Hey, Patriots fans, what does it take to get some respect around here? It seems to me that there was a lot of trash talking coming out of Boston all week, but now, all I hear is excuses. Or, as Antonio Smith might say, “crying.”

After the Patriots came into Denver and lost the first time around, it was all because the refs screwed over New England; as always, the league was out to get Tom Brady and the Pats. This time around, it’s the injuries or the fact that they played on the road or simply bad luck. Even after getting their lunch handed to them all day, they can’t acknowledge the simple fact that the Denver Broncos are the better team.

Heck, the lovely Dan Shaughnessy, of the Boston Globe, still can’t force himself to admit the Broncos are even a good team, let alone the better team.

“The Broncos are not very good,” Shaughnessy wrote Monday morning. “They are likely to be cannon fodder for the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara. The Broncos look like the same Broncos who were smoked by the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII in East Rutherford, N.J.

“The Patriots should be playing in Super Bowl 50,” Shaughnessy continued. “They should have stayed the course and put themselves at Gillette for the entire AFC tournament. But they chose another path. And now they are done. What a waste.”

Really? Remember, this is the same guy who said Boston was more afraid of the Chiefs than the Broncos, the same guy who said he might be more worried if the Pats were facing Brandon Weeden or Brian Hoyer.

Alright … let me make a few things clear.

You didn’t lose, Boston. You were beaten.

Tom Brady didn’t complete just 48 percent of his passes and toss two interceptions. The Broncos held Brady to 48 percent completion and forced two interceptions.

And don’t even begin to complain about injuries, either. The Broncos are on their third left tackle and played the second half of the game without their top three safeties. Oh, and their No. 1 corner, the guy who shut down Julian Edelman all day, was playing with one arm.

So don’t blame yourself, Boston. You simply lost to a better team. Enjoy the offseason.