In Denver, as much as this was the Patriots against the Broncos this was also Brady vs. Manning and Manning won. It is a difficult assessment to make when you compare quarterbacks because they actually never compete against each other, so the evaluation is more about how did they compete against themselves and elevate those around them. Brady did not have his best day, while Manning did have one of his. But reality also was that those around Manning are better or were better on that particular Sunday at Mile High. Denver had a pass protection game that was surreal. Whether it was one-on-one, running back blitz pick up, quarterback getting rid of the ball, or concept and design the ability of Denver to keep Manning upright and confident did determine the game. With New England it is not very often - if ever at all - that you see Pro Bowl left guard Logan Mankins or excellent left tackle Nate Solder get beat clean and give up sacks on Tom Brady. As players they will have those moments "ingrained in their brains" until the season starts again next year. The difficulty of pass blocking is that to feel satisfaction you have to grade out 100 per cent. For the pass rusher it is a complete opposite, you can be a non-factor all game but if you make one or two critical fourth-quarter plays you can end up being a star performer. Its why concentration is so important in football as one concentration lapse is the common denomination of one poor play. Issue number two is that Mannings receivers were just superior to anything by comparison for New England. Especially after Wes Welker blocked Aqib Talib out of the game. That changed everything. After Talib left, Manning had choices of who to go to downfield that presented his "best opportunity". Then when you associate that with the pass protection, the time he had to read and react without fear of consequences you could sense the game was slipping away from New England and being dominated by Denver. A final issue was the running game for the Patriots, it just wasnt there and Denver took it away. Only 64 total yards and only 16 in the first half. Very significant issue in that New England in its last two regular season games ran for 267 yards against Buffalo and 234 against the Colts. What was magnificent in most recent games was not even evident on Sunday. There will be a constant and consistent conversation that Manning has to win Super Bowl XLVIII to have his ultimate legacy ensured for the time to come. And if he does then probably it will. But in Manning vs. Brady, Manning did play better than Brady but Manning had more to work with and used it all game long. In Seattle, that was a brutal physical game. One thing that television does not do is transfer the intensity and violence of hitting. Because you see so much of it as fans you get numb to it after a while, I know I do. But both teams played hard and you could tell both teams "wanted" the win and wanted to move on. Richard Sherman will be criticized for his emotional response and he should have handled it better but the highest emotions are in those moments after the game. Players on each team need a "cooling off period" to not respond from emotion and to respond more from thought and composure. Overall, Seattle dominated the hidden mathematical battle when Marshawn Lynch ran for 109 yards while Frank Gore ran for just 16. In what was anticipated as a battle of hitting, the ability of Lynch to hit the seams and make yards made a big difference. A lot will be made of Colin Kaepernick and his three turnovers and it seemed that the longer the game went on he regressed. It was a bit of an opposite for Russell Wilson. Early in the game the 49ers did a phenomenal job of containing and still pass rushing Wilson. As the game went on that ability to be disciplined and aggressive was not as effective. For Seattle it was the opposite. Early in the game they could not contain Kaepernick, and later in the game it was better and was a subtle reason for the turnovers. The Seahawks greatest asset may just be the energy and confidence they play with throughout a game. The speed of everyone on defence was on display but effort and speed go together. This must be an amazing moment of satisfaction for Pete Carroll. He beat his number one coaching competition in Jim Harbaugh and did it his way. When he took over the organization as head coach, Carroll made over 200 personnel moves until he found the people he wanted with very specific abilities. This Super Bowl for Pete Carroll was by design and plan and luck had little or nothing to do with the Seahawks representing the NFC. It is amazing how far genuine enthusiasm and intelligent planning can take you. Out of 32 teams that started the season we have the best two remaining. No one has a better offence than Denver. No one has a better defence than Seattle. Which will be the reason for Super Bowl success? We will know the answer in less than two weeks. Arizona Diamondbacks Pro Shop . While Minnesota takes aim at its eighth win of November, the Canadiens will try to post just their third victory in nine games this month. Stitched Diamondbacks Jerseys . -- Down to 10 men and behind on the scoreboard, Toronto FC displayed its perseverance. https://www.cheapdiamondbacksjerseys.us/. The win puts Arsenal four points clear of Everton in fourth place with two games to play in the Premier League, a position which would qualify the club for Europes top competition for the 17th straight year. Arizona Diamondbacks Gear . -- C.J. Wilson parked his car and laughed while signing autographs for faceless fans who handed bats, balls and cards to the pitcher from the other side of a brick wall. Diamondbacks Jerseys 2019 . After all, the No. 8 seed is chasing far loftier goals. Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., defeated American Jack Sock 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in Wimbledons second round on Thursday.FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The final error in a game filled with mistakes helped the New England Patriots to a stunning comeback win. Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 31-yard field goal in overtime after a misplayed punt return by Denver, lifting the Patriots to a 34-31 victory over the Broncos on Sunday night. "We had some plays in the first half that didnt go our way so it was nice to get a good bounce and we needed it," said Tom Brady, who helped the Patriots put together a terrific comeback in the second half. Denvers Tony Carter ran into Ryan Allens punt after it landed and Nate Ebner recovered for New England at the Broncos 13-yard line. After Brady ran twice to line up the kick, Gostkowski connected for his 21st successful field goal attempt. The Patriots lost fumbles on their first three possessions, but Brady threw for three touchdowns to lead the Patriots (8-3) from a 24-0 halftime deficit to a 31-24 lead as New England scored on its first five possessions of the second half. Then Peyton Manning threw an 11-yard scoring pass to Demaryius Thomas for the Broncos (9-2), tying it at 31. "You cant move the ball when youre losing it," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "Youve got to hang onto it." But Carters gaffe was the third lost fumble for the Broncos in the second half. "It was really a tale of two halves," Denver interim coach Jack Del Rio said. "We just had a fluke play at the end." The early turnovers helped Denver to a big halftime advantage, but the Patriots took the lead when Brady hit Julian Edelman for a TD early in the fourth. Gostkowskis 31-yard field goal made it 31-24 midway through the fourth. "We calmed down. We played each play one play at time," Edelman said of the difference in the second part of the game. "We didnt turn the ball over in the second half." But Manning, who had thrown for only 73 yards in the first 3 1/2 quarters, led the Broncos on an 80-yard drive. Twice the Broncos were rescued by penalties: First when a defensive holding penalty negated an interception, and again when a pass interference on third-and-7 from the Patriots 17 gave Denver a first down. On the next play, Manning lobbed one to Thomas in the left corner of the end zone to tie it. Brady led the Patriots to three straight touchdowns in the third quarter to cut Denvers lead to 24-21 heading into the fourth. He was 21 for 26 for 228 yards and three TDs in the second half of the much-heralded matchup with Manning. Brady led New England 80 yards for a touchdown to open the second half, thanks to a 33-yard completion to Rob Gronkowski and a 5-yard scoring paass to Edelman.dddddddddddd. Montee Ball coughed it up on Denvers next possession, and six plays later Brandon Bolden ran it in from the 1 to make it a 10-point game. A 6-yard touchdown pass to Gronkowski with 19 seconds left in the third quarter cut the Broncos lead to 24-21. Von Miller returned a fumble 60 yards for a touchdown and then strip-sacked Brady to force another turnover in the first quarter, setting up Knowshon Morenos 2-yard TD run. Moreno finished with a career-high 224 yards on 37 carries. When New England got the ball back, it held onto it for just two plays before LeGarrette Blount had the ball knocked loose by safety Duke Ihenacho. Linebacker Danny Trevathan fell on it and was ruled down by contact, negating a return that would have had the Broncos at the Patriots 11. Instead, Denver settled for Matt Praters 27-yard field goal that made it 17-0. The Broncos added another touchdown when Manning hit Jacob Tamme from 10 yards out for the only score of the second quarter. On a night with a kickoff temperature of 20 degrees and a wind chill of 6, Manning completed 11 of 17 passes for 73 yards in the first three quarters while Moreno ran 25 times for 139 yards. New England had lost five fumbles all season coming into the game and was sixth in the NFL in net turnovers. But Stevan Ridley, who coughed it up on the opening drive, has fumbled in three consecutive games, losing two. Denver had a turnover of its own after forcing New England to punt right before the half. Trindon Holliday let the ball bounce off his leg, giving the Patriots the ball at the Broncos 42 with 5 seconds left. Bradys Hail Mary was far short of the end zone and incomplete. The temperature made it difficult on the players on each side and also could have been the reason that first the play clocks and then the game clocks went out, forcing the referees to keep the official time on the field. The clocks came back early in the second quarter. Brady and Manning have six regular-season MVP awards between them and three more in the Super Bowl, where theyve combined to win four NFL championships. Its the 14th time theyve met, with Brady holding a 9-4 edge. This time, though, Manning had former Patriots receiver Wes Welker on his side. Bradys longtime favourite target went to Denver as a free agent and he entered the game as the Broncos leading receiver with 61 catches. Welker was a non-factor with four catches for 31 yards. Both teams had players knocked out of the game: Patriots offensive lineman Marcus Cannon had an ankle injury and Denver receiver Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie injured his shoulder. ' ' '