The NFL owes the Broncos a thank-you note. With one finger raised toward heaven in celebration of a game-winning touchdown, Denver running back C.J. Anderson punched a hole in the New England Patriots’ aura of invincibility.

In the aftermath of a 30-24 overtime loss on a wicked cold night in Colorado, Bill Belichick was grumpier than an old man left standing three hours in the snow for a bus that never showed up. Some reporter made the mistake of asking Belichick to assess his emotions in the wake of an injury to tight end Rob Gronkowski during the game that knocked New England from the ranks of the undefeated.

“Well, what do you think?” harrumphed Belichick. Then, for good measure, Belichick punctuated his response with a stare so intense it could shoot down the Death Star from outer space.

Well, meaning no disrespect Mr. Grumpypants, but I now sense this season won’t end happily for Belichick. The Patriots are in a heap of trouble.

Do not be fooled by New England’s 10-1 record. Yes, Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback currently working an NFL huddle. But the defending league champion is wounded, and extremely vulnerable.

The race to win the Super Bowl does not begin until December, and the Patriots look like a team that’s running on fumes. They were undefeated, but never looked unbeatable, with the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills both going toe-to-toe against New England without a shred of fear before the Broncos decked the defending champion.

“I say this all the time: I think every team is different and it’s always changing,” Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said. “You’d like to feel like at the end of the year we’re as good as we can be. Are we playing as good as we can play? We’re not there yet.”

Denver, however, is getting better, in no small part because with Brock Osweiler as the starting quarterback, the Broncos can run the offense that Peyton Manning could not, and the team’s new ground-and-pound style complements a stout defense.

Unlike a season ago, when the Patriots endured two losses in September that had skeptics ridiculously questioning whether Brady was over the hill, this New England team is headed in the wrong direction, because the Pats seem to get more bruised and battered every week. From left offensive tackle Nate Solder and center Ryan Wendell to running back Dion Lewis and slot receiver Julian Edelman, injuries are taking their toll in a league where it’s often the healthiest team rather than the most-talented team that thrives in the playoffs.

After getting sacked three times by the Broncos, Brady told Boston radio station WEEI, “I don’t think I’ve ever been so (ticked) off after a loss.”

Well, know what else won’t make Brady happy? Being declared the prohibitive favorite to win the NFL championship only proves even the Las Vegas oddsmakers are guessing. In fact, since the undefeated Patriots lost to the New York Giants to conclude the 2007 season, only two of the eight teams favored in the Super Bowl have emerged victorious. If Osweiler can beat New England in his second start as a pro, then certainly Andy Dalton or Cam Newton could do the same in the playoffs.

Forged by the strength of Brady’s arm and the heat of his competitive fire, New England has made us believe running backs were quickly becoming relics from pro football’s past, in the same way that dinosaurs once roamed the Earth. The Patriots don’t need no stinkin’ running game, not when they have Tom Terrific.

Well, the sad truth is New England’s running game has never stunk worse. None of the six Super Bowl teams during the reign of Brady ever averaged less than the 87.2 yards produced per game by these Pats of 2015. While the NFL is a league ruled by quarterbacks, a New England offense dependent on Brady’s arm for more than 78 percent of its yardage from scrimmage is seriously out of whack.

The Patriots were unable to hold a fourth-quarter advantage in Denver because their ability to run was nonexistent. Three times in the final period of regulation, the New England offense took the field with a lead. And New England offensive guru Josh McDaniels did not even try to run the ball. During those three possessions, Brady threw 10 passes and LeGarrette Blount rushed once, for a single measly yard.

The Pats are soft. Soft doesn’t win the Super Bowl. In the playoffs, foes smell weakness.

Players know. Leading up to the game against New England, when told the Patriots were a team for the ages, the Broncos rolled their eyes.

Team for the ages?

The Patriots aren’t even the league’s best team in 2015.

The champ is hurt and bleeding.

The knockout blow? It’s only a matter of time.

Mark Kiszla: mkiszla@denverpost.com or @markkiszla