Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski has been the NFL’s most reliable kicker for years, so when he missed an extra point in the AFC Championship – his first missed extra point since 2006 – it was a shock.

The miss turned out to be crucial. Later in the game Tom Brady engineered a clutch scoring drive that featured some brilliant, difficult passes to tight end Rob Gronkowski. But because of the missed extra point, New England had to go for the two-point conversion. Brady was picked off on the two-point attempt, ending the game, and allowing Gostkowski to be scapegoated.

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And fans were not happy. Curse words have been edited slightly.

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Gostkowski is beating himself up pretty hard as it is, placing the Patriots’ loss squarely on his own shoulders after the game.

“For us to lose by one point, and for me to miss the kick, it’s a nightmare scenario,” Gostokowski told reporters. “I can’t really explain how I feel right now. It’s a lot of shock, and I let a lot of people down. I feel like I lost the game for the team.”

The kick loomed large, but Patriots fans should lay off a little bit. Denver’s defense had a lot to do with the Broncos winning as well. Denver harassed Tom Brady into his worst game of the year, limiting him to a 48 percent completion rate, one touchdown and two interceptions and sacking him four times.

Perhaps he should watch the Super Bowl at Vikings kicker Blair Walsh’s house. Misery does love company.

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