The Denver Broncos have one foot in the Super Bowl having taken a 13-3 lead into half time of their AFC championship game with the New England Patriots this evening.
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The hosts took the lead late in the first quarter when Matt Prater sent a 27-yard field goal flying through the posts to make it 3-0.
The Patriots relied on the arm of quarterback Tom Brady as their running backs failed to make significant ground against the Broncos defense, but he could not open the scoring for his team in the first half.
Instead it was his old rival Peyton Manning who threw the first touchdown pass, taking his time to pick out a wide-open Jacob Tamme at the front of the endzone midway through the second quarter.
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The Patriots finally registered on the scoreboard late in the half when Brady was sacked, forcing Stephen Gostkowski into a field goal attempt that he duly dispatched from 47 yards.
The 10-point gap was restored with just 25 seconds remaining, however, as Prater kicked his second field goal of the day, this time from 35 yards, to send his side into the half-time break with a 13-3 advantage.
Barney Corkhill
