEN) beat expectation through the air — positive CPOE game for stack builds.
• M. Cassel (NE) beat expectation through the air — positive CPOE game for stack builds.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. New England Patriots FG (+3) — Q1 50:14 · DEN 13 · Score 0-3
   (5:14) 3-S.Gostkowski 31 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-66-L.Paxton, Holder-6-C.Hanson.
2. New England Patriots FG (+3) — Q1 47:11 · DEN 21 · Score 0-6
   (2:11) 3-S.Gostkowski 40 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-66-L.Paxton, Holder-6-C.Hanson.
3. New England Patriots TD (+6) — Q2 37:37 · DEN 4 · Score 0-12
   (7:37) NE 50-Vrabel eligible. 34-S.Morris left tackle for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
4. New England Patriots XP (+1) — Q2 37:34 · DEN 2 · Score 0-13
   3-S.Gostkowski extra point is GOOD, Center-66-L.Paxton, Holder-6-C.Hanson. PENALTY on DEN, Illegal Formation, 5 yards, enforced between downs.
5. New England Patriots TD (+6) — Q2 30:51 · DEN 13 · Score 0-19
   (:51) 16-M.Cassel pass short right to 81-R.Moss for 13 yards, TOUCHDOWN. NE 81-Moss 128th career TD, 8th place all-time. 127th career TD reception, 4th all-time
6. New England Patriots XP (+1) — Q2 30:44 · DEN 2 · Score 0-20
   3-S.Gostkowski extra point is GOOD, Center-66-L.Paxton, Holder-6-C.Hanson.
7. New England Patriots TD (+6) — Q3 22:40 · DEN 27 · Score 0-26
   (7:40) (Shotgun) 16-M.Cassel pass short left to 81-R.Moss for 27 yards, TOUCHDOWN. NE 81-Moss 129th career TD, 8th place all-time. 128th career TD reception, 4t
8. New England Patriots XP (+1) — Q3 22:32 · DEN 2 · Score 0-27
   3-S.Gostkowski extra point is GOOD, Center-66-L.Paxton, Holder-6-C.Hanson.
9. New England Patriots TD (+6) — Q3 17:27 · DEN 6 · Score 0-33
   (2:27) (Shotgun) 16-M.Cassel pass short left to 83-W.Welker for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN. NE 16-Cassel career bast 3 TD passes.
10. New England Patriots XP (+1) — Q3 17:21 · DEN 2 · Score 0-34
    3-S.Gostkowski extra point is GOOD, Center-66-L.Paxton, Holder-6-C.Hanson.
11. Denver Broncos TD (+6) — Q4 13:26 · NE 10 · Score 6-34
    (13:26) (Shotgun) 6-J.Cutler pass short middle to 89-D.Graham for 10 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
12. Denver Broncos XP (+1) — Q4 13:21 · NE 2 · Score 7-34
    5-M.Prater extra point is GOOD, Center-83-M.Leach, Holder-1-B.Kern.
13. New England Patriots TD (+6) — Q4 3:13 · DEN 1 · Score 7-40
    (3:13) NE 50-Vrabel eligible. 42-B.Green-Ellis right guard for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. NE 42-Green-Ellis 1st NFL TD.
14. New England Patriots XP (+1) — Q4 3:09 · DEN 2 · Score 7-41
    3-S.Gostkowski extra point is GOOD, Center-66-L.Paxton, Holder-6-C.Hanson.