By Tim Byrnes
AFC Championship Game:
2 New England Patriots (16-3) @ 1 Denver Broncos (15-3): NE 10-7
In a game of defense where field conditions deteriorated as the game progressed, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye overcame wind, rain, and snow to lead New England to a hard fought 10-7 win in the AFC Championship Game.
After trading three-and-outs to begin the game, Denver backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham (133 yards passing/ TD-Int) started the next Broncos drive with a hot pass incompletion to Marvin Mims Jr. but made up for the mistake with a 52-yard strike to him on the very next play.
The completion set up Denver with first-and-goal from the 7-yard line and Stidham hit Courtland Sutton with a 6-yard touchdown pass two plays later, to take a 7-0 lead.
New England managed just 12 plays for twelve yards the entire first quarter and began a series of trading punts with Denver until a Stidham’s backward pass was recovered by Pats linebacker Elijah Ponder at the Broncos 12-yard line. Drake Maye (86 yards passing/ 65 rushing-TD) ran the ball in from the 6-yard line two plays later, to tie the score at 7-7.
Each team had trouble moving the ball and both had two remaining possessions going into halftime. Patriots’ cornerback Christian Gonzalez sacked Stidham with 30 seconds remaining, pushing a field-goal attempt to 54 yards, which Denver’s Wil Lutz missed, his first of two misses on the day.
With an opportunity to grab a quick field goal themselves New England returned the favor by false starting with 15 seconds left, pushing their own field goal attempt to 63 yards, which they too missed.
The once-green field of the 1st-half became a sheet of snow in the second. Patriots coach Mike Vrabel went to the run eleven times in a 16-play 64-yard opening drive that ended with a 23-yard Andy Borregales field goal, the difference in the 10-7 game.
The teams traded scoreless possessions, and managed just one missed field goal each, the remainder of the game. As with Chicago and Jacksonville earlier in the playoffs, going for it on 4th-down, in field goal range, lost the game.
The stingy Patriots defense gave up just 181 yards of offense and will appear in their 12th Super Bowl, while Denver finished the season 15-4.
Super Bowl: Feb 8, 3:30pm PST
Seattle Seahawks (16-3) @ New England Patriots (17-3)
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Since the NFL is careful to select a warm weather location for the SuperBowl (or a venue with a roof and climate control) why is it OK to play the qualifying rounds in atrocious conditions? Could we at least mandate that the conference title games be played in better environments? Aside from the injustice to the teams, the blizzard conditions made me think I was watching a TV with reception problems.
From T. Peterson: I love the blizzard conditions. let it snow! Let it snow!