With the New England Patriots defeating the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game under challenging snowy conditions, quarterback Drake Maye made history by achieving something that the widely-recognized GOAT, Tom Brady, never managed while wearing the team’s blue and red jersey.

The Patriots will now face the winner of the upcoming NFC Championship game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams. Interestingly, Brady was serving as a football analyst for FOX during the game, adding an extra layer of irony to the situation.

Despite spending 20 seasons with the Patriots, which included six Super Bowl titles, three MVP awards, and 17 AFC East championships, Brady never managed to secure a playoff victory in Denver. Maye, on the other hand, accomplished this feat in his second season, facing the No. 1 seed in the conference, supported by what is statistically the strongest defense among the four Super Bowl contenders. This moment came amidst controversy surrounding Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who faced criticism for his disrespectful behavior during the national anthem.

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The Patriots’ victory was also marked by one player being criticized for his disrespectful act during the national anthem, and by CBS being forced into a commercial break due to a “big” injury with significant game-changing implications.

Brady visited Mile High Stadium three times during the postseason and ended his career with a 0-3 record there, struggling with altitude, defensive pressure, and the presence of Hall of Fame-level talent.

Immediately after achieving a milestone that Brady never did, Maye remained focused on praising others, a pattern he has maintained throughout the season. In his post-game interview on CBS, he said: “What an atmosphere out here. Battle of the elements. Love this team. How about the defense? Love each and every one of them. Pats are back, baby. Let’s go and win one.”

Maye finished the game without a passing touchdown while under constant pressure, completing just 10 of 21 passes for 86 yards, his lowest total in both his NFL and college careers at North Carolina as a starter in a full game. His 47.6 completion percentage was also the lowest of his full-game NFL career.

The second-year quarterback was sacked multiple times, took big hits, and spent much of the night struggling to deal with blinding snow conditions. To make matters worse, his team was wearing white jerseys.

Midway through the second quarter, Maye scrambled six yards into the end zone to tie the game. This moment provided much-needed stability for New England after they managed only 12 first-quarter yards, marking their lowest total since last year’s matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Maye extended drives with his legs, including a late, gutsy scramble that effectively sealed the Patriots’ trip to the Super Bowl.

In 2005, the Patriots were defeated by the Broncos under Jake Plummer, despite Brady’s 320-yard performance. Brady had no interceptions, absorbed zero sacks, and threw a passing touchdown to Doug Gabriel, but still fell short against an offense led by Plummer’s connection to Javon Walker, who had 130 yards and two receiving touchdowns.

The former Patriots QB lost to Denver 26-16 on the road in the 2013 AFC Championship, and Peyton Manning’s top-seeded Denver squad beat Brady’s Patriots 20-18 in the 2015 AFC title game.

The 2012 season was Brady’s only postseason victory against Denver, a 45-10 win at Gillette Stadium.

It comes after NFL viewers threaten to take drastic action over ‘atrocious’ Matthew McConaughey commercial.