Patriots’ defense shines in AFC championship win over Broncos

DENVER — Led by their defense, the New England Patriots gutted out a 10-7 victory over the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game at Empower Field at Mile High.

In some ways, it sparks memories of the Patriots’ first Super Bowl championship team in 2001, which was led by the defense. Furthermore, in 2001, the Patriots’ «Snow Bowl» win over the Raiders in the divisional round was epic and the second half of Sunday’s win over the Broncos was played in similar extreme conditions.

One of the keys to Sunday’s win, given the conditions, was terrific ball security, as the Patriots had no turnovers. Quarterback Drake Maye, who had fumbled six times in the first two playoff games, had talked about the importance of cleaning things up.

The Patriots are the first team in NFL history to finish 9-0 or better on the road (including playoffs). Now, they advance to face the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California.

Christian Elliss on Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who retreated 15 yards before losing a fumble that rookie outside linebacker Elijah Ponder recovered. The Patriots turned it into a touchdown two plays later, helping them get to halftime tied 7-7, giving them a big chance in the second half.

Stat to know: The Patriots’ 72 first-half yards were their fewest in a playoff half since they recorded 54 in the first half against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 1998 wild-card round (they lost 25-10). New England had 12 yards in the first quarter. — Mike Reiss

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Turns out history was just too big of an ask for the Broncos and quarterback Jarrett Stidham.

With a Super Bowl trip in the balance on a snow-globe afternoon, the Broncos did not do what they needed to take their first trip to the big game in a decade, falling to the Patriots in a defensive struggle in the AFC Championship Game.

The narrow loss ends a Broncos season in which they danced on the thinnest of margins for most of the campaign. And quarterback Bo Nix’s fractured ankle in the closing moments of the divisional round win over the Buffalo Bills turned out to be too much for Denver to overcome.

After all, Stidham was the first quarterback in league history to throw his first pass of a season in the conference championship game and he was the first quarterback to make his first start of a season in a conference title game since Roger Staubach in 1972.

Though Broncos coach Sean Payton promised during the week that Stidham would «rip it,» he was unable to after an early 52-yard pass to Marvin Mims Jr. set up the team’s only score.

Stidham managed the conditions most of the day and finished 17-of-31 for 133 yards and a first-quarter touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton. But Stidham’s biggest bobble, an ill-advised attempt to throw the ball away to avoid a second-quarter sack that turned into a backward lateral the Patriots recovered, gave New England the momentum it needed for its first playoff win in Denver.

The Patriots added a 16-play field goal drive to open the second half for all the points they would need in rapidly deteriorating conditions. Stidham threw an interception late in the fourth quarter, a ball swept up in the swirling snow.

So in the end, the Broncos’ offense couldn’t find the scoring drive it needed, squandering a stout defensive performance. A season built on winning close games ended in a close-game loss.

What to make of Stidham’s performance: Stidham was far more comfortable early, as evidenced by his 52-yard pass to Mims on the Broncos’ second drive. But as the Patriots increased the pressure, Stidham often found himself retreating. His backward pass on an attempted throwaway in the second quarter changed the tenor and led to a 12-yard touchdown drive for the Patriots, their only touchdown drive. He added an interception in the snowy conditions just before the two-minute warning. Stidham certainly didn’t get all of the support Payton had hoped for, with a spotty run game, dropped passes and no plays longer than 12 yards after Mims’ big catch.

Biggest hole in the game plan: Some holes in the game plan are created by choices made by the playcallers, and some are made by circumstances. When rookie wide receiver Pat Bryant, who left last week’s win over the Buffalo Bills because of a concussion, left Sunday’s game because of a hamstring injury, it left the Broncos with limited choices in their three-wide looks they so often use. Troy Franklin was also inactive because of a hamstring injury, so the Patriots rotated coverage toward Courtland Sutton as the lone threat. Sutton had three catches as well as a drop, but no catches after halftime.

Most surprising performance: For much of the season, the Broncos’ defense has been one of the league’s best at limiting scramble yards from opposing quarterbacks. But on Sunday, Maye escaped just enough to leave a mark. It included a 28-yard scramble on a third-and-9 to convert a first down in what turned out to be the winning field goal drive for New England to open the second half. At one point in the third quarter, Maye had more rushing yards than passing yards. — Jeff Legwold