The Broncos managed just 63 yards on their next eight drives, as Stidham lost a fumble on a punt return that led to the Patriots’ only touchdown of the game and threw an interception with just over two minutes left, an underthrown pass picked off by Pro Bowl cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
Just over three minutes into the game, Gonzalez was hit with a 52-yard pass to Marvin Mims Jr. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel wasn’t worried about his top team, which came up late with the big play.
“It just says he’s been playing really, really good football and sometimes you get beat. The best do,” Vrabel said.
Field conditions clearly played a role, but the Patriots won the battle against the Broncos’ storied offensive line, with Williams (four pressures) and Christian Barmore (one of three Patriots sacks) among several New England defenders imposing their will.
“First team all-pro,” Barmore said of his battle with Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz, via Greg Auman of Fox Sports. “Our coach always tells us All-Pro doesn’t mean s— … He’s a hell of a player, but this is for us, our team, our contract.”
The Patriots offense struggled early, scoring just 206 yards and 12 first downs all game. Special teams were uneven, with shaky punts and two missed field goal attempts, though Leonard Taylor III caught Wil Lutz’s 45-yard field goal with less than seven minutes remaining.
Other than that, it was all about the New England defense. It has allowed just 629 yards in three playoff games so far, also forcing eight turnovers against the Chargers, Texans and Broncos. Even including the 52-yard play, Denver had just 181 yards on Sunday, an average of 3.1 yards per play.
“It has to be done on the field,” Williams told Wolfe, “and we came out here and did it today.”