BRONCOS vs PATRIOTS
PATRIOTS WIN 10 – 7
- Story of the Game –
After a rocky start to the game for both offenses it seemed that Denver was actually able to settle in and find more success as Sean Payton called a great second drive that kept New England’s defense off balance and guessing the entire time. But from that drive forward it became clear that neither offense was going to find any consistent success as each defense shined in their own ways. New England dominated up front and won the line of scrimmage, especially along the interior, snap after snap in both the run and pass which killed any chance staying ahead did the sticks and with a backup quarterback sustaining any drives as well. While Denver also had success up front their defense really shined in the secondary. Pat Surtain II was lockdown on his side of the field and virtually took whatever receiver that he was matched up with on a given play off the field. While I could cover what happened drive to drive it would be somewhat pointless as these teams continued to trade punts and play the field position game largely for the rest of this game. New England did a phenomenal job in the 2nd Half of holding their lead following their 9 minute drive to open the half. With downhill runs and inching their way downfield they were only able to get into scoring position once more but with the weather conditions and it being a 46yd attempt they were unable to come away with more points but with great punt coverage and Denver struggling to move the ball they were able to control this game. Denver was able to get a 46yd field goal attempt of their own following a poor punt from New England form their own 10yd line but they were able to push them back on early down and force. 3rd & 12 where Stidham ran and got them into a 46yd attempt. But New England was able to tip the kick and force a miss which gave Denver only one more chance at scoring. Denver after getting the ball back poorly managed the play clock as they tried to sub in new personnel which New England took advantage of by slowly running their guys onto field leaving Stidham frantically trying to snap the ball which led to him post snap poorly reading the field and lobbing the ball up on the same play they beat Christian Gonzalez with early in the game but this time Gonzalez was ready and made a clutch interception to get their offense the ball back. Drake Maye then sealed the game off with a run off of a PA boot on 3rd & 6 for a first down which sent New England to their first Super Bowl post Brady and Belichick Era.
- Key Notes for the Patriots
After a dominant 3 & Out to open the game New England’s defense looked off balance and caught off guard by the Denver’s offense once Stidham settled in. Christian Gonzalez had a rough second drive as he gave up a deep ball to Mims to put Denver in scoring position and had a miscommunication with Hawkins near the goal line that gave Denver their first and last touchdown of the game. But from the second drive on New England’s ability to stand strong in the run game and dominate the interior of the LOS play in both the run and pass games forced Denver’s to lean on a passing game led by a backup Quarterback and in terrible weather throughout the second half.
Milton Williams continues to dominate up front with quick wins in both the run and pass and it’s made all of the difference for this defense. Having someone that not only gets into the backfield quickly but does so from the IDL and has the athleticism to finish plays as well completely wrecks opposing offenses and this game was no exception.
Drake Maye may not have had a great game when looking at it statistically but he made key plays for this offense all throughout the game that put them in position to score, run clock, and even win them the game. While he may not utilize them as often as someone like Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson Maye’s legs/running ability continue to be a difference maker for this offense. Picking up crucial first downs, including a rollout and run on a PA boot that won them the game, he’s able to drives and make up for an offense that is lacking star talent and the “playmaker positions.” While Maye hasn’t had the dominating performances in the playoffs like we saw in the regular season he continually finds ways to do just enough to push this offense over the top.
The running game and clock management made all of the difference for New England in this one. Coming out of the half they mounted a drive that may have only ended in a field goal but took 9:00 off of the game clock and gave Denver’s offense their first possession of the game not only well into the half but now with a snowstorm rolling. From that point forward they leaned on the Denver front just chipping away with physical downhill runs that not only took time off the clock but kept the Denver offense from being able to build any sort of momentum. Mike Vrabel continues to show he’s one of if not the best coaches in the NFL in managing games and controlling how they’re played which allows New England to win these tough fought games.
Brenden Schooler was great in punt coverage and made multiple tackles that kept Denver from getting any short fields despite a handful of subpar punts from New England throughout the game.
- Key Notes for the Broncos
Despite the lack of points Sean Payton did a phenomenal job through the first half of keeping the New England defense off balance by mixing together run, pass, screens, RPOs, and even read options with Jarrett Stidham. This allowed the Denver offense to stay ahead of the sticks and keep the pressure off their backup Quarterback who struggled early with accuracy and operating in long downs and distances. But as the game progressed the weather worsened and the inconsistencies in Stidham’s game along with New England’s dominance along the interior of the Denver offensive line drastically limited what Payton was able to do from a play calling perspective and proved to be too much to overcome to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl.
Stidham’s ability to get outside of the pocket on boots and even pick up a first on a read option clearly caught New England off guard and forced them to adjust throughout the game by staying home on the weak side of runs to force a handoff and not give up free yardage to Stidham. New England still had success defending the run as their defensive line and front overall created a ton of push up front but it certainly helped create some room in the run game as they couldn’t crash as early on handoffs or RPOs.
The Denver offensive line had an uncharacteristically bad day in pass protection against a New England front that is talented but not overwhelmingly dominant. Garrett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey had a solid outings but the interior of this offensive line especially struggled. Milton Williams outclassed both Ben Powers and Quinn Meinerz in the run and pass game and flat out embarrassed each of them when in one on one reps. While it wasn’t an awful day nor was this group the reason they lost I was certainly hoping for more out of a group that has played really solid football together all year long.
Denver’s pass rush flashed in this game but I thought lacked the dominance I was hoping to see from them. While Drake Maye did a good job with his pocket management and escaping and creating extra time, far better than he did against Houston, I thought Denver had an opportunity to really wreck this game up front similar to how Houston did in their Divisional matchup against New England. Denver certainly affected the game up front but there wasn’t an overwhelming presence from a pass rush that in my opinion has the ability to do so. The secondary on the other hand was absolutely outstanding. Pat Surtain II was as good as he’s ever been in this game as he was one on one nearly every snap and gave up absolutely nothing no matter the matchup. The rest of the secondary made it incredibly difficult for Maye and a Patriots passing attack by playing top down and attacking the ball at the catch point and while they were unable to come away with a turnover they were close on a number of plays of doing so.
The biggest problem for Denver’s defense came up front in the run game, especially in the 2nd Half. While New England didn’t have a historic day on the ground by any means they were able to put together a few drives that really changed the outlook of this game with most significant drive being the opening drive of the 2nd Half. While Denver was able to make a stand inside their own 5 yard line to force a field goal New England was able to take 9:00 off of the game clock which killed any and all momentum Denver had built going into half with a tie. All of the sudden Stidham and the Broncos offense was forced to play from behind, granted only by 3, in horrible conditions with a run game that was up and down at best. With that being said this is me being nit-picky on group that ultimately gave up 10 points and gave their offense every chance in the world to at the very least tie this game.
- Standout Performances
NE
Drake Maye – 10/21 86yds 0/0 – 10/65 1 TD rush
- Maye struggled as a passer against this tough Denver secondary but he took care of the ball and utilized his running ability.
Christian Gonzalez – 6 Tackles (5 Solo) 1 Sack 1 TFL 1 INT 1 PBU
- Gonzalez played a huge part in Denver having their only scoring drive but aside from 2 rough plays on said drive he was fantastic all game. He also closed the game out with a huge INT late in the game.
Milton Williams – Box score was empty but Williams continues to take over games up front for the Patriots. Dominant wins up front that ruined what Denver was trying to do multiple times.
Christian Barmore – 2 Tackles 1 Sack 1 TFL
Brenden Schooler – Was excellent in covering punts which kept solid field position for New England despite bad punt distance due to the weather.
DEN
Marvin Mims Jr – 4/62
Pat Surtain II – 5 Tackles (2 Solo) 1 PBU
- Shut down his side of the field all game long and limited what New England could do in the passing game because of his ability to take guys entirely out of the play.
DJ Jones – 6 Tackles (2 Solo) 1.5 Sacks 2 TFLs
Talanoa Hufanga – 7 Tackles (4 Solo) 1 TFL 2 PBUs