For the second consecutive drive, the Broncos fumbled the football. This time it was Tim Tebow, as he was hit while preparing to pitch to Eddie Royal.
And for the second consecutive drive, the Patriots capitalized with points on the board — a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Tom Brady.
Early in the drive, a neutral-zone infraction on second-and-10 made it second-and-5 for New England, and Brady quickly hit Wes Welker for a 4-yard gain. On third-and-1, the defense stuffed a run, but the Patriots elected to go for it on fourth down.
New England called its second timeout of the half before the play, and after the break, Brady nearly tripped in the backfield but regained his footing and hit tight end Aaron Hernandez for a 25-yard completion. That set up first-and-goal at the 6-yard line.
A 5-yard run by Stevan Ridley was followed by a quarterback sneak by Brady for the score.
After the extra point, the Patriots lead 24-16 with 1:12 left in the first half.
Tags: Gameday Coverage, New England Patriots, Second Quarter, Week 15