National Reaction to Pats loss

• Fox Sports' Terry Bradshaw: Even though the Patriots finally lost, ending their playoff streak at 10 games, I still was left thinking they were the better team. If the Patriots played the Broncos 10 times, they would win most of them.
• Fox Sports' John Czarnecki: OK, maybe the Patriots would have lost anyway, given their five turnovers. But Jeff Triplette's officiating crew drastically changed the momentum of what was a defensive game late in the second quarter. In one of the worst pass interference calls ever — replays showed that if a penalty should have been called it should have been offensive pass interference on Ashley Lelie — set up Denver on the 1-yard line with an automatic touchdown. The nearest official tossed no flag, but back judge Greg Steed, a mere 30 yards away, flagged Asante Samuel, who simply went ballistic, well after the play ended. He had every right to be upset. No call was the best call in that situation. And then after another Patriots fumble, the officials missed a blocker flinch on Jason Elam's 50-yard field goal. Elam barely made that one, and he may have missed a 55-yarder. Those two calls gave Denver halftime momentum and had the Patriots shaking their heads.
• ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski:
  

  I'm not saying the Broncos didn't take advantage of the Patriot screw-ups. They did. Twenty-four of their 27 points came after New England turnovers. But it's not like the Broncos had to go far for those points.

  First touchdown drive: One play, one yard.

  First field goal drive: Four plays, seven yards.

  Second touchdown drive: One play, one yard.

  Third touchdown drive: Three plays, 15 yards.
  
  

  "We got the win, that's all that matters," said Plummer.

  That's sort of true.
  
  
• SI's Peter King: I think I would like to ask the zebras of this league one question: When will you learn how to call pass interference? It was a disgraceful weekend for PI calls. The 39-yard interference call against Asante Samuel handed the Broncos a 7-3 lead in the second quarter; if anything, obviously, that call should have been on Ashley Lelie. We all saw that.
  
  I think I talked to one league official, two head coaches, a quarterback, a GM on as the day progressed Sunday, and there was one common theme: The officials are making too many mistakes for this time of year. The one NO ONE could believe was the Asante Samuel interference on Ashley Lelie. As the GM said: "Don't tell me that didn't have a big part in the outcome of the game because the game ended up not being close. It was huge.'' I say: Allow replay for pass interference. I know it opens up a can of worms, but it's just too big a problem six or eight times a year, and it's a problem that can be corrected.
  
  
• SI's Don Banks: Taking nothing away from Denver, referee Jeff Triplette and his crew had entirely too much to do with the outcome of the Patriots-Broncos game.

  The 39-yard pass interference flag against New England cornerback Asante Samuel -- which all but gave Denver its first touchdown -- was a phantom call. Pure and simple. Side judge, Greg Meyer, with the best view of the contact between Samuel and Ashley Lelie, never threw his hanky. Instead, back judge Gregory Steed, waited what seemed to be about three full seconds and then flagged Samuel once Lelie complained.

  And while there was no definitive replay that showed Bailey fumbling through the end zone for a Patriots touchback on his 100-yard interception return, logic says from where his body was positioned at the time he fumbled -- with his front foot almost at the pylon -- it would have been highly unlikely that the ball could have avoided breaking the plane of the goal over the pylon.