Special teams is making the difference for the New England Patriots in the first quarter of their Week 10 “Sunday Night Football” matchup with the Broncos in Denver.
Shortly after recovering a fumble on a punt and scoring a touchdown on the ensuing drive, the Patriots went up 14-3 when Dion Lewis returned a kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown.
https://twitter.com/Patriots/status/929890142856167424
It’s the first kickoff return touchdown for the Pats this season.
.@DionLewisRB scores the #Patriots 1st regular season kick return TD since @McCourtyTwins 104-yarder vs. NYJ in 2012. #NEvsDEN pic.twitter.com/hKy5fnlUWL
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 13, 2017
The Broncos, who entered Sunday having lost four straight games, gifted Tom Brady and the Patriots 14 points to begin the game thanks to a turnover and poor special teams.
That’s far from an ideal start against a team that usually punishes its opponent’s mistakes with touchdowns.