The celebratory mood on social media over the oft-delayed contest ignored obvious flaws in the Broncos' performance. Signal caller Drew Lock's return from injury fell well short of astonishing; he went 10-24, which translates to a 41 percent completion percentage. Furthermore, he was unable to get the team into the end zone a single time, despite scads of opportunities provided by an unexpectedly opportunistic defense. The only person who scored for Denver was Brandon McManus, who booted six balls through the uprights over the course of the day.
The last of these scores happened thanks to an inexplicable assist from alleged greatest-coach-of-all-time Bill Belichick, who could have moved the Broncos out of range with a penalty but chose to decline it, only to watch McManus drill one from fifty yards-plus. And that wasn't Big Bill's only bizarre decision. By going for a two-point conversion after the Pats' first and only touchdown, and failing, he allowed the Broncos to cling to a two-possession lead when an extra point would have reduced it to one.
Of course, the Broncos nearly wasted this unexpected gift in the final moments because of the stupidity of head coach Vic Fangio, offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur or a combination thereof. Rather than playing it safe and eating clock, the pair directed the inconsistent Lock to get pass-happy — a decision that led to two late interceptions that gave Newton and company life. Without one last stand by the D, the match-up would have gone down as among the biggest choke jobs in Broncos history. And given how many triumphs have been turned into defeats during the Fangio era alone, that's really saying something.
Of course, the Patriots have been ravaged by COVID-19, with Newton among those who tested positive, and the team's offensive line was a mess as a result. But considering that the Broncos' next opponent is Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, no one can begrudge loyalists for enjoying themselves at Cam's expense.
Below, find twenty examples, including a few from frustrated New England boosters.
Number 20:
annnd that's a dub in Foxborough!!! @Broncos Cam still can't get his head right when he plays that D. He feels @VonMiller's presence and mentoring through and through.
— O'Laney (@OLaney2) October 19, 2020
Number 19:
Broncos fans really hate Cam more than any other team or single player and it's really telling
— T2 (@callmechamblee) October 19, 2020
Number 18:
How I'm going to sleep knowing the Broncos won on the road in New England, beat Cam Newton and left the entire staff on 104.3 The fan with egg on their face pic.twitter.com/iSyMpXZGHg
— ???????????????? ???????????????????????????? (@Sherman721) October 19, 2020
Number 17:
Don’t think I’ve ever seen a whole franchise bully one player like the Broncos bully Cam. Kinda lame tbh. The heck he do to you? https://t.co/ppixTx0QxB
— Jonathan Kyle Floyd (@TarHeelBlood9) October 19, 2020
Number 16:
Cam Newton can’t play against the broncos defense. Change my mind
— noah (@noahburman) October 19, 2020
Number 15:
Cam Newton when he sees the Broncos
— Luke Russo (@LukeRuss0) October 19, 2020
Number 14:
Cam when told he hasn't beat the Broncos Ever!!https://t.co/BuQ4SbDfhK
— Coach Cobb (@jimcobb47) October 19, 2020
Number 13:
Cam need to tighten his shit up.. ain’t no way we was suppose to lose to broncos
— Mann profit (@mann36prft) October 19, 2020
Number 12:
Broncos beat a Patriots practice squad and a rusty Cam today. good stuff buds
— Look at Jmac Man (@Jamison_Jmac) October 19, 2020
Number 11:
I guess we can stop the Cam Newton for MVP talk. Really, you can't even beat the craptastic Broncos at home
— bryan rothrock (@uglyrat) October 19, 2020
Number 10:
We won & we didn’t score a single TD LMFAOOOOOOO we own cam
— Ricky (@SuttonMVP) October 18, 2020
Number 9:
The Broncos are Cam's kryptonite. I accepted the truth now what's next? Receivers or tight ends?
— King Jaret Long (@KingJaretLong1) October 18, 2020
Number 8:
Fuckin patriots! Fuckin cam! Fuckin covid! I hate the Broncos
— Alfonso (@a_esquivias) October 18, 2020
Number 7:
Cam Newton and the Patriots are BUMS! BRONCOS SUPER BOWL BOUND BABYYYY 13-3 TIL YOU’RE NOT!
— Matt (@MattArthurIIpt2) October 18, 2020
Number 6:
Didn't see my broncos knocking off the Patriots coming. Cam can't beat us.
— Kevin Helmick (@KevinHelmick4) October 19, 2020
Number 5:
Uh no. Comparing apples to oranges right now.
— CountBoozyVonDrunkATon (@mich1128) October 18, 2020
Pats have had a crappy situation going on with how the NFL handled COVID and basically playing with a makeshift o-line.
I love Brady but he wouldn’t have been able to do anything against the Broncos today if he switched with Cam https://t.co/PuNQl7qbPG
Number 4:
Cam is now 0-4 against DEN including Super Bowl 50. Hey Cam, why don’t you ask your predecessor a.k.a. the goat about Broncos Country!!
— Chris (@mschrisgee) October 18, 2020
Number 3:
Coming into today, the Patriots were averaging 29 points per game with Cam Newton under center.
— RK (@RyanKoenigsberg) October 18, 2020
Broncos held them to 12.
Vic Fangio dominated Josh McDaniels.
Number 2:
I got PTSD watching Cam play against the Broncos
— Pound Town (3-2) (@PoundTo54207999) October 18, 2020
Number 1:
You can’t be dressing like cam if you lose to the fucking broncos @stoolpresidente @stoolsalesguy @FeitsBarstool pic.twitter.com/5lSNHgrEGX
— m d (@MDoucette12) October 18, 2020