Baller Alert Entertainment & Lifestyle 
Two of the NFL’s most elite quarterbacks, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, faced off against each other this past Sunday. Having started off the season with a couple of uncharacteristic losses, some people started to question whether the New England Patriots and Tom Brady had lost their mojo. On the other hand, the Denver Broncos have been making minced meat out of their opponents all season, only having lost one game in overtime to the Seahawks. But on Sunday, Peyton Manning finally found his match as Tom Brady proved to the critics that he’s still just as good as he’s ever been. In a quarterback duel that went on throughout all four quarters, Brady outscored Manning 43-21 and helped the Patriots to regain legitimacy in the 2014 season.
The game started out slow, with back to back punts by both teams. A penalty on the Broncos during a punt gave the Patriots offense good field position and they were able to put up the first points with a field goal. The Broncos took the lead on the next drive with a touchdown run by running back Ronnie Hillman, making the score 7-3 after the extra point. While the Patriots remained relatively quiet in the first quarter, they went off in the second quarter. After a second successful field goal attempt by kicker Stephen Gostkowski, Manning got the ball back. On first down, a pass intended for wide receiver Demaryius Thomas was intercepted by defensive lineman Rob Ninkovich and taken back to the Denver 34 yard line. The Patriots took advantage of the turnover as Brady completed a pass to wide receiver Julian Edelman in the end zone to take a 13-7 lead. The Broncos got the ball back but could not make it out of their own territory on third down and were forced to punt the ball away. Punter Britton Colquitt fumbled the ball after the snap but managed to still kick the ball away to Edelman. With the help of a couple key blocks and missed tackles, Edelman took the ball back 84 yards for a touchdown. And just like that, the Patriots were up 20-7. A strong effort by the Patriots defense combined with a missed field goal prevented the Broncos from scoring the rest of the half. At the two minute warning, the Patriots got possession of the ball once again. Brady completed several passes, leading the Patriots down the field, before eventually hitting running back Shane Vereen for a touchdown, making the score 27-7 at halftime.
At the start of the second half, Brady was intercepted by cornerback Bradley Roby. With the ball back in his possession, Manning found tight end Julius Thomas in the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown. On the next drive, the Patriots made it into Broncos territory but after a loss of yards on a run and a couple of incomplete passes, they had to settle for a field goal. The ball went back to the Broncos but Manning was intercepted for a second time when a deep pass bounced off the hands of his receiver Wes Welker and into the hands of cornerback Brandon Browner. Set up at the 10 yard line following the turnover, Brady had an easy opportunity to score and he did just that with a completion to wide receiver Brandon LaFell, who ran it in for the touchdown. The Broncos were down 37-14 at this point but continued to fight. On the next drive, Manning moved the Broncos down the field and completed a pass to Hillman, who ran down the sideline and just barely stayed in bounds for the touchdown. The battle of the quarterbacks continued into the fourth quarter. At the start of the fourth, Brady found tight end Rob Gronkowski, who got in front of a defender in the end zone, to increase the score to 43-21. The Patriots attempted a two point conversion but Edelman was stopped short of the goal line. For the remainder of the game, the Patriots defense successfully shut out Peyton and the Broncos. They stopped the offense on three consecutive fourth down attempts, getting the ball back in the hands of Brady each time. The Broncos got possession of the ball with just over a minute left in the game. Knowing that there was nothing they could do to prevent their second loss of the season, the offense resorted to running the ball. The clock ultimately ran out and the Patriots were able to close out the game with a big victory over the Broncos.
The Patriots not only beat THE team to beat, they blew them out. They can now stake their claim as one of the top teams in the NFL and even possible Super Bowl contenders. The Patriots will be getting a much needed break this week as they are on bye but the following week, they will be taking on the Indianapolis Colts, another tough AFC team with a talented young quarterback. Let’s see if they can continue to dominate in the second half of their season.
Now what’s football without the fine football players hiding underneath those pads and helmets? Each team definitely has its share of cuties and the New England Patriots are no exception! Let’s take a look at quarterback Tom Brady, wide receiver Danny Amendola, and tight end Rob Gronkowski.
#12 Tom Brady – Quarterback
Tom Brady is undoubtedly one of the best quarterbacks of this era. He has racked up a long list of accomplishments throughout his NFL career, including winning three Super Bowls, being named Super Bowl MVP and NFL MVP, and being invited to countless Pro Bowls. Aside from being a winning quarterback, Tom Brady is also known for being married to supermodel Gisele. But he’s somewhat of a model himself…Tom has starred in ads for Under Armour, Movado, and UGG and has also been featured on multiple GQ and Sports Illustrated covers so he definitely knows a thing or two about working it for the camera.
#80 Danny Amendola – Wide Receiver
Wide receiver Danny Amendola is a newcomer on the Patriots, having spent most of his career with the St. Louis Rams. Since arriving in Boston last year, he’s been helping the team by coming through in clutch situations. Danny also loves the kids. In 2010, he started a foundation called Danny Amendola’s Catches for Kids, which focuses on improving education and literacy for children of low-income families.
#87 Rob Gronkowski – Tight End
The Brady-Gronkowski duo is one of the most unstoppable quarterback-receiver duos in the NFL. Tight end Rob Gronkowski, better known as Gronk, definitely has talent on the field but has a fun personality to go along with it. Gronk is notorious for his frat boy partying ways and is the life of the party everywhere he goes. Check out this video of him getting it on stage at the club…too funny.
