Look out, America, the New England Patriots are really back.
New England held on for a 10–7 victory over the Denver Broncos on Sunday in the AFC Championship Game. It marked the Patriots’ return to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2018 season on the heels of two consecutive 4–13 seasons.
“You have to believe things sometimes before you can see them,” Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel told reporters afterward. “You have to believe what you’re doing is the right thing. And if it’s not, you have to recognize it and make adjustments and changes.”
It’s a different cast of characters, with Vrabel and quarterback Drake Maye replacing former head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady. The latter brought six Super Bowl championships to New England in 10 appearances.
Things hadn’t been the same for the Patriots since Brady departed as a free agent for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. New England hadn’t won a playoff game since a Wild Card win over the Los Angeles Chargers this season, and the Patriots went on a three-year hiatus from the postseason and three losing seasons in that span.
On Sunday, New England grinded out a game reminiscent of how the original dynasty began in the 2001 season. The Patriots won a playoff game over the then-Oakland Raiders in a snow-filled overtime game, enabled by a near fumble known as the “tuck rule” when Brady didn’t lose the ball.
New England’s only touchdown came after a fumble by Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham when he got hit from behind on a backward pass. The Patriots scored on a touchdown run by Maye to tie the game at 7–7, and New England later added a field goal for the 10–7 lead in the third quarter.
The weather turned from cold and clear to snowy in the second half, and the Patriots and Broncos struggled on the slippery field with little traction on offense. Denver missed a field goal when New England’s Leonard Taylor III got a piece of the ball, and the Broncos’ chances ended on an interception by defensive back Christian Gonzalez, ending the No. 1 seed’s chances.
New England returns to the Super Bowl for a record 12th appearance and ironically for the first time without No. 12 (Brady). In addition, the Patriots will play in the area Brady grew up in—the San Francisco Bay Area.
During the Brady era, the Patriots dominated the NFL from 2001 to 2019, and New England emerged as one of the most successful franchises overall after decades of relative irrelevance. Only the Pittsburgh Steelers have as many Super Bowl wins, but the Patriots could surpass them with a seventh win in two weeks.
New England didn’t win on Sunday as the offense couldn’t get going against the Broncos’ defense, and Stidham, a former Patriots quarterback, came out firing. Stidham fired a 52-yard pass to wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. to set up a 6-yard touchdown pass to wideout Courtland Sutton.
Denver never scored again, with two missed field goals, five punts, a turnover on downs, and two turnovers. The Broncos managed only 181 total yards and went 4–14 on third downs.
Stidham finished with 17–31 passing for 133 yards, and he rushed for 23 yards on four carries. Broncos running back R.J. Harvey got bottled up with 13 carries for 37 yards as his team managed 79 yards on the ground overall.
Maye, meanwhile, only went 10–21 for 86 yards as he took five sacks. He also rushed for 65 yards on 10 carries and moved the chains once in the fourth quarter.
Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for 71 yards on 25 carries, and the Patriots finished with 141 yards overall on the ground. Wide receiver Mack Hollins stepped up in the passing game with two receptions for 51 yards, just a day after coming back from injury.
For Vrabel, he has been on the other side of things with the Patriots during the dynasty in the 2000s as a linebacker. He could become the first man to win a Super Bowl as both a player and a head coach.
“I do this for the players,” Vrabel said. “I’ve been in their position ... I’ve been in their position. I have. It’s amazing. I want other people to feel that feeling.”
