The New England Patriots are back in the Super Bowl, and they qualified by beating the Denver Broncos in what was a defensive stalemate for much of the afternoon. Ultimately, though, they made enough plays to secure a 10-7 victory in the AFC Championship Game.
Here is a Patriots-centric view at some of the key moments of the game.
Moment No. 1: Defensive breakdown
The Patriots defense looked as advertised early in the game, putting pressure on Denver quarterback Jarrett Stidham and forcing some errant throws. However, facing a 3rd-and-10
on his team’s second drive, the ex-Patriot launched a deep pass against New England’s quarters coverage for a gain of 52 yards.
Two plays after the deep completion to wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr, Stidham found Courtland Sutton wide open in the New England end zone for a 6-yard touchdown. Just a bad stretch of plays from the Patriots.
Moment No. 2: Fourth down stop
Up 7-0 in the early second quarter, the Broncos had a chance to add to their lead. Instead, however, head coach Sean Payton decided to be aggressive and attempt to move the chains on 4th-and-1 from the Patriots’ 14-yard line. The plan backfired.
Even though the Patriots offense was unable to capitalize on the turnover on downs, it was a big play in a close, defensive game. It also allowed the visitors to tie the game later in the second period.
Moment No. 3: Momentum changer
The Patriots offense struggled mightily in the first half, but it did get a prime opportunity just outside the two-minute warning thanks to the defense. New England put pressure on Jarrett Stidham on a 3rd-and-4, causing the inexperienced passer to panic and attempt to throw the ball away.
However, Stidham failed to actually do so: he awkwardly tossed the ball sidewards after being pressured by Christian Elliss. Teammate Elijah Ponder picked up the ball and seemingly returned it for a touchdown, but the play was quickly whistled dead — a wrong decision, it turned out. After initially being ruled incomplete and intentional grounding, the play was overturned to give New England the football.
Two plays later, the Patriots scored their first points of the game.
Drake Maye found Kayshon Boutte on a quick slant on the first play after the fumble recovery. Then, he took care of business himself and ran for a 6-yard touchdown to tie the game.
Moment No. 4: Blocked
Leonard Taylor started the season with the New York Jets, and he will end it in the Super Bowl as a member of the Patriots. He actively had a hand in it as well, blocking what would have been a game-tying field goal when his team was up 10-7.
Taylor’s block prevented the Broncos’ best chance of getting back into the game, and ultimately set the stage for what was to come: the defense and offense sealing the deal.
Moment No. 5: Picked off
Christian Gonzalez is one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, but he almost went through the entire season without an interception. However, he picked a good time to pick off his first pass of the year: just outside the two-minute warning, the Pro Bowler cleanly fielded an errant Jarrett Stidham pass.
With the Broncos having burned two timeouts already at that point, the interception put New England in business to run out the clock and win the game. And that is precisely what happened.
Moment No. 6: On to the Super Bowl
Drake Maye did not play his best game against a disruptive Broncos defense, but just like in the Patriots’ previous two playoff contests he managed to come through in the clutch. In this particular game, that meant moving the sticks on 3rd-and-6 with his legs.
The Patriots were in full-on run mode at that point in the game, and Denver’s defense reacted accordingly to Maye’s fake handoff. With the QB reversing the other way, however, all he had to do was beat linebacker Jonah Elliss to the sticks to secure a win.
He did, and the Patriots are Super Bowl bound once again.
