Mile High had been where the January journey ended for the New England Patriots in 1987, 2006, 2014 and 2016.
Not on Sunday. Head coach Mike Vrabel’s side outlasted the Denver Broncos by a score of 10-7 in the AFC Championship Game.
Here’s a glance back on the 3 p.m. ET kickoff at Empower Field as Super Bowl LX awaits.
Maye throws for 86, runs for 65 en route to Santa Clara
From the wild card through the divisional round, Drake Maye survived five turnovers. To advance against the AFC’s No. 1 seed, there needed to be none. The 23-year-old Patriots quarterback
went 10-of-21 passing for 86 yards at Mile High. But he ran for 65 yards and the offense’s lone touchdown.
Taking the field in jumbo “12” personnel, the first drive spanned three plays and nearly an interception by safety Talanoa Hufanga. The second series also ended in a punt after a deflection deep down the left sideline by cornerback Patrick Surtain II. So would the third and fourth series.
The opening quarter saw seven passing yards amassed. After a sudden change, however, Maye took a QB draw in for six from six yards out. It tied things at 7-7. But five punts in seven possessions got things to halftime. By then, the NFL’s last unbeaten road team had netting a single first down by air and only 72 yards of total offense.
Maye turned to his legs as conditions worsened, scrambling for a long of 28. The Pro Bowler, Associated Press second-team All-Pro and Pro Football Writers of America All-AFC honoree also had defensive tackles Khyiris Tonga and Milton Williams pushing behind him on a fourth-and-1 at the doorstep. But a dangerous direct snap as well as a sack at the goal line halted New England’s initial drive out of the break.
It spanned 9:31 of game clock and resulted in a 10-7 lead. That score held until it was on to Levi’s Stadium. From sunny skies to a snow squall, Maye ran a naked bootleg around the left side on the way to history.
In return, Hollins converts with two key catches
A week after a trio of wide receivers found the end zone, the Patriots had to adjust to the elements. And to a secondary featuring a pair of second-team All-Pros.
The return of Mack Hollins played an integral part. Activated from injured reserve on the eve of the AFC Championship Game after missing four weeks with an abdomen injury, he was targeted twice while starting alongside fellow elder statesman Stefon Diggs. Those targets became 51 of his quarterback’s 86 passing yards.
Hollins’ initial target came on a deep dig route that gained 20 yards on third-and-13. His next? A flea-flicker for 31 yards and New England’s longest connection of the road trip.
Opposing passing attacks managed a 57.8 completion percentage along with 187.2 yards per game against the Broncos in the regular season. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph’s group had allowed 18.3 points per game, a 33.8 percent conversion rate on third downs and a 42.6 percent conversion rate in the red zone.
2025 NFL sack leaders tack on five more
Denver’s defense racked up 68 sacks in the regular season to lead the NFL. And entering Sunday, New England’s quarterback had been subject to 10 sacks since the calendar turned to the postseason. More were in the cards.
Will Campbell and Jared Wilson were in deep water on the blindside of the offensive line. Next to the No. 4 overall pick out of LSU and the No. 95 overall pick out of Georgia, there stood Garrett Bradbury at center, Mike Onwenu at right guard and reigning Pro Football Focus Offensive Player of the Week Morgan Moses at right tackle. Thayer Munford Jr. also drew the start as an eligible tight end and would be called upon heavily from there.
The Broncos had ears pinned back. Linebacker Que Robinson, defensive tackle D.J. Jones and defensive end Zach Allen all hit home for sacks in the first half. And prior to the break, New England’s rookie left tackle was flagged for a false start with AP Defensive Player of the Year finalist Nik Bonitto hovering across the line.
The AFC Championship Game went on to include five sacks altogether for Denver.
Stevenson takes it home with 25 carries
Only the Jacksonville Jaguars had given up fewer rushing yards per game than the defense that calls Mile High home. But since the bye week in December, Sunday’s visitors had been averaging 162.3 yards on the ground per game.
Something would give.
Rhamondre Stevenson turned 25 carries into 71 yards. The downhill running back got New England’s initial first down of the game and added a long of a dozen yards up the middle. Style points did not hold weight. He was leaned on when visibility could not be, taking nine handoffs as the time ticked away in the fourth quarter.
Stidham’s start ends with interception
Six quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era had made their first start of the season in the postseason. Jarrett Stidham made it seven, following Taylor Heinicke in 2021, Connor Cook in 2017, Joe Webb in 2013, Frank Reich in 1993, Gary Danielson in 1983 and Roger Staubach in 1972.
The 2019 Patriots draft pick hadn’t attempted a pass in a Broncos game in 749 days. He would on Sunday in the absence of injured starter Bo Nix, going 17-of-31 through the air for 133 yards with one touchdown and one interceptions.
New England’s defense opened in the nickel. And veteran Carton Davis III, who cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol before the weekend, was back on the perimeter. The afternoon began with a three-and-out, but fellow starting cornerback Christian Gonzalez was beat deep by Marvin Mims Jr. to the tune of 52 yards on third-and-10. And with safety Jaylinn Hawkins biting on play action, a rollout touchdown to tenured wide receiver Courtland Sutton followed for a 7-0 Denver lead.
But a pair of punts, a turnover on downs, a lost fumble and a missed field goal followed for the Broncos going into the half. Another three-and-out was notched by Patriots defensive playcaller Zak Kuhr’s contingent coming out of it.
The Broncos did not move the sticks again until there was 10:04 left to go. And with 2:11 to go, the ball found No. 0, as Gonzalez got under his first interception since 2024.
New England’s front closes the road
The Los Angeles Chargers’ running backs finished the wild card with 30 rushing yards over the course of 12 attempts. The Houston Texans’ running backs finished the divisional round with 31 rushing yards over the course of 18 attempts.
On Sunday, the commitment was clear. Denver rookie RJ Harvey was held to 37 rushing yards on 13 tries. No other Broncos running back posted a gain of more than a handful.
A front missing sack leader Harold Landry III due to a lingering knee injury soon was without tackle leader Robert Spillane due to an ankle injury. Announced as questionable to return, the green dot would be handed over. So, too, would the football as the Patriots ramped up the pressure.
Intentional grounding became a backwards pass. And with that ruling, fellow starting linebacker Christian Elliss recorded a sack on third-and-4 with 2:59 remaining before halftime. Undrafted rookie Elijah Ponder was there to recover the fumble just 12 yards from the destination. New England’s takeaway gave way to a 7-7 game. And from there, defensive tackle Christian Barmore stormed through decorated Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz to get the afternoon’s second sack.
Kicking through a whiteout
The thin air was met by a swirling whiteout. It wasn’t what Andy Borregales was looking for. New England’s rookie kicker converted on 1-of-3 field goals in Denver. Standing 5,280 feet above sea level, he missed wide left from 63 yards out before halftime and wide right from 46 yards out after it.
The AFC Championship Game went about as smoothly for his holder. Bryce Baringer punted eight times for an average of 37.9 yards per.
But special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer got a hand from the practice squad. Defensive tackle Leonard Taylor III, elevated on the eve of kickoff, tipped a 45-yard attempt by Broncos kicker Wil Lutz with 4:46 remaining.
