DENVER — The Patriots are heading to the Super Bowl after outlasting the Broncos in a freezing, snowy, blustering defensive showdown.
This wasn’t a rock fight. It was an ice fight.
With the Patriots leading 10-7 with 4:46 left in the game, the Broncos sent out kicker Will Lutz to attempt a 45-yard field goal through snow and high winds. Defensive tackle Leonard Taylor, elevated for the sixth time this season from the practice squad, got his hand up and tipped Lutz’s kick, forcing it no good.
The Patriots couldn’t get anything going on offense all game and were forced to punt.
Two plays into the Broncos’ next offensive series, cornerback Christian Gonzalez intercepted Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham to seal the game.
The Patriots won in ugly fashion, but it was enough to send them to their 12th Super Bowl.
Quarterback Drake Maye had his worst performance of the season, passing for just 86 yards while completing less than 50% of his passes. Patriots running backs averaged less than 3 yards per carry, and punter Bryce Baringer and kicker Andy Borregales had trouble kicking in tough weather conditions.
But the Patriots’ defense was too much for Stidham, starting for Bo Nix, who fractured his ankle in the divisional round of the playoffs. And their run defense, as it’s been for most of the season, overwhelmed rookie running back R.J. Harvey.
The Patriots’ defense didn’t allow a single point after the Broncos’ second possession, when the first completion, first down and big play of the game came when Stidham completed a 52-yard pass to wide receiver Marvin Mims over cornerback Christian Gonzalez. Two plays later, Stidham hit wide receiver Courtland Sutton for a 6-yard touchdown with a coverage breakdown from the Patriots defense to take a 7-0 lead.
The Patriots picked up one first down on their second drive but were forced to punt again on third down. Bryce Baringer’s punt went just 33 yards, giving the Broncos the ball at the Patriots’ 23-yard line. The Patriots’ defense forced a punt, even with starting linebacker Robert Spillane in the blue medical tent, nursing an ankle injury.
Maye and the Patriots were forced to punt after another three-and-out.
The Patriots’ defense came up with a huge stop on fourth-and-1 from their own 14-yard line, when defensive tackles Milton Williams and Cory Durden brought pressure to force an incompletion. Rookie safety Craig Woodson nearly picked off the pass but came away with a pass breakup.
The Patriots were forced to punt, once again, before their defense stepped up to make a play. The Patriots brought pressure and forced Stidham to fumble on a backwards pass. Rookie outside linebacker Elijah Ponder recovered it and walked in for the touchdown, but the whistle had blown after the recovery because the play was initially ruled an incomplete pass.
It didn’t matter. Maye scored on a 6-yard rush two plays later to tie the score 7-7.
The pressure was starting to get to Stidham by the end of the second quarter. Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore got home on second down for a sack to help force a punt.
Baringer was forced to punt for a fifth time to give the Broncos the ball back at the Patriots’ 49-yard line with 48 seconds left in the half. Stidham was able to lead the Broncos on a four-play, 15-yard drive to set his team up for a field goal, but Will Lutz missed from 54 yards.
The Patriots had just enough time for a three-play, 16-yard drive before rookie kicker Andy Borregales missed a 63-yard field goal to end the half.
Borregales did hit a 23-yarder coming out of the half to give the Patriots a 10-7 lead. The Patriots ate 9:31 off the clock with snow flurrying from the sky before the score.
The Broncos went three-and-out before punting, giving the Patriots the ball at their own 21-yard line. An eight-play, 51-yard drive set up Borregales for a 46-yard field goal, but he missed wide right in swirling snow.
The Patriots forced their second consecutive three-and-out thanks to strong play by cornerback Carlton Davis, who held up against a double team to force Mims out of bounds, and cornerback Marcus Jones to break up a pass on third down.
The two teams, once again, traded punts, giving each team six on the afternoon.
BEST
DT Milton Williams: The pressure that Williams and the rest of the Patriots’ defensive front brought all game was enormous. Stidham was clearly flustered by it more and more as the game went along. Williams had six pressures, per PFF’s initial charting.
DT Christian Barmore: Barmore had a key second-down sack late in the first half to force a Broncos punt.
WR Mack Hollins: In his return from an injured-reserve stint with an abdominal injury, Hollins was the Patriots’ big-play threat through the air, catching two passes for 51 yards.
QB Drake Maye as a runner: Maye was massive with his legs, picking up 68 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. His most important yards came when he picked up a first down on a 7-yard pickup on third-and-5 with 1:57 left on the clock.
WORST
QB Drake Maye as a passer: The Patriots’ young passer was not himself against a stout Broncos defense. He was just 10-of-21 for 86 yards through the air. He also took five sacks, and PFF didn’t charge the offensive line with any of them.
K Andy Borregales: The rookie can be forgiven for missing a 63-yard field goal attempt before the half. Missing a 46-yarder late in the third quarter hurt.
P Bryce Baringer: Baringer really struggled to punt at altitude, oddly enough. He averaged just 37.9 yards per punt.
WHAT WE LEARNED
• The Patriots have typically opened in their base defense, but they switched it up with slot cornerback Marcus Jones on the field in place of an extra defensive tackle.
• The offense came out in a jumbo package and immediately picked up 5 yards before punting.
• The Patriots had just 12 total yards of offense in the first quarter. That’s their lowest total since Week 17 last season, per ESPN Research. Their 74 first-half yards were the fewest the Patriots have recorded in a playoff game since 1998, per ESPN Research.
• The Patriots used defensive tackles Milton Williams and Khyiris Tonga on offense for a tush push on fourth-and-1 midway through the fourth quarter.