Patriots vs. Broncos live updates: Scores, highlights, and news

New England’s defense held strong again, holding the Broncos to three points for the whole game, including nothing at all for the final three quarters. The win clinched the eighth straight AFC East division title for the Patriots.

Not a single touchdown to be had in the third quarter, though the Patriots did add to their lead with a field goal.

It took until midway through the second quarter, but the Patriots finally found the end zone, with LeGarrette Blount punching it into the end zone for a touchdown and a Patriots lead.

Tom Brady had the worst start of a game in 13 years against the Broncos, the only team in the NFL he has a losing record against. Brady was 0-for-6, while Broncos QB Trevor Siemian completed 10 of 13 passes for 112 yards.

Late in the game, T.J. Ward committed a stupid unnecessary roughness penalty that ruined the Broncos’ slim comeback chances.

With all three timeouts at his disposal and with more than a minute left in the first half, Broncos coach Gary Kubiak let the clock run out, and heard boos from the hometown Denver fans.

The Broncos are still using Peyton Manning’s “Omaha” when barking out signals at the line of scrimmage.

The last time the Patriots visited Mile High Stadium, they had their Super Bowl hopes dashed. On Sunday, New England can exact some revenge by slashing the Broncos’ playoff chances.

The Patriots lost to Peyton Manning’s team in Denver thanks in part to a missed extra point, handing the 2016 AFC title to the veteran quarterback and setting the stage for him to end his career on top. Manning led the Broncos to a Super Bowl 50 title that winter, pulling his family even with Brady with four championship rings between him and his brother Eli.

The Broncos have been rudderless at quarterback since Manning’s retirement, however. Brock Osweiler left town to sign a four-year, $72 million deal with the Texans, leaving third-stringer Trevor Siemian and rookie first-round pick Paxton Lynch to fight for the starting job. The results have been disappointing. Denver ranks in the league’s latter half in most passing categories and has been one of its most disappointing teams in the red zone. Siemian and Lynch have only been able to cap 46 percent of their drives inside the 20-yard line with a touchdown, the 29th-best mark in a league of 32 teams.

A swarming defense has helped the Broncos occupy the AFC’s final wild card spot at 8-5, but no team in the league has a tougher schedule over its final three weeks. Denver will face 11-2 New England, 10-3 Kansas City, and 10-3 Oakland and may need to win all three to avoid missing the playoffs for the first time in six years.

The Patriots, on the other hand, are in solid position to push Brady back in front of the brothers Manning. Their 39-year-old quarterback has emerged as a legitimate MVP candidate despite missing the first four games of the season thanks to a league-mandated suspension (or not, if you put much stake in how the team went 3-1 without him during that stretch). Brady has thrown 22 touchdown passes in only nine games and has just two interceptions over that span.

A total team effort has helped him overcome several key losses. Pro Bowl pass rusher Chandler Jones was traded away in the offseason. Another Pro Bowl linebacker, Jamie Collins, was similarly exiled (to Cleveland, no less) before the trade deadline. The biggest blow of all came when All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski was shut down for the season after undergoing back surgery.

Despite those issues, the team has pushed through to an 11-2 start. A win on Sunday would clinch the AFC East title and a first-round bye in the 2017 NFL playoffs. It would also set the team up to land home-field advantage throughout the postseason — an important distinction for a franchise who missed out on Super Bowl 50 by a mere two points.

Time: 4:25 p.m. ET

Location: Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colo.

TV: CBS

Announcers: Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, Tracy Wolfson

Online Streaming: Sunday Ticket, CBS All Access