New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos: 2005 Wild Card Recap

Game story

In the Wild Card of the 2005 NFL season on 2006-01-14, the Denver Broncos took care of business against the New England Patriots, pulling away with a 27–13 final that built a comfortable lead.

The highest-scoring period was Q4 with 17 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

T. Brady (New England Patriots) paced the passing game, with +2.45 total EPA.

On the individual side, D. Branch (New England Patriots) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +12.63 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (-35.3% win probability) landed in the third quarter when New England Patriots changed the game: (1:03) (Shotgun) 12-T.Brady pass intended for 80-T.Brown INTERCEPTED by 24-C.Bailey at DEN -1. 24-C.Bailey to NE 1 for 100 yards (84-B.Watson). FUMBLES (84-B.Watson), ball out of bounds at NE 1. 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 D. Branch · New England Patriots · Receiving · +12.63 total EPA · 8 snaps · +1.58 EPA/play
2. 2 R. Smith · Denver Broncos · Receiving · +7.93 total EPA · 6 snaps · +1.32 EPA/play
3. 3 D. Givens · New England Patriots · Receiving · +4.78 total EPA · 5 snaps · +0.96 EPA/play
4. 4 J. Putzier · Denver Broncos · Receiving · +3.50 total EPA · 3 snaps · +1.17 EPA/play
5. 5 A. Davis · New England Patriots · Receiving · +3.20 total EPA · 1 snaps · +3.20 EPA/play
6. 6 A. Lelie · Denver Broncos · Receiving · +3.09 total EPA · 5 snaps · +0.62 EPA/play
7. 7 J. Plummer · Denver Broncos · Passing · +2.58 total EPA · 33 snaps · +0.08 EPA/play
8. 8 T. Brady · New England Patriots · Passing · +2.45 total EPA · 36 snaps · +0.07 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 — M. Anderson (Q2 31:45)
• Denver Broncos — M. Anderson (Q3 15:47)
• Denver Broncos — R. Smith (J. Plummer pass) (Q4 8:43)
• New England Patriots — D. Givens (T. Brady pass) (Q4 8:09)

Field goals

• New England Patriots — A. Vinatieri (Q2 33:52)
• Denver Broncos — J. Elam (Q2 30:48)
• New England Patriots — A. Vinatieri (Q3 22:53)
• Denver Broncos — J. Elam (Q4 3:24)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

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

The second quarter: Denver Broncos won the period 10–3. New England Patriots connected on a field goal from the DEN 22 (Q2 33:52) — (3:52) 4-A.Vinatieri 40 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-66-L.Paxton, Holder-8-J.Miller.; Denver Broncos found the end zone from the NE 1 (Q2 31:45) — (1:45) 38-M.Anderson left guard for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.; Denver Broncos added 1 points from the NE 2 (Q2 31:42) — 1-J.Elam extra point is GOOD, Center-83-M.Leach, Holder-16-J.Plummer.; Denver Broncos connected on a field goal from the NE 32 (Q2 30:48) — (:48) 1-J.Elam 50 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-83-M.Leach, Holder-16-J.Plummer..

The third quarter: Denver Broncos won the period 7–3. New England Patriots connected on a field goal from the DEN 14 (Q3 22:53) — (7:53) 4-A.Vinatieri 32 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-66-L.Paxton, Holder-8-J.Miller.; Denver Broncos found the end zone from the NE 1 (Q3 15:47) — (:47) 38-M.Anderson left end for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.; Denver Broncos added 1 points from the NE 2 (Q3 15:43) — 1-J.Elam extra point is GOOD, Center-83-M.Leach, Holder-16-J.Plummer..

The fourth quarter: Denver Broncos won the period 10–7. Denver Broncos found the end zone from the NE 4 (Q4 8:43) — (8:43) 16-J.Plummer pass to 80-R.Smith for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Denver Broncos added 1 points from the NE 7 (Q4 8:38) — 1-J.Elam extra point is GOOD, Center-83-M.Leach, Holder-16-J.Plummer.; New England Patriots found the end zone from the DEN 4 (Q4 8:09) — (8:09) (Shotgun) 12-T.Brady pass to 87-D.Givens for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New England Patriots added 1 points from the DEN 2 (Q4 8:05) — 4-A.Vinatieri extra point is GOOD, Center-66-L.Paxton, Holder-8-J.Miller.; Denver Broncos connected on a field goal from the NE 16 (Q4 3:24) — (3:24) 1-J.Elam 34 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-83-M.Leach, Holder-16-J.Plummer..

Turning points

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

• New England Patriots (Q3 16:03) — (1:03) (Shotgun) 12-T.Brady pass intended for 80-T.Brown INTERCEPTED by 24-C.Bailey at DEN -1. 24-C.Bailey to NE 1 for 100 yards (84-B.Watson). FUMBLES (84-B.Watson), ball out of bounds at NE 1. Play [WPA -35.3% · EPA -10.52]
• New England Patriots (Q2 32:00) — (2:00) 33-K.Faulk up the middle to NE 39 for 3 yards (98-C.Brown). FUMBLES (98-C.Brown), RECOVERED by DEN-52-I.Gold at NE 40. 52-I.Gold to NE 40 for no gain (70-L.Mankins). [WPA -14.8% · EPA -3.04]
• New England Patriots (Q2 36:10) — (6:10) 12-T.Brady pass to 18-A.Davis to DEN 38 for 51 yards (24-C.Bailey). [WPA +12.9% · EPA +3.20]
• New England Patriots (Q3 18:54) — (3:54) 12-T.Brady pass to 83-D.Branch pushed ob at DEN 19 for 26 yards (47-J.Lynch). [WPA +11.7% · EPA +1.95]
• New England Patriots (Q1 50:30) — (5:30) (Shotgun) 12-T.Brady pass incomplete to 88-C.Fauria. [WPA -10.4% · EPA -3.16]

Impact plays

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

• New England Patriots (Q3 16:03) — (1:03) (Shotgun) 12-T.Brady pass intended for 80-T.Brown INTERCEPTED by 24-C.Bailey at DEN -1. 24-C.Bailey to NE 1 for 100 yards (84-B.Watson). FUMBLES (84-B.Watson), ball out of bounds at NE 1. Play [WPA -35.3% · EPA -10.52]
• New England Patriots (Q4 8:33) — (8:33) 12-T.Brady pass to 83-D.Branch pushed ob at DEN 4 for 73 yards (56-A.Wilson; 47-J.Lynch). [WPA +1.2% · EPA +5.11]
• Denver Broncos (Q2 31:51) — (1:51) 16-J.Plummer pass incomplete to 85-A.Lelie. PENALTY on NE-22-A.Samuel, Defensive Pass Interference, 39 yards, enforced at NE 40 - No Play. [WPA +9.2% · EPA +3.96]
• Denver Broncos (Q4 10:21) — (10:21) 10-T.Sauerbrun punts 30 yards to NE 12, Center-83-M.Leach. 80-T.Brown MUFFS catch, RECOVERED by DEN-83-M.Leach at NE 15. 83-M.Leach to NE 15 for no gain (98-C.Brown). [WPA +2.6% · EPA +3.88]

Quarterback report card

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

• T.Brady (New England Patriots) · 36 dropbacks · 55.6% completion · +0.07 EPA/play · +2.45 total EPA
• J.Plummer (Denver Broncos) · 33 dropbacks · 45.5% completion · +0.08 EPA/play · +2.58 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 (+0.06 vs -0.10), even if the scoreboard told a different story.

• Denver Broncos: 14 drives, +4.95 total EPA, 5 scoring drives
• New England Patriots: 13 drives, -7.28 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.
• D. Branch (New England Patriots) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.

Every scoring play

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

1. New England Patriots FG (+3) — Q2 33:52 · DEN 22 · Score 3-0
   (3:52) 4-A.Vinatieri 40 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-66-L.Paxton, Holder-8-J.Miller.
2. Denver Broncos TD (+6) — Q2 31:45 · NE 1 · Score 3-6
   (1:45) 38-M.Anderson left guard for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
3. Denver Broncos XP (+1) — Q2 31:42 · NE 2 · Score 3-7
   1-J.Elam extra point is GOOD, Center-83-M.Leach, Holder-16-J.Plummer.
4. Denver Broncos FG (+3) — Q2 30:48 · NE 32 · Score 3-10
   (:48) 1-J.Elam 50 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-83-M.Leach, Holder-16-J.Plummer.
5. New England Patriots FG (+3) — Q3 22:53 · DEN 14 · Score 6-10
   (7:53) 4-A.Vinatieri 32 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-66-L.Paxton, Holder-8-J.Miller.
6. Denver Broncos TD (+6) — Q3 15:47 · NE 1 · Score 6-16
   (:47) 38-M.Anderson left end for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
7. Denver Broncos XP (+1) — Q3 15:43 · NE 2 · Score 6-17
   1-J.Elam extra point is GOOD, Center-83-M.Leach, Holder-16-J.Plummer.
8. Denver Broncos TD (+6) — Q4 8:43 · NE 4 · Score 6-23
   (8:43) 16-J.Plummer pass to 80-R.Smith for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
9. Denver Broncos XP (+1) — Q4 8:38 · NE 7 · Score 6-24
   1-J.Elam extra point is GOOD, Center-83-M.Leach, Holder-16-J.Plummer.
10. New England Patriots TD (+6) — Q4 8:09 · DEN 4 · Score 12-24
    (8:09) (Shotgun) 12-T.Brady pass to 87-D.Givens for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
11. New England Patriots XP (+1) — Q4 8:05 · DEN 2 · Score 13-24
    4-A.Vinatieri extra point is GOOD, Center-66-L.Paxton, Holder-8-J.Miller.
12. Denver Broncos FG (+3) — Q4 3:24 · NE 16 · Score 13-27
    (3:24) 1-J.Elam 34 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-83-M.Leach, Holder-16-J.Plummer.