Denver Broncos vs. New England Patriots: 2020 Week 6 Recap

Game story

In Week 6 of the 2020 NFL season on 2020-10-18, the Denver Broncos took care of business against the New England Patriots, pulling away with a 18–12 final that stayed a one-score game deep into the second half.

The highest-scoring period was Q2 with 9 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

C. Newton (New England Patriots) paced the passing game, with -16.59 total EPA, and -0.5% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, J. Edelman (New England Patriots) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +3.44 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (-21.8% win probability) landed in the fourth quarter when New England Patriots changed the game: (1:03) (Shotgun) 1-C.Newton pass incomplete short right to 15-N.Harry [96-S.Harris].

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 J. Edelman · New England Patriots · Passing · +3.44 total EPA · 2 snaps · +1.72 EPA/play
2. 2 C. Newton · New England Patriots · Rushing · +3.12 total EPA · 8 snaps · +0.39 EPA/play
3. 3 D. Byrd · New England Patriots · Receiving · +1.75 total EPA · 4 snaps · +0.44 EPA/play
4. 4 T. Patrick · Denver Broncos · Receiving · +1.66 total EPA · 8 snaps · +0.21 EPA/play
5. 5 C. Newton · New England Patriots · Receiving · +1.63 total EPA · 1 snaps · +1.63 EPA/play
6. 6 I. Zuber · New England Patriots · Receiving · +1.51 total EPA · 1 snaps · +1.51 EPA/play
7. 7 D. Harris · New England Patriots · Receiving · +0.90 total EPA · 1 snaps · +0.90 EPA/play
8. 8 D. Spencer · Denver Broncos · Rushing · +0.76 total EPA · 1 snaps · +0.76 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 — C. Newton (Q4 8:33)

Field goals

• Denver Broncos — B. McManus (Q1 58:07)
• Denver Broncos — B. McManus (Q1 53:10)
• Denver Broncos — B. McManus (Q2 42:17)
• New England Patriots — N. Folk (Q2 35:24)
• Denver Broncos — B. McManus (Q2 30:24)
• Denver Broncos — B. McManus (Q3 18:34)
• Denver Broncos — B. McManus (Q3 15:42)
• New England Patriots — N. Folk (Q4 3:27)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

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

The opening quarter: Denver Broncos won the period 6–0. Denver Broncos connected on a field goal from the NE 27 (Q1 58:07) — (13:07) 8-B.McManus 45 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-46-J.Bobenmoyer, Holder-6-S.Martin.; Denver Broncos connected on a field goal from the NE 25 (Q1 53:10) — (8:10) 8-B.McManus 44 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-46-J.Bobenmoyer, Holder-6-S.Martin..

The second quarter: Denver Broncos won the period 6–3. Denver Broncos connected on a field goal from the NE 8 (Q2 42:17) — (12:17) 8-B.McManus 27 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-46-J.Bobenmoyer, Holder-6-S.Martin.; New England Patriots connected on a field goal from the DEN 22 (Q2 35:24) — (5:24) 6-N.Folk 41 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-7-J.Bailey.; Denver Broncos connected on a field goal from the NE 34 (Q2 30:24) — (:24) 8-B.McManus 52 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-46-J.Bobenmoyer, Holder-6-S.Martin..

The third quarter: Denver Broncos won the period 6–0. Denver Broncos connected on a field goal from the NE 2 (Q3 18:34) — (3:34) 8-B.McManus 20 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-46-J.Bobenmoyer, Holder-6-S.Martin.; Denver Broncos connected on a field goal from the NE 36 (Q3 15:42) — (:42) 8-B.McManus 54 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-46-J.Bobenmoyer, Holder-6-S.Martin..

The fourth quarter: New England Patriots won the period 9–0. New England Patriots found the end zone from the DEN 1 (Q4 8:33); New England Patriots connected on a field goal from the DEN 20 (Q4 3:27) — (3:27) 6-N.Folk 38 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-7-J.Bailey..

Turning points

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

• New England Patriots (Q4 1:03) — (1:03) (Shotgun) 1-C.Newton pass incomplete short right to 15-N.Harry [96-S.Harris]. [WPA -21.8% · EPA -2.23]
• New England Patriots (Q4 1:27) — (1:27) (Shotgun) 11-J.Edelman pass short right to 1-C.Newton pushed ob at DEN 24 for 16 yards (31-J.Simmons). double reverse pass [WPA +14.7% · EPA +1.63]
• New England Patriots (Q1 54:38) — (9:38) (Shotgun) 1-C.Newton pass short left intended for 28-J.White INTERCEPTED by 90-D.Williams (96-S.Harris) at NE 34. 90-D.Williams to NE 33 for 1 yard (75-J.Herron). [WPA -14.5% · EPA -5.66]
• New England Patriots (Q4 1:14) — (1:14) (Shotgun) 1-C.Newton sacked at DEN 30 for -6 yards (59-M.Reed). [WPA -11.2% · EPA -1.07]
• Denver Broncos (Q1 59:27) — (14:27) (Shotgun) 3-D.Lock pass deep right to 81-T.Patrick to NE 30 for 41 yards (32-D.McCourty). [WPA +10.9% · EPA +3.12]

Impact plays

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

• New England Patriots (Q1 54:38) — (9:38) (Shotgun) 1-C.Newton pass short left intended for 28-J.White INTERCEPTED by 90-D.Williams (96-S.Harris) at NE 34. 90-D.Williams to NE 33 for 1 yard (75-J.Herron). [WPA -14.5% · EPA -5.66]
• Denver Broncos (Q4 5:25) — (5:25) (Shotgun) 3-D.Lock pass deep left intended for 81-T.Patrick INTERCEPTED by 27-J.Jackson at NE 45. 27-J.Jackson pushed ob at DEN 25 for 30 yards (28-R.Freeman). [WPA -10.5% · EPA -4.59]
• New England Patriots (Q3 17:20) — (2:20) (Shotgun) 1-C.Newton pass short middle to 85-R.Izzo to DEN 42 for 16 yards (23-M.Ojemudia). FUMBLES (23-M.Ojemudia), RECOVERED by DEN-31-J.Simmons at DEN 40. 31-J.Simmons to NE 42 for 18 yards [WPA -6.0% · EPA -4.56]
• New England Patriots (Q3 15:37) — (:37) 1-C.Newton pass short right intended for 15-N.Harry INTERCEPTED by 29-B.Callahan at NE 39. 29-B.Callahan pushed ob at NE 20 for 19 yards (28-J.White). The Replay Official reviewed the runner was [WPA -4.4% · EPA -4.53]

Quarterback report card

C.Newton led all passers in efficiency for New England Patriots, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• C.Newton (New England Patriots) · 32 dropbacks · 53.1% completion · -0.5% CPOE · -0.52 EPA/play · -16.59 total EPA
• D.Lock (Denver Broncos) · 28 dropbacks · 35.7% completion · -10.9% CPOE · -0.16 EPA/play · -4.51 total EPA

Team stats comparison

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

By the numbers

Despite the final score, Denver Broncos generated the better offensive EPA per play (-0.04 vs -0.20), suggesting they moved the ball more efficiently.

• Denver Broncos: 11 drives, -3.39 total EPA, 6 scoring drives
• New England Patriots: 11 drives, -13.95 total EPA, 3 scoring drives

Key takeaways

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

• Denver Broncos leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• One-score margin — fantasy managers should double-check garbage-time stats before drawing conclusions.
• J. Edelman (New England Patriots) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
• D. Lock (DEN) finished below expected efficiency — volume may have masked accuracy issues.

Every scoring play

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

1. Denver Broncos FG (+3) — Q1 58:07 · NE 27 · Score 3-0
   (13:07) 8-B.McManus 45 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-46-J.Bobenmoyer, Holder-6-S.Martin.
2. Denver Broncos FG (+3) — Q1 53:10 · NE 25 · Score 6-0
   (8:10) 8-B.McManus 44 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-46-J.Bobenmoyer, Holder-6-S.Martin.
3. Denver Broncos FG (+3) — Q2 42:17 · NE 8 · Score 9-0
   (12:17) 8-B.McManus 27 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-46-J.Bobenmoyer, Holder-6-S.Martin.
4. New England Patriots FG (+3) — Q2 35:24 · DEN 22 · Score 9-3
   (5:24) 6-N.Folk 41 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-7-J.Bailey.
5. Denver Broncos FG (+3) — Q2 30:24 · NE 34 · Score 12-3
   (:24) 8-B.McManus 52 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-46-J.Bobenmoyer, Holder-6-S.Martin.
6. Denver Broncos FG (+3) — Q3 18:34 · NE 2 · Score 15-3
   (3:34) 8-B.McManus 20 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-46-J.Bobenmoyer, Holder-6-S.Martin.
7. Denver Broncos FG (+3) — Q3 15:42 · NE 36 · Score 18-3
   (:42) 8-B.McManus 54 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-46-J.Bobenmoyer, Holder-6-S.Martin.
8. New England Patriots TD (+6) — Q4 8:33 · DEN 1 · Score 18-9
   (8:33) 1-C.Newton up the middle to DEN 1 for no gain (45-A.Johnson). DEN-90-D.Williams was injured during the play. New England challenged the short of the goal
9. New England Patriots FG (+3) — Q4 3:27 · DEN 20 · Score 18-12
   (3:27) 6-N.Folk 38 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-7-J.Bailey.