New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has revealed he is delighted with how his players fought back to beat the Denver Broncos in their NFL clash.

The Patriots were trailing 24-0 at the break at Gillette Stadium but rallied in the second half to take the lead in the fourth quarter.

Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning tied the game sending it to overtime but an error from Tony Carter on a punt allowed Belichick's side to kick a game-winning field goal.

Belichick told reporters: "That was a heck of an effort by our players. I'm really proud of the way they fought back. You spot a team like Denver 24 points – we just took it one play at a time, kept fighting all the way through.

"We say, 'Play 60 minutes.' It took a lot more than that tonight. I'm really proud of the way they played, they way they hung in there.

"It certainly wasn't a very good first half, in any area, but we just stuck it out and in the end kept making some plays."

The Patriots are now the second seed in the AFC playoff race due to their 8-3 record.