The DeflateGate saga won’t get the awkward ending many were hoping for at the end of the 2015-16 NFL season.
Watching commissioner Roger Goodell hand the Lombardi Trophy to Tom Brady after the two frequently battled in the press and legal system during the past year would have been an appropriate final moment for a story that consumed headlines throughout last season’s playoffs and the summer. After dragging out what many viewed as a trumped-up scandal with a months-long investigation, court proceedings and pending appeal, Goodell having to acknowledge another championship and award Brady would have been sadistically enjoyable.
But Goodell is off the hook, thanks to the Denver Broncos defeating the New England Patriots, 20-18, in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game.
Though the Patriots and Brady made the commish sweat with a late touchdown, perhaps no one (other than those directly associated with the Broncos or with something riding out the outcome of the game) was more relieved than Goodell when Bradley Roby intercepted Brady’s pass on a two-point conversion. Once Shiloh Keo recovered New England’s onside kick attempt, it became official. The Patriots wouldn’t win the Super Bowl this season, and Goodell wouldn’t have to eat humble pie during the trophy presentation.
Maybe that really is the best ending for the NFL and its fans. The DeflateGate controversy essentially ruined football’s offseason, as Goodell increasingly appeared to be running a vendetta against Brady and the Patriots. Instead of talking about which teams improved, who might be the favorite, exciting rookies that could make an impact, and just generally anticipating the beginning of a season, the NFL spent its six-month hiatus flooding the news cycle with deflated balls, the Wells report, Brady’s four-game suspension and subsequent appeal, and bad courtroom sketches. We were so damn ready for some football by the time Week 1 rolled up on the calendar.
The Patriots were obviously ready too, seemingly on a mission to show that their success wasn’t due to any rule-breaking or deceit over the opposition. Brady, his teammates, coach Bill Belichick and his staff, and owner Robert Kraft were focused on silencing all doubters. Receiving the championship trophy from a mortified Goodell would have made the victory even sweeter.
New England began the season by winning its first 10 games. Brady had a resurgent performance, passing for nearly 4,800 yards with 36 touchdowns and seven interceptions (his lowest total in five years). The week-by-week results weren’t always decisive, but the overall result sent a strong message to the rest of the league and Goodell. Deal with it. We’re coming.
But determination and anger only provided so much fuel by the end of the season. After their 10-game streak ended with a loss to the Broncos, the Patriots went on to lose three of their final five games. The gap was closing between them and inferior clubs like the Eagles, Jets and Dolphins who were being dispatched earlier in the season.
New England’s offensive line couldn’t protect Brady and his play suffered because of it. Lack of talent at wide receiver and running back was being exposed. The Patriots looked vulnerable going into the playoffs, hardly the favorite that they appeared to be weeks earlier.
According to NFL stats, Tom Brady was hit 20 times by Broncos defenders and was sacked four times.
— Family of John Clayton (@JohnClaytonNFL) January 24, 2016
To little surprise, those flaws were painfully apparent on Sunday with a Super Bowl appearance on the line in Denver. Brady was pummeled by the Broncos, who were determined not to let the Patriots’ short-passing game find a rhythm and move the ball in the absence of a running game. He frequently missed passes that he typically completed easily, disrupted and shaken by the constant onslaught. No quarterback had been hit more often in a NFL game this season.
Brady passed for 310 yards, largely because the Patriots were fighting from behind the entire day. But he only completed 48 percent of his passes, averaging only 5.5 yards. His longest completion was for 18 yards. Denver didn’t give Brady time to survey the filed, for Patriots receivers to get open down the field. He had to get rid of the ball quickly, far sooner than he would have preferred.
Ultimately, the battering and inability to get in an offensive rhythm caught up with the Patriots. Very few NFL teams are going to win any game, let alone a conference championship, by scoring only 18 points. The Broncos’ defense was simply too oppressive and Peyton Manning helped put enough points on the scoreboard for Denver to earn a hard-fought victory.
Obviously, Goodell would never admit it, but he had to feel some relief over the Patriots losing. Can he possibly be objective over this, given the battle that he’s had with Brady and the Patriots over the DeflateGate controversy? The commissioner is still going to draw this soap opera out by appealing the court ruling that overturned Brady’s four-game suspension. But for all intents and purposes, the story came to an end Sunday in Denver. It’s not as fun nor fiendishly enjoyable as an exchange between Goodell, Brady, Belichick and Kraft on national television would have been. Watching Jim Nantz try to avoid the giant elephant in the room might have provided some laughs as well.
The 2015 NFL season turned out to be one of thwarted gratification for Goodell and Brady. (Although at least Goodell is now off the hook.) Those who would have gotten some satisfaction from such an awkward ending won’t get what they want, either. But a memorable Super Bowl between the Broncos and Panthers could help nearly everyone move on. That’s what the NFL and its fans need above all.
