DYNASTY DIES IN DENVER.

Byline: BILLY WITZ

DENVER - It was the type of moment that had made Tom Brady. So as he took the snap on third-and-goal at the 5-yard line and looked to his right, all of Denver held its breath and New England held out hope, both having seen this before.

It had been in moments like these, with a January game in the balance, in which Brady had never seemed to fail. It was why he'd never lost a playoff game and why the Patriots had won three of the last four Super Bowls.

This time, though, it was a moment that showed he was human.

Brady's pass into the corner was intercepted in the end zone by Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey, who returned it 100 yards to the Patriots 1, changing the direction of the game with it.

When Mike Anderson scored on the next play, instead of New England taking the lead in the final minute of the third quarter, the Broncos were on their way to knocking the Patriots out of the playoffs for the first time since Bill Belichick arrived six years ago, 27-13.

Brady, though, wasn't the only one kicking himself afterward.

The Patriots may have played with the heart of a champion, but they didn't play with the precision of one.

They turned the ball over five times, including two interceptions by Brady, who hadn't thrown a postseason pick since the Super Bowl two years ago, a span of 147 attempts. In their record 10-game postseason winning streak, the Patriots had turned the ball over just six times.

Meanwhile, Adam Vinatieri missed a 43-yard field goal in the fourth quarter - his first postseason miss in two years. The Patriots also committed eight penalties - including a controversial pass interference penalty that handed the Broncos another touchdown.

The only thing Patriot-like about the evening was when a group of soldiers re-enlisted in a pregame ceremony.

``When it rains it pours,'' said Vinatieri. ``It wasn't just one play. It was penalties, turnovers, missed kicks. We had too many bad plays.''

They didn't have much luck, either.

At the end of Bailey's interception return, Patriots tight end Ben Watson ran the unsuspecting cornerback down and knocked the ball loose just as he reached the goal line. Officials ruled that the ball went out of bounds in the field of play rather than in the end zone, which would have given New England a touchback. The ruling was upheld following a challenge.

``I saw the replay,'' Watson said. ``But it didn't have the angle.''

Mostly, though, the Patriots made their bad fortune. They were set to take a 3-0 lead into the half when Kevin Faulk fumbled at the New England 40. On the next play, Asante Samuel was flagged for interfering with Ashley Lelie in the end zone, setting up a 1-yard run by Anderson to give Denver the lead for good.

Then Ellis Hobbs fumbled the ensuing kickoff, leading to Jason Elam's 50-yard field goal, which gave the Broncos a 10-3 lead at the half.

After Brady's interception, the Patriots saw their last chance disappear when Troy Brown muffed a punt and Denver recovered at the Patriots' 15. Three plays later, Jake Plummer hit Rod Smith for a 4-yard score.

Of Denver's 27 points, 24 came off New England turnovers, and the Denver offense needed just 24 yards to score them.

Perhaps that's why there seemed to be a degree of anger in the Patriots' locker room afterward. Tedy Bruschi cut off interviews when he didn't like a question, Richard Seymour fought back tears and several others looked more peeved than disappointed.

``It's very disappointing,'' Seymour said. ``We're used to playing until the last game is done. It all feels premature.''

The defense, the supposed weakness of the Patriots, more than held its own. It held the NFL's best rushing team to 96 yards on 32 carries, keeping both Anderson and Tatum Bell in check. And Plummer didn't exactly torch the New England secondary, which was 31st in the NFL in yards allowed.

But it was turnovers, which had plagued the Patriots all season, that were their undoing. New England's turnover ratio was minus-6 this season, the only team with a negative number to reach the playoffs.

``Turnovers always kill teams in the playoffs,'' Patriots receiver Deion Branch said. ``We knew couldn't afford turnovers.''

The Patriots had been playing uphill since they reported to training camp without Bruschi, who suffered a stroke last February.

In September, they lost safety Rodney Harrison and tackle Matt Light for the season. Their best defensive lineman, Seymour, missed virtually all of October. Their best offensive lineman, center Dan Koppen, has been out since mid-November.

Bruschi and Seymour returned, and the Patriots, who were once 4-4, won six of seven down the stretch to conjure up ghosts of playoff runs past - even if it meant not having a bye and being forced on the road in the Divisional playoff.

``We knew we had a long road and we started jelling,'' said defensive end Willie McGinest. ``We just couldn't finish.''

Brady said he wasn't ready yet for reflection, but that it will be hard for him to watch the playoffs the rest of the way.

``(The season) has been tough,'' he said. ``Every year is draining. You go seven days a week without a break. Physically and emotionally you get drained. The last few weeks I've been running on vapors, but you find a way to fight through it because of the Super Bowl.''

This time, his season ended not amidst confetti and the Lombardi Trophy, but on the Patriots' bench, sitting with his helmet off between Brown and quarterbacks coach Josh McDaniel as the final seconds ticked off, none of them feeling anywhere near a mile high.

CAPTION(S):

4 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) Denver's Al Wilson (56) celebrates the victory with teammate Trevor Pryce.

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

(2) The Patriots' Ellis Hobbs fumbles the football in the second quarter.

Jack Dempsy/Associated Press

(3) ROETHLISBERGER

(4) FOSTER

Box:

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