Patriots earn Super Bowl LX berth by beating Broncos in snowy Denver
By ARNIE STAPLETON
DENVER (AP) — Drake Maye ran for 68 yards and threw for 86 in sloppy, snowy conditions and scored New England’s only touchdown on a 6-yard keeper, propelling the Patriots to their 12th Super Bowl with a 10-7 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
Christian Gonzalez intercepted Jarrett Stidham, starting in place of an injured Bo Nix, at New England’s 36 with 2:11 remaining and the Patriots (17-3) iced their first playoff win in Denver when Maye ran for 7 yards on third-and-5 from his 41.
In Mike Vrabel’s first season as coach, New England became the third team in the Super Bowl era to win a conference championship with 10 points or less. Buffalo beat Denver 10-7 in the 1991 AFC title game, and the Los Angeles Rams beat Tampa Bay 9-0 in the 1979 NFC championship game.
“I’m just proud of this team,” Maye said. “Don’t have many words. Just thankful for this team. Love each and every one of them. It took everybody.”
The Broncos (15-4) finished one step shy of fulfilling Sean Payton’s preseason prediction of a trip to Super Bowl 60.
Both kickers missed two field goals in the frigid conditions with Denver’s Wil Lutz and New England’s Andy Borregales wide on long tries just before the snow came in at halftime.
The Patriots fell behind 7-0, but had a key fourth-down stop near their own end zone to spark the comeback. Their victory was their 40th in the playoffs, breaking a tie with the 49ers for the most in NFL history.
It was sunny at kickoff with a temperature of 26 degrees, but by halftime the snowflakes began falling and grounds crews had to use snowblowers to mark the hashmarks and yard lines by the fourth quarter, when it was 16 degrees.
“What an atmosphere out here,” Maye said. “Battle of the elements. Love this team. How about the defense? I love each and every one of them.”
After gaining just 72 yards in the first half, the Patriots opened the second half in swirling snow with a 16-play, 64-yard drive that ate up 9 1/2 minutes and ended with a 23-yard field goal by Borregales that gave New England its first lead at 10-7.
The Patriots managed just four first downs and 72 yards in the first half, punting five times and missing a field goal. But they capitalized on a short field when New England’s defense set up Maye at the Denver 12 with a takeaway and Maye took it in from 6 yards out to tie it at 7 at halftime.
Stepping in for the injured Nix (ankle surgery), Stidham’s first completion since the 2023 regular-season finale was a 52-yard dart to Marvin Mims Jr. to the New England 7 that set up Courtland Sutton’s 6-yard touchdown catch that started the scoring.
The Broncos reached New England’s 14 early in the second quarter, but Payton decided to go for it — and Stidham’s throw to R.J. Harvey was incomplete on fourth-and-1.
Instead of going up double digits, the Broncos were left clinging to a 7-0 lead, and Elijah Ponder recovered Stidham’s backward pass at the Denver 12, setting up the tying touchdown two plays later.
Stidham, who was drafted by the Patriots in 2019, made his first start since the 2023 regular-season finale. The Broncos were the only team in the league that didn’t give their backup QB any snaps or handoffs the last two seasons.
Nix, who had 11 game-winning drives in his first two NFL seasons, got hurt on Denver’s final drive in overtime against Buffalo last week. But he didn’t come out of the game and the extent of his injury — a broken right ankle — wasn’t known until he went for X-rays after the 33-30 win.
Injuries
Patriots: LB Robert Spillane went to the injury tent with an ankle injury with 3:14 left in the first quarter.
Broncos: WR Pat Bryant, who left in the first quarter of the divisional round with a concussion, left in the first half Sunday with a pulled hamstring and didn’t return.