Late in the fourth quarter of the New England Patriots’ road game against the Denver Broncos on Christmas Eve Saturday, it looked like New England rookie kicker Chad Ryland might wind up as the goat. Ryland missed a 46-yard field goal in the second quarter, then missed an extra point in the third quarter. And while that didn’t seem too consequential right then, with the Patriots leading 23-7 heading into the fourth quarter, a furious Broncos comeback with two touchdowns and two two-point conversions wound up tying the game inside the final three minutes.
However, both teams had drives ending in punts after that. That gave New England the ball back on their 19 in the final minute. And a pair of Ezekiel Elliott runs and three Bailey Zappe passes gave Ryland the chance for a field goal in the final seconds, but from 56 yards out, five yards longer than his previous career high. But he nailed that one:
And after the Broncos’ final Hail Mary attempt fell incomplete, that meant that Ryland wound up as a hero rather than a goat. But, of course, his redemption arc spoiled one for Denver. The 7-7 Broncos had a lot on the line here in terms of staying in the playoff picture. And while they struggled for three quarters against 3-11 New England, their two touchdowns and two two-point conversions in the fourth quarter were impressive.
But in the end, that wasn’t enough, thanks to Ryland finding his distance and accuracy at just the right time. Oddly enough, though, the win here may not actually be good for the Patriots, with it hurting their draft position. But it certainly was bad for the Broncos.
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About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.