Fending off the elements and one of the best defenses in the NFL, the New England Patriots won a tight battle against the Broncos on Sunday to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl. Just one year after
winning only four games, their 10-7 win in the Denver snow allows them to compete for the Vince Lombardi Trophy in two weeks.
Let’s get into what we learned from the win.
Winning ugly is still winning
It might not have been pretty, especially on the offensive side of the ball, but the Patriots survived an old-school defensive battle that saw both teams make plays and stuff the opposing offense.
In general, the last few games haven’t been pretty for Drake Maye and the New England offense, but they gritted out another team win, and find themselves in the Super Bowl, just 60 minutes from the franchise’s record seventh title.
And while pundits or opposing fans might lament that the Broncos would have won if they had Bo Nix, or that the Buffalo Bills would have won if they had taken care of business last week, none of that matters because none of that happened. In the playoffs, it doesn’t matter how you do it, as long as you come away with the victory. The Patriots did, and now they are back in the Super Bowl.
The legend of Drake Maye keeps growing
Drake Maye is an MVP candidate this year, and has now led the Patriots to the Super Bowl in just his second season in the NFL. And even though had one of the worst games of his career throwing the ball in Denver on Sunday, he did a whole lot of damage with his legs: he scored his team’s only touchdown of the game on a quarterback draw after Jarrett Stidham’s fumble on a backwards pass and finished the game with 68 yards on seven carries, sealing the game with a naked bootleg on 3rd-and-6 — a play that wasn’t called in the huddle but saw Maye simply keep ball himself instead of handing it off.
The legend of Drake Maye is only going to continue to grow after that. I would expect him to play better in the Super Bowl albeit against an equally impressive defense, but he did just enough on Sunday and in the previous two games to get them there.
The defense steps up again
The Patriots couldn’t get their offense going on Sunday, so the defense needed to put the team on their back, and that’s exactly what it did. It started with the run game: the unit stuffed the Broncos’ rushing attack, allowing only 79 yards on 24 carries. R.J. Harvey, their No. 1 back, finished with just 37 yards on 13 attempts.
After giving up a long pass, and a touchdown pass on the second drive, the Patriots shut down the opposing passing game as well, and made it almost impossible for the Broncos to move the ball at all. That Jarrett Stidham backwards pass ended up being a major turning point in the game, and it was forced by Christian Elliss, who hit the QB’s arm as he was trying to flick the ball forward, which made him toss it backwards instead.
Then, once the snow started, the Patriots didn’t score any points, but they didn’t have to: the defense held that 3-point lead, capped off by a Christian Gonzalez interception. As a result, these Patriots have now allowed the second-fewest points in three playoff games in NFL history, only behind the 2000 Ravens, who, in a different era, allowed 16 to their 26.
Patriots are the ultimate road warriors
The ability to play successful football away from Gillette Stadium has been one of their calling cards all year long, and on Sunday the Patriots became the first team in NFL history to finish a season 9-0 on the road.
They seemed to be more focused and prepared when on the road, and, as rookie left tackle Will Campbell said earlier this week, are able to generate their own environment. It’s a testament to the team’s leaders and coaches to be as prepared as they are when they play in tough environments.
To win games in Buffalo, Tampa, Baltimore, and now Denver, is an impressive feat. The Patriots may not technically have a road game in two weeks, but it sure sounded like Mike Vrabel was going to make it feel like one in the locker room after the game on Sunday. If they’re going to have the mentality that they’re the road warriors, I think that can only help in a trip that will undoubtedly be the most unique of the season.
Leonard Taylor makes the play of his career
The Patriots elevated Leonard Taylor from the practices squad to the active roster for Sunday’s game, and what an impact he had. It was the second time he stood out after causing a pressure on Justin Herbert on K’Lavon Chaisson’s strip sack against the Chargers in the wild card round.
This time, Taylor jumped and tipped a field goal attempt by the Broncos in the fourth quarter that would have tied the game.
The Patriots did not make any acquiring moves at the trade deadline, but the unheralded Taylor, who arrived after being released by the Jets, has had a big impact on their Super Bowl run. Every team that gets to this position has to have a few guys come out of nowhere to make a big play or two. Taylor became one of those guys when he made the play of his football life, and preserved the Patriots lead, in the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship.
The AFC East helps the Patriots win
The Patriots are atop the AFC once again, and they’re also atop the AFC East again. This year, they got a lot of help from their AFC East rivals to get where they are right now.
First, the Bills let Mack Hollins walk this offseason, and he became an integral part of the Patriots’ turnaround both on and off the field. The Jets, meanwhile, released the aforementioned Leonard Taylor, the field goal blocking hero of the AFC Championship Game, and the Patriots picked him up.
The good times are back, because not only are the Patriots winning on the field, they’re also again benefitting from their rivals’ blunders to do so.
Christian Gonzalez channels his inner Stephon Gilmore
Christian Gonzalez has been one of the Patriots’ best players this season, and one of only two to represent them in the Pro Bowl this year (in theory, at least, because they won’t be participating). He has allowed a few completions along the way, but is very rarely beat badly.
On Sunday, Gonzalez was part of the breakdown that allowed the Broncos’ long pass early in the game that led to their only touchdown; it looked like he thought he had help over the top when he didn’t. He shut down any receiver that came his way the rest of the game, right to the end, when he sealed the victory with an interception of Jarrett Stidham.
It was a play eerily reminiscent of the Stephon Gilmore interception of Jared Goff that all but ended Super Bowl LIII. It was also the first interception of the season for Gonzo, who has found a way to be productive for the team anyway, playing very well in the run game, tackling at a high level, and even forcing a fumble against the Texans.
The Patriots are going to need to play fantastic defense to have a chance against the Seahawks in two weeks, and Gonzalez needs to be a big part of that.
Coaching is an advantage
For years, the Patriots were consistently one of the best-coached teams in the NFL. It gave them an advantage every week against any team they played. Somewhere along the way, that ended, but those days are back in New England with Mike Vrabel and his staff.
Josh McDaniels has done a great job of developing Drake Maye, and has mostly called very good games. Zak Kuhr has done a tremendous job at not only calling defensive plays, but making adjustments in-game to stop opposing offenses — little things like taking as much time as possible to substitute on defense when the offense brings in a sub, as they did when Gonzalez picked off Stidham, forcing them to rush to snap the ball with one second left on the play clock.
Not only are they proving to be great in game, but what they’ve done to make this team play together and bond is pretty amazing, especially when you consider how many of these players weren’t here last year. All in all, the Patriots are very lucky to have the coaches that they do, and, hopefully, they will all be around into the future as well.
Punting is a concern
There is a lot to be happy about for the Patriots as they head to the Super Bowl, but one player in particular could be looking at a little more scrutiny in the coming weeks leading up to the game. Bryce Baringer has had a very rough stretch in the playoffs, and had one of the worst games of his season in Denver. Of course, the conditions made things difficult in the fourth quarter, but he was struggling long before that.
If the Patriots are going to win what projects as a tightly-contested game in two weeks, they are going to need to try to win the field position battle, which means their punter needs to have a good day. Baringer has been inconsistent to the point where the Patriots might be unsure about whether or not he will be able to have one of those days. They may not want to make any changes heading into the Super Bowl, but I would be surprised if they didn’t at least sign someone to compete with Baringer in camp next year.
Anything can happen in the Super Bowl
The Patriots opened as 4.5-point underdogs against the Seahawks, and the Seahawks have arguably the best team in the NFL this season. Knocking them off and winning the Super Bowl is going to be a very tall task, but when there’s only one game, anything can happen out there on the field.
The turnaround that the Patriots had so far has been incredible as is, and there is one more win to make it an all-timer. The Patriots have a great opportunity to stamp their name on the history books and even if they would lose nine out of 10 to the Seahawks, they only have to win one, and that gives them a real chance of winning the whole dang thing.
