8 Takeaways From the Patriots AFC Championship Win Over the Broncos to Advance to Super Bowl LX 

Denver, Colo. – The Patriots are back in the Super Bowl after defeating the Broncos in a 10-7 victory at a wintry Empower Field at Mile High on championship Sunday.

The old saying goes that defense wins championships. In January, the weather around gets nasty: it snows, it’s cold, the wind swirls. As the snow began to pile up at Empower Field, the Patriots defense continued its dominant playoff run, spearheading New England to Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara in two weeks. For a team that built a 14-3 regular-season record on the back of an MVP-caliber year for QB Drake Maye, the Patriots are going to their 12th Super Bowl in franchise history due to their defense. In three playoff games, New England’s defense allowed 26 points, shutting down the Chargers, Texans, and Broncos offenses to get through the AFC. Although the job isn’t done, it has been a job well done on the defensive side.

As for how the game unfolded, there were a few critical swings when the Broncos came out firing. With a 7-0 lead, Denver elected to go for a 4th-and-1 on the NE 14 rather than kicking a field goal. The Pats defense came up with a stop there and created a turnover that set up the Patriots lone touchdown. Denver also had an opportunity to kick a game-tying field goal, but the 46-yard attempt was blocked by practice-squad DT Leonard Taylor. Offensively, there will be plenty to nitpick. The Patriots had four possessions while leading by three points where they could’ve taken a two-score lead, but went missed field goal, punt, punt, and punt.

Obviously, today is about celebrating this team’s accomplishments, but to win the Super Bowl in two weeks, they’ll need better from the offense than what they’ve gotten this postseason. For now, the road warriors finally got the playoff monkey off their back in Denver to finish the season 9-0 on the road and are the first team in NFL history to go from 13+ losses the year prior to the Super Bowl. Yes, the Patriots are officially back.

“The history and everything about it, it’s a new team. It’s a new era. I respect and appreciate what the Patriots dynasty did and unfortunately they didn’t come out with some wins [in Denver]. We changed the narrative and we look forward to bringing our best football to Santa Clara,” Maye said.

Here are eight takeaways from the Patriots victory over the Broncos to reach Super Bowl LX.

1. Play of the Game: DT Leonard Taylor III Blocks Broncos 46-Yard Field Goal Attempt in Fourth Quarter

With the Patriots holding a three-point lead in the fourth quarter, the defense stepped up once again when New England punted out of its own end zone out to their own 33-yard line.