A Snowy Victory for the Patriots

DENVER — In a game marked by challenging weather conditions, Drake Maye proved to be the difference-maker for the New England Patriots. Despite the sloppy, snowy environment, Maye led his team to a 10-7 victory over the Denver Broncos in the AFC championship game, securing their spot in the Super Bowl.

Maye’s performance was not defined by passing yards but rather by his ability to run and make crucial plays. He threw for just 86 yards but ran for 65 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown run on third-and-5 in the final minutes of the game. This decisive play sealed the win and sent the Patriots (17-3) to the Super Bowl in Mike Vrabel’s first year as head coach.

The Patriots will face the winner of the NFC championship game between the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl on February 8 in Santa Clara, California.

“I’m just proud of this team,” said the 23-year-old Maye, who is the second-youngest starting quarterback to reach the Super Bowl, behind only Miami’s Dan Marino. “Don’t have many words. Just thankful for this team. Love each and every one of them. It took everybody.”

Key Moments and Turning Points

Christian Gonzalez made a critical interception of Jarrett Stidham, who started in place of an injured Bo Nix, with 2:11 remaining. This turnover set up the Patriots for a short field, leading to Maye’s touchdown that tied the game at 7 heading into halftime.

Stidham, making his first start in over two years, had a mixed performance. His first completion since the 2023 regular-season finale was a 52-yard pass to Marvin Mims Jr., setting up Courtland Sutton’s 6-yard touchdown catch. However, he turned the ball over twice and finished with 17 of 31 completions for 133 yards and a touchdown.

“I was super excited for the opportunity and just hate that we fell short,” Stidham said.

New England, which went 4-13 last year under Jerod Mayo, became the third team in the Super Bowl era to win a conference championship with 10 points or less. Buffalo beat Denver 10-7 in the 1991 AFC title game, and Los Angeles beat Tampa Bay 9-0 in the 1979 NFC championship game.

Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls as a linebacker for the Patriots, could become the first person in NFL history to also win as a head coach for the same franchise.

“I won’t win it. It’ll be the players that’ll win the game,” Vrabel said. “I promise you, it won’t be me that’ll win it, and I promise you that I’ll do everything I can, and our staff, to have them ready for the game.”

The Broncos’ Missed Opportunities

The Broncos (15-4) finished one step shy of fulfilling Sean Payton’s preseason prediction of a trip to Super Bowl 60. Payton pointed the finger at himself for a critical decision during the game.

He regretted his call on fourth-and-1 from the New England 14 in the second quarter when a chip-shot field goal before the snow came in would have given Denver a double-digit lead. Stidham’s throw to running back R.J. Harvey was incomplete, and the Broncos’ early momentum vanished.

“There’s always regrets,” Payton said. “Yeah, I mean, look, I felt like here we are, fourth-and-1. We felt close enough … So, yeah, there’ll always be second thoughts.”

The Broncos were left clinging to a 7-0 lead that was short-lived. Elijah Ponder recovered Stidham’s backward pass at the Denver 12, setting up the tying touchdown two plays later.

“I thought I threw it forward and obviously the replay said differently,” Stidham said. “Probably should have just eaten the sack and let (Jeremy) Crawshaw punt the ball and flip the field.”

Challenging Conditions and Team Resilience

Both kickers missed two field goals in the frigid conditions with Denver’s Wil Lutz and New England’s Andy Borregales wide on long tries just before the snow came in at halftime. Lutz’s 45-yard attempt late in the fourth quarter was tipped by Leonard Taylor III.

The Patriots’ victory was their 40th in the playoffs, breaking a tie with the San Francisco 49ers for the most in NFL history.

It was sunny at kickoff with a temperature of 26 degrees, but by halftime the snowflakes began falling and grounds crews had to use snowblowers to mark the hashmarks and yard lines by the fourth quarter, when it was 16 degrees.

“It was a lot of fun out there,” Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II said. “Snow game, for the conference, to go to the Super Bowl — it doesn’t get any better than that. I felt like I was a little kid out there just playing in the snow.”

And the Patriots had the most fun of all.

“What an atmosphere out here,” said Maye, in his second NFL season. “Battle of the elements. Love this team. How about the defense? I love each and every one of them.”

Defensive Strength and Playoff Performance

The Patriots have allowed 26 points across three playoff games. The only team to allow fewer points over three playoff games before a Super Bowl appearance was the 2000 Ravens, who allowed just 16 points.

After gaining just 72 yards in the first half, the Patriots opened the second half in swirling snow with a 16-play, 64-yard drive that ate up 9 1/2 minutes and ended with a 23-yard field goal by Borregales that proved the difference.

Stidham, who was drafted by the Patriots in 2019, made his first start since the 2023 regular-season finale. The Broncos were the only team in the league that didn’t give their backup QB any snaps or handoffs the last two seasons.

The Patriots have averaged 18 points per game in the playoffs, the fewest by any team to make the Super Bowl since the 1979 Rams, who averaged 15.

“I’ll take an ugly win before I take a pretty loss,” Diggs said. “Nobody’s satisfied. Happy, but not complacent. We’re blessed to be where we are, but we know there’s more out there for us.”

Looking Ahead

Coming up just short of a trip to the Super Bowl will drive Denver, said Surtain, who suggested: “This is not the last time we’re going to be here. We’re going to just keep on building and getting better.”

Nix, who had 11 game-winning drives in his first two NFL seasons, got hurt on Denver’s final drive in overtime against Buffalo last week, and this title game will always be dogged in Denver by the what-ifs.

“It (stinks),” linebacker Alex Singleton said. “We’ll remember it for the rest of our lives.”

Injury Updates

Patriots: LB Robert Spillane (ankle) left in the first quarter.

Broncos: WR Pat Bryant left with a hamstring injury in the second quarter.