How the New England Patriots Muscled Their Way to the Super Bowl

The goal has been the same for the New England Patriots in three playoff games this month: win with defense.

That’s what the Patriots did in Sunday’s AFC Championship game. Second-seeded New England took advantage of a Denver team without starting quarterback Bo Nix (ankle surgery) and earned a 10-7 victory in conditions that made Empower Field at Mile High look like a snow globe.

New England (17-3) allowed 26 points and came away with eight turnovers in its three playoff games. Baltimore is the only team to allow fewer points in the three games leading up to the Super Bowl. The Ravens limited three AFC playoff opponents to 16 points in the 2000 season.

“What an atmosphere out here,” New England quarterback Drake Maye said. “Battle of the elements. Love this team. How about the defense? I love each and every one of them.”

New England averaged 18.0 points in its three playoff wins, which is the fewest by any team to make the Super Bowl since the 1979 Los Angeles Rams (15.0). That 18-point average includes a defensive touchdown scored in a 28-16 victory over Houston in the divisional round.

Denver (15-4) was limited to 181 yards on 58 plays Sunday (3.1 yards per play), much of which came on a 52-yard pass play in the opening quarter. Backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham had a 52-yard pass to Marvin Mims early in the first quarter and not much else. He completed 17-of-31 pass attempts for 133 yards and was sacked twice, with a fumble and a fourth-quarter interception while trying to go deep with 2:12 remaining.

Two of the biggest plays Sunday were turned in by the New England defense.

Leading 7-0, Denver drove to the New England 14-yard line early in the second quarter but kept its offense on the field for a fourth-and-one play instead of attempting a field goal. Stidham was pressured by defensive tackle Milton Williams and had his pass knocked down by safety Craig Woodson.

“I just felt like, man, we had momentum, to get up 14 [points], felt like we had a good call,” Payton said. “I think the feeling was, man, let’s be aggressive. You know, to get up 14, I was just watching the way our defense was playing.

“There’s always regrets. I felt like here we are fourth-and-1, close enough and it’s also a call you make based on the team you’re playing and what you’re watching on the other side of the ball. So, yeah, there’ll always be second thoughts.”

Denver was held to 63 yards on its next eight drives. New England’s only touchdown came after the defense forced Stidham to fumble on a backward pass. The Patriots recovered on the Denver 12-yard line, and two plays later Maye scored a rushing touchdown that helped New England take the lead.

“I thought I threw it forward and obviously the replay said differently,” Stidham said. “Probably should have just eaten the sack and let (Jeremy) Crawshaw punt the ball and flip the field.”

New England’s Leonard Taylor, who was cut by the New York Jets earlier this season, got a hand on a 46-yard field goal attempt that would have tied the game, and cornerback Christian Gonzalez intercepted the Stidham pass that proved to be Denver’s final offensive play.

The victory earned New England its 12th Super Bowl berth. The Patriots will have a chance to break a tie with Pittsburgh for the most Super Bowl wins when they face Seattle, the NFC champion, on Feb. 8. Both Pittsburgh and New England have won six Super Bowls.

“Definitely,” Williams said when he was asked if New England’s defense has been overlooked this season. “All year. We’ve got the chip on our shoulder to come out here every time we step between them white lines and show everybody who we are, and that’s the bottom line.

“It’s got to be done on the field, and we came out here and did that today.”