Detroit Lions vs. Denver Broncos: 2021 Week 14 Recap

Game story

In Week 14 of the 2021 NFL season on 2021-12-12, the Denver Broncos took care of business against the Detroit Lions, pulling away with a 38–10 final that controlled the game from start to finish.

The highest-scoring period was Q1 with 14 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

J. Goff (Detroit Lions) paced the passing game, with -6.48 total EPA, and -4.1% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, T. Bridgewater (Denver Broncos) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +11.28 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (+11.6% win probability) landed in the opening quarter when Denver Broncos changed the game: (11:50) (Shotgun) 5-T.Bridgewater pass incomplete short right to 14-C.Sutton. PENALTY on DET-1-N.Robey, Defensive Pass Interference, 14 yards, enforced at DET 42 - No Play.

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 T. Bridgewater · Denver Broncos · Passing · +11.28 total EPA · 27 snaps · +0.42 EPA/play
2. 2 J. Williams · Denver Broncos · Rushing · +4.46 total EPA · 15 snaps · +0.30 EPA/play
3. 3 K. Raymond · Detroit Lions · Receiving · +4.29 total EPA · 5 snaps · +0.86 EPA/play
4. 4 C. Reynolds · Detroit Lions · Rushing · +3.59 total EPA · 11 snaps · +0.33 EPA/play
5. 5 A. Okwuegbunam · Denver Broncos · Receiving · +3.17 total EPA · 5 snaps · +0.63 EPA/play
6. 6 N. Fant · Denver Broncos · Receiving · +2.81 total EPA · 4 snaps · +0.70 EPA/play
7. 7 J. Reynolds · Detroit Lions · Receiving · +2.48 total EPA · 5 snaps · +0.50 EPA/play
8. 8 J. Jeudy · Denver Broncos · Receiving · +2.39 total EPA · 6 snaps · +0.40 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

• Denver Broncos — J. Williams (Q1 54:51)
• Denver Broncos — M. Gordon (Q1 45:57)
• Detroit Lions — K. Raymond (J. Goff pass) (Q2 42:38)
• Denver Broncos — J. Williams (T. Bridgewater pass) (Q3 26:09)
• Denver Broncos — M. Gordon (Q3 21:38)
• Denver Broncos — A. Okwuegbunam (T. Bridgewater pass) (Q4 2:00)

Field goals

• Detroit Lions — R. Patterson (Q2 36:39)
• Denver Broncos — B. McManus (Q2 30:02)

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 14–0. Denver Broncos found the end zone from the DET 5 (Q1 54:51) — (9:51) 33-J.Williams up the middle for 5 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Denver Broncos added 1 points from the DET 15 (Q1 54:46) — 8-B.McManus extra point is GOOD, Center-46-J.Bobenmoyer, Holder-6-S.Martin.; Denver Broncos found the end zone from the DET 1 (Q1 45:57) — (:57) 25-M.Gordon up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.; Denver Broncos added 1 points from the DET 15 (Q1 45:53) — 8-B.McManus extra point is GOOD, Center-46-J.Bobenmoyer, Holder-6-S.Martin..

The second quarter: Detroit Lions won the period 10–3. Detroit Lions found the end zone from the DEN 7 (Q2 42:38) — (12:38) 16-J.Goff pass short left to 11-K.Raymond for 7 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Detroit Lions added 1 points from the DEN 20 (Q2 42:31) — 6-R.Patterson extra point is GOOD, Center-47-S.Daly, Holder-3-J.Fox.; Detroit Lions connected on a field goal from the DEN 18 (Q2 36:39) — (6:39) 6-R.Patterson 36 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-47-S.Daly, Holder-3-J.Fox.; Denver Broncos connected on a field goal from the DET 34 (Q2 30:02) — (:02) 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 14–0. Denver Broncos found the end zone from the DET 10 (Q3 26:09) — (11:09) (Shotgun) 5-T.Bridgewater pass short left to 33-J.Williams for 10 yards, TOUCHDOWN [51-J.Woods].; Denver Broncos added 1 points from the DET 15 (Q3 26:03) — 8-B.McManus extra point is GOOD, Center-46-J.Bobenmoyer, Holder-6-S.Martin.; Denver Broncos found the end zone from the DET 14 (Q3 21:38) — (6:38) 25-M.Gordon up the middle for 14 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Denver Broncos added 1 points from the DET 15 (Q3 21:34) — 8-B.McManus extra point is GOOD, Center-46-J.Bobenmoyer, Holder-6-S.Martin..

The fourth quarter: Denver Broncos won the period 7–0. Denver Broncos found the end zone from the DET 4 (Q4 2:00) — (2:00) 5-T.Bridgewater pass short right to 85-A.Okwuegbunam for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Denver Broncos added 1 points from the DET 15 (Q4 1:51).

Turning points

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

• Denver Broncos (Q1 56:50) — (11:50) (Shotgun) 5-T.Bridgewater pass incomplete short right to 14-C.Sutton. PENALTY on DET-1-N.Robey, Defensive Pass Interference, 14 yards, enforced at DET 42 - No Play. [WPA +11.6% · EPA +2.38]
• Detroit Lions (Q3 29:19) — (14:19) 67-M.Nelson reported in as eligible. 35-G.Igwebuike right end to DET 34 for 4 yards (41-K.Young; 96-S.Harris). FUMBLES (41-K.Young), RECOVERED by DEN-53-J.Cooper at DET 36. [WPA -8.3% · EPA -4.76]
• Detroit Lions (Q2 38:53) — (8:53) (Shotgun) 16-J.Goff pass short right to 11-K.Raymond pushed ob at DEN 41 for 9 yards (23-K.Fuller). [WPA +7.1% · EPA +2.48]
• Detroit Lions (Q2 42:38) — (12:38) 16-J.Goff pass short left to 11-K.Raymond for 7 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +6.0% · EPA +1.89]
• Denver Broncos (Q1 49:07) — (4:07) (Shotgun) 5-T.Bridgewater pass deep right to 87-N.Fant pushed ob at DET 16 for 32 yards (55-D.Barnes). [WPA +5.4% · EPA +2.54]

Impact plays

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

• Detroit Lions (Q3 29:19) — (14:19) 67-M.Nelson reported in as eligible. 35-G.Igwebuike right end to DET 34 for 4 yards (41-K.Young; 96-S.Harris). FUMBLES (41-K.Young), RECOVERED by DEN-53-J.Cooper at DET 36. [WPA -8.3% · EPA -4.76]
• Detroit Lions (Q4 9:04) — (9:04) (Shotgun) 16-J.Goff pass short right intended for 89-B.Wright INTERCEPTED by 31-J.Simmons at DEN 12. 31-J.Simmons to DEN 12 for no gain (89-B.Wright). [WPA -1.0% · EPA -4.49]
• Detroit Lions (Q4 15:00) — (15:00) (Shotgun) 16-J.Goff pass short left to 14-A.St. Brown ran ob at DEN 15 for 19 yards (30-C.Sterns). PENALTY on DEN-30-C.Sterns, Unnecessary Roughness, 8 yards, enforced at DEN 15. [WPA +1.0% · EPA +4.40]
• Denver Broncos (Q4 2:00) — (2:00) 5-T.Bridgewater pass short right to 85-A.Okwuegbunam for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +0.0% · EPA +3.46]

Quarterback report card

J.Goff led all passers in efficiency for Detroit Lions, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• J.Goff (Detroit Lions) · 42 dropbacks · 57.1% completion · -4.1% CPOE · -0.15 EPA/play · -6.48 total EPA
• T.Bridgewater (Denver Broncos) · 27 dropbacks · 66.7% completion · +4.5% CPOE · +0.42 EPA/play · +11.28 total EPA

Team stats comparison

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

By the numbers

Denver Broncos held the efficiency edge in offensive EPA per play (+0.25 vs -0.12), even if the scoreboard told a different story.

• Denver Broncos: 9 drives, +20.37 total EPA, 6 scoring drives
• Detroit Lions: 9 drives, -9.41 total EPA, 2 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.
• T. Bridgewater (Denver Broncos) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
• J. Goff (DET) finished below expected efficiency — volume may have masked accuracy issues.
• T. Bridgewater (DEN) 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. Denver Broncos TD (+6) — Q1 54:51 · DET 5 · Score 0-6
   (9:51) 33-J.Williams up the middle for 5 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
2. Denver Broncos XP (+1) — Q1 54:46 · DET 15 · Score 0-7
   8-B.McManus extra point is GOOD, Center-46-J.Bobenmoyer, Holder-6-S.Martin.
3. Denver Broncos TD (+6) — Q1 45:57 · DET 1 · Score 0-13
   (:57) 25-M.Gordon up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
4. Denver Broncos XP (+1) — Q1 45:53 · DET 15 · Score 0-14
   8-B.McManus extra point is GOOD, Center-46-J.Bobenmoyer, Holder-6-S.Martin.
5. Detroit Lions TD (+6) — Q2 42:38 · DEN 7 · Score 6-14
   (12:38) 16-J.Goff pass short left to 11-K.Raymond for 7 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
6. Detroit Lions XP (+1) — Q2 42:31 · DEN 20 · Score 7-14
   6-R.Patterson extra point is GOOD, Center-47-S.Daly, Holder-3-J.Fox.
7. Detroit Lions FG (+3) — Q2 36:39 · DEN 18 · Score 10-14
   (6:39) 6-R.Patterson 36 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-47-S.Daly, Holder-3-J.Fox.
8. Denver Broncos FG (+3) — Q2 30:02 · DET 34 · Score 10-17
   (:02) 8-B.McManus 52 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-46-J.Bobenmoyer, Holder-6-S.Martin.
9. Denver Broncos TD (+6) — Q3 26:09 · DET 10 · Score 10-23
   (11:09) (Shotgun) 5-T.Bridgewater pass short left to 33-J.Williams for 10 yards, TOUCHDOWN [51-J.Woods].
10. Denver Broncos XP (+1) — Q3 26:03 · DET 15 · Score 10-24
    8-B.McManus extra point is GOOD, Center-46-J.Bobenmoyer, Holder-6-S.Martin.
11. Denver Broncos TD (+6) — Q3 21:38 · DET 14 · Score 10-30
    (6:38) 25-M.Gordon up the middle for 14 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
12. Denver Broncos XP (+1) — Q3 21:34 · DET 15 · Score 10-31
    8-B.McManus extra point is GOOD, Center-46-J.Bobenmoyer, Holder-6-S.Martin.
13. Denver Broncos TD (+6) — Q4 2:00 · DET 4 · Score 10-37
    (2:00) 5-T.Bridgewater pass short right to 85-A.Okwuegbunam for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
14. Denver Broncos XP (+1) — Q4 1:51 · DET 15 · Score 10-38
    8-B.McManus extra point is GOOD, Center-46-J.Bobenmoyer, Holder-6-S.Martin. PENALTY on DET-53-C.Harris, Unsportsmanlike Conduct, 15 yards, enforced between down