For the first time since the 2018 season, the New England Patriots are headed back to the Super Bowl.
Backed by a stellar defensive effort from quarterback Drake Maye, the Patriots crushed QB Jarrett Stidham and the Broncos on a snowy and windy afternoon in Denver.
The AFC second-place Patriots will now play the Seattle Seahawks or Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, California.
After Stidham’s touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton in the first quarter, the Broncos were held scoreless by the Patriots, who got on the board with a Maye touchdown in the second quarter and an Andres Borregales field goal on the first drive of the second half. The snow-heavy game featured multiple missed field goals on each side and stellar defensive displays by both teams, but the Patriots won thanks in large part to a blocked field goal in the fourth by Pats practice squad call-up Leonard Taylor III.
New England’s victory was sealed with a Christian Gonzalez interception and a subsequent third-down play by Maye.
In his first year coaching the team, Mike Vrabel and Maye are now the first Pats HC-QB duo since Bill Belichick and Tom Brady to reach the Super Bowl.