Denver
Broncos
0-2
27
FINAL
20
New England
Patriots
0-2
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a tightly contested matchup in Week 17 of the 2026 season, the Denver Broncos secured a 27-20 victory over the New England Patriots, keeping their playoff hopes alive in the final week. With both teams fighting for positioning, the stakes were high, and the Broncos rose to the occasion.
Quarterback Bo Nix led the Broncos' offense with a solid performance, throwing for 269 yards and two touchdowns. His connection with wide receiver Jaylen Waddle was particularly effective, as Waddle racked up 94 receiving yards, proving to be a key target throughout the game. Despite a strong showing from the Patriots' TreVeyon Henderson, who rushed for 80 yards, the Broncos' passing game ultimately made the difference.
Defensively, the Broncos were able to stifle the Patriots at crucial moments, with Nik Bonitto making his presence felt with a sack that disrupted New England's rhythm. The turning point came late in the fourth quarter when Craig Woodson intercepted a pass, giving the Patriots a chance to tie the game. However, the Denver defense held firm, securing the victory and solidifying their position in the playoff race.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bo Nix | QB | 43 | 28 | 65% | 269 | 2 | 2 | 78.5 |
| Drake Maye | QB | 38 | 19 | 50% | 129 | 0 | 0 | 57.8 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TreVeyon Henderson | HB | 15 | 80 | 5.3 | 20 | 2 | 19 | 0 |
| J.K. Dobbins | HB | 16 | 80 | 5.0 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| RJ Harvey | HB | 7 | 47 | 6.7 | 32 | 1 | 33 | 1 |
| Rhamondre Stevenson | HB | 4 | 12 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Bo Nix | QB | 6 | 8 | 1.3 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Drake Maye | QB | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Hunter Henry | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Romeo Doubs | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Evan Engram | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Courtland Sutton | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaylen Waddle | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaylen Waddle | WR | 9 | 94 | 10.4 | 46 | 1 | 50 | 0 |
| Troy Franklin | WR | 4 | 52 | 13.0 | — | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Hunter Henry | TE | 4 | 49 | 12.3 | 12 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| Courtland Sutton | WR | 5 | 49 | 9.8 | 12 | 1 | 13 | 1 |
| Evan Engram | TE | 5 | 48 | 9.6 | 10 | 0 | 25 | 1 |
| A.J. Brown | WR | 2 | 18 | 9.0 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 2 |
| DeMario Douglas | WR | 3 | 16 | 5.3 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Eli Raridon | TE | 1 | 15 | 15.0 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| J.K. Dobbins | HB | 4 | 14 | 3.5 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Dallen Bentley | TE | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | — | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Austin Hooper | TE | 2 | 10 | 5.0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Mack Hollins | WR | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Reggie Gilliam | FB | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Romeo Doubs | WR | 3 | 6 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| TreVeyon Henderson | HB | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Adam Trautman | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Craig Woodson | SS | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Robert Spillane | MIKE | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Kevin Byard III | FS | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Singleton | MIKE | 7 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaylen Reed | FS | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Carlton Davis III | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Riley Moss | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Christian Gonzalez | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Talanoa Hufanga | SS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nik Bonitto | REDG | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Justin Strnad | WILL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Milton Williams | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marcus Jones | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zach Allen | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ja'Quan McMillian | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Christian Barmore | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brandon Jones | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Jonathon Cooper | LEDG | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Channing Canada | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Harold Landry III | REDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gabe Jacas | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dre'Mont Jones | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christian Elliss | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Malcolm Roach | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Patrick Surtain II | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Devon Key | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andres Borregales | K | 2 | 2 | 2 | 52 |
| Bryce Baringer | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wil Lutz | K | 2 | 2 | 3 | 45 |

