Orton orchestrates game-tying drive as Broncos finish off Patriots in OT
VIDEO PLAYLIST 
| WERE YOU THERE? |
Did you attend this game? If so, start chronicling your sports memories today with ESPN's Sports Passport. Enter the games you attend, upload your photos and share your memories! I was there »
|
| Team Stat Comparison |
| |  |  |
| 1st Downs | 18 | 27 |
Passing 1st downs | 11 | 21 |
Rushing 1st downs | 5 | 4 |
1st downs from Penalties | 2 | 2 |
3rd down efficiency | 5-14 | 6-14 |
4th down efficiency | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Total Plays | 61 | 75 |
| Total Yards | 305 | 424 |
| Passing | 209 | 321 |
Comp-Att | 19-33 | 35-48 |
Yards per pass | 6.3 | 6.7 |
| Rushing | 96 | 103 |
Rushing Attempts | 27 | 25 |
Yards per rush | 3.6 | 4.1 |
| Red Zone (Made-Att) | 2-2 | 2-3 |
| Penalties | 4-46 | 3-20 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
Fumbles lost | 1 | 1 |
Interceptions thrown | 0 | 1 |
| Defensive / Special Teams TDs | 0 | 0 |
| Possession | 28:22 | 36:29 |
|
| New England Passing | | | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | | Brady | 19/33 | 215 | 2 | 0 |
| | Denver Passing | | | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | | Orton | 35/48 | 330 | 2 | 1 |
|
| |
| |
| |
| Scoring Summary |
| FIRST QUARTER | NWE | DEN |
 | TD | 06:44 | Wes Welker 8 Yd Pass From Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski Kick) | 7 | 0 |
 | FG | 03:51 | Stephen Gostkowski 53 Yd | 10 | 0 |
| SECOND QUARTER | NWE | DEN |
 | TD | 04:31 | Brandon Marshall 11 Yd Pass From Kyle Orton (Matt Prater Kick) | 10 | 7 |
 | TD | 00:05 | Benjamin Watson 7 Yd Pass From Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski Kick) | 17 | 7 |
| THIRD QUARTER | NWE | DEN |
 | FG | 07:22 | Matt Prater 24 Yd | 17 | 10 |
| FOURTH QUARTER | NWE | DEN |
 | TD | 05:21 | Brandon Marshall 11 Yd Pass From Kyle Orton (Matt Prater Kick) | 17 | 17 |
| OVERTIME | NWE | DEN |
 | FG | 10:09 | Matt Prater 41 Yd | 17 | 20 |
Associated Press
DENVER -- Kyle Orton is no John Elway, Josh McDaniels is no Bill Belichick and those mustard-yellow uniforms certainly don't have anyone thinking "Orange Crush."
More from ESPN.com
It was an extraordinary win, against an extraordinary coach and an extraordinary quarterback who are partly, if not largely, responsible for Josh McDaniels getting the Broncos gig, writes Gene Wojciechowski. Story
This time, it wasn't Tom Brady delivering the punch lines. It was Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton, writes Mike Reiss. Story
• ESPNBoston.com
Kyle Orton and the Broncos are showing anything is possible -- even Joe Montana and John Elway comparisons, writes Bill Williamson. Blog
But on a day that had as much to do with Denver's colorful history as its promising present, anything seemed possible.
Orton led a drive that might ring a bell for Broncos fans -- 98 yards in the fourth quarter to tie the game -- then
Matt Prater kicked a 41-yard field goal in overtime Sunday to lift Denver to a 20-17 victory over New England.
McDaniels got a win over his old boss, Belichick, and the Broncos improved to 5-0 for the first time since 1998, their last Super Bowl season.
"I lied," McDaniels said, when asked about his game-week assertion that this was just another game. "It was a little bit more special to me because I knew how hard it was to beat him."
His postgame reaction said it all. After a quick wave to Belichick near midfield, McDaniels ran to the corner of the stadium near where his family sits and pumped his fist repeatedly before sharing bear hugs with his players.
"This doesn't mean a whole lot unless you can share it with somebody," McDaniels said. "Sometimes, you're allowed to have fun. That's what I was doing."
As part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the AFL, the Broncos came out in their 1960s yellow jerseys and vertically striped socks, then played better than they looked.
Fast Facts
• The Broncos completed their fourth come-from behind victory to improve to 5-0 this season. This is their first 5-0 start since the 1998 season.
• With the loss, Bill Belichick fell to 8-7 against his former assistants.
• Tom Brady is now 1-5 as a starter against the Broncos for his career. Denver is the only team he does not have a winning record against.
• Kyle Orton improved to 26-12 as a starter and threw 330 yards in the game. This was the second 300-yard passing game of his career.
• Randy Moss had one reception. It was the 12th time in his career that Moss had one catch or less in a game. His teams are 4-8 when that occurs.
• Rapid Reaction
-- ESPN Stats & Information
Orton threw for 330 yards and two scores. The defense held New England (3-2) scoreless in the second half.
Denver's game-tying, fourth-quarter drive certainly wasn't "The Drive" -- Elway's classic, 98-yard march that helped beat the Browns 23-20 back in the 1987 AFC title game -- but it will go down as one of the best in this franchise's history.
This start?
Easily the most surprising since the Broncos took the field half a century ago. Even the 1977 Super Bowl team -- the team that coined the term "Orange Crush" -- was viewed as an up-and-comer back then, something the turmoil-wracked Broncos certainly were not heading into 2009.
"The guys in this locker room believe, the coaches believe, guys believe in each other and are fighting," defensive lineman
Vonnie Holliday said.
Trailing 17-10 with 9:59 left, Orton was at his patient best during the game-tying drive that started at the 2. A 14-yard completion to
Jabar Gaffney, a screen to
Knowshon Moreno that sprung for 27. A 7-yard completion to
Eddie Royal, who finished with 10 catches for 90 yards.
Brandon Marshall, who scored the game-winner last week against Dallas, did the honors this time, too, catching a pass on the sideline, then spinning and breaking a tackle for an 11-yard score that tied it at 17. It was his second touchdown of the game.
The teams traded a pair of possessions around midfield to close regulation, then the Broncos won the toss and drove 58 yards to set up the winning field goal with 10:09 left in OT.
"The electricity in the stadium was so great that we had to have it," Orton said. "When we got to overtime, we just had to win."
The game was billed as a matchup between coaching mentor and pupil -- one of many Belichick has faced since he started winning Super Bowls and pushing young head coaches into the NFL world.
It started with some tactical games from McDaniels, who put the Broncos in the wildcat formation on their first drive and watched them rip off gains of 12, 13 and 14. Belichick called a timeout to adjust, the Broncos stalled and Prater missed a 48-yard field goal.
From there, it was exactly what both coaches promised it would be -- a well-played, hard-fought game decided more by the players than the Xs and Os.
Orton Faces Heat

Denver QB Kyle Orton showed he could handle New England's pressure, looking more successful with five or more pass rushers coming at him.
Orton vs. NE pass rushers
|
4 or less |
5 or more |
| Cmp-Att |
22-31 |
13-17 |
| Yds/att |
6.7 |
7.2 |
| TD-Int |
0-1 |
2-0 |
| Passer rating |
75.7 |
134.9 |
-- ESPN Stats and Information
The Broncos forced
Tom Brady to be patient and pick underneath, the way he has for much of this season. He went 19 for 33 for 215 yards, but only 63 of those came in the second half.
The Denver defense has allowed a grand total of 43 points in five games -- one of the best starts in the league's history. And add this to the resume: Denver handed Brady his first overtime loss. He fell to 7-1.
McDaniels used to be his position coach.
"Josh is a great coach, so he's obviously learned a lot and he's got the team playing well," Brady said. "Pretty impressive for a first-year coach. He's a hard worker and he certainly deserves it. They're playing well."
Orton, meanwhile, improved to 18-2 at home as an NFL starter, and the widely derided decision to anoint him the quarterback and trade away
Jay Cutler still looks like a good one.
Denver's decision to choose Moreno with its first draft pick when the defense needed an overhaul also looks good. The rookie made his first start -- in place of injured
Correll Buckhalter -- and finished with 88 yards rushing, along with the key, 27-yard catch during the tying drive.
The Broncos lost a fumble and Orton threw his first interception of the season -- to wide receiver
Randy Moss, of all people, on a desperation heave to close the first half -- to lose the turnover battle 2-1.
No big deal, unless you consider this: It was the first time in 54 games -- a streak dating to 2003 -- that the Patriots had forced more turnovers and lost. Another in a long list of surprises the Broncos are pulling off in a season hardly anyone saw coming.
Game notes Orton's interception was his first in 173 attempts, dating back to when he played for the Bears. ... Patriots OT
Matt Light went out in the fourth quarter with an injured right knee and the team offered no update after the game. ... Pats K
Stephen Gostkowski made a career-long 53-yard field goal, then missed a 40-yarder to snap a string of 12 straight successful FGs.