New England defeats Denver and becomes the first team to qualify for Super Bowl LX in San Francisco. Wild blowing snow makes scoring difficult in the second half.
The New England Patriots completed the 12th Super Bowl participation in club history and also extended their lead over the second-place Denver Broncos.
In a direct duel, the guests from Foxborough prevailed in the Mile High City in the AFC Championship Game of the NFL playoffs with 10:7 (0:7, 7:0, 3:0, 0:0). In the game, which was dominated by defense, the Patriots took advantage of the mistakes of the hosts, who had to do without their actual starting quarterback Bo Nix due to a broken ankle.
Drake Maye ran New England’s only touchdown of the game to make it 7:7 – this was preceded by a mistake by Nix’s replacement Jarrett Stidham.
With snow starting to fall in the second half, the MVP candidate gained more yards through running (64 yards) than through passes (55 yards) until deep into the third quarter.
Denver Broncos mistake
Stidham managed a touchdown pass and initially showed good approaches before mistakes crept in.
After a 3 & out, Stidham hit Marvin Mims with a 41-yard pass, which Mims finished with 11 yards after the catch. Two plays later, Stidham found Courtland Sutton in the end zone for a 7-0 lead. It was his first touchdown pass since January 7, 2024.
The Patriots, on the other hand, couldn’t get into the game at all. In the first quarter, Coach Mike Vrabel’s team gained just 1 yard per play – 12 yards on 12 plays.
In total, the Patriots only achieved four 1st downs in the first two quarters – but then received support from the Broncos.
First they gave away three points when they failed to make a field goal on their fourth attempt with one yard to go at New England’s 14 yard line. Stidham’s pass attempt while running was not received.
Referees concede Patriots touchdown
On the next drive, Stidham didn’t accept the sack on third attempt and four, instead he wanted to get rid of the ball, his pass attempt under pressure becomes a “backward pass” – the Patriots pick up the ball at Denver’s 14, touchdown.
However, the referees had previously blown the whistle. The referees’ decision initially consisted of intentional grounding; they viewed the pass as a forward pass. After deliberation on the field, the referees changed their mind, so there was only ball Patriots at Denver’s 12-yard line. Stidham’s loss of the ball was classified as a sack with a fumble.
Two plays later, Maye ran the ball into the end zone from six yards out.
Heavy snowfall in the final quarter
Two drives later, kicker Wil Lutz missed a 54-yard field goal attempt. However, Lutz could have kicked from two yards further forward if Stidham had thrown the ball out of bounds instead of running with it out of bounds and suffering the loss of two yars.
In the increasingly difficult weather conditions, New England put together an almost perfect drive in the second half – although after almost ten minutes there was only a field goal from 23 yards to make it 10:7.
But these should be the crucial points. As the snow continued to blow, not only did the Patriots miss a second field goal from 46 yards, the Broncos also missed the chance to equalize.
Patriots defender Leonard Taylor put his fingertips on a 45-yard field goal attempt and deflected it. It remained Denver’s only scoring opportunity. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez scored the final score with an interception.
The Patriots’ opponent in Super Bowl LX in San Francisco will be the NFC Championship Game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks.
