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Road To Wembley - Week Five
Type: Latest Series
12 October 2009 8:23 PM - Mike Murray
Both teams headed across the pond had heartbreaking games in Week Five. The New England Patriots lost in overtime after almost running away with the game in the first half and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were defeated by a shockingly strong Donovan McNabb returning from a rib injury for the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Patriots' (3-2) game against the Denver Broncos (5-0) started in comical fashion, with each team wearing rather retro team jerseys from the 60's in commemoration of the AFL's 50th Anniversary. Even the referees were wearing the old orange and white pinstripe uniforms. 
Nevertheless, the tone on the field was quite different than the shirts on their backs. Each team came into this game riding waves of praise after big wins in Week Four.
Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels may not have said it before the game, but it was clear that he wanted to beat his old team and former teacher Bill Belichick. McDaniels was the Patriots' offensive coordinator until last year and was a part of the Patriots' organization since 2001.
McDaniels got a win over his old boss, 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."
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.
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.
Star receiver Randy Moss was held to only one catch, although he did have an interception on a Hail-Mary toss by Kyle Orton to close out the first half. The Patriots must have been satisfied with their first half, going into the locker room with a 17-7 lead.
The second half was a different story. Brady only passed for 63 yards and the Patriots failed to put a single point on the board. After a 98 yard drive by Denver, the game was forced into overtime.
With the flip of a coin, the Broncos were given the ball in overtime. After a short drive, Matt Prater sent the ball through the uprights from 41 yards out to win the game.
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.
The Buccaneers (0-5) had their hands full against the Philadelphia Eagles (4-1). Quarterback Josh Johnson hit Kellen Winslow twice for a career high two touchdowns, but Johnson also threw three interceptions; fuelling an already potent Eagles offense.
After the Eagles jumped to an early 14-0 lead, the Buccaneers answered with a five-play, 80-yard drive. Johnson connected with Antonio Bryant for 31 yards on the first play and fired a 9-yard TD pass to Winslow over the middle.
Philadelphia continued to move the ball downfield with ease. McNabb was able to take his time in the pocket, thanks to great protection upfront, and find the open receiver downfield, which tended to be rookie Jeremy Maclin.
Maclin had the best game of his career, catching six passes for 142 yards with a pair of touchdowns.
"Obviously we were outplayed today by a better football team," Buccaneers Coach Raheem Morris said. "They outplayed us across the board, they made bigger plays than us... We have to go back and evaluate what we've done."
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