Photo Gallery: 40 Moments from the New England Patriots AFC Title Victory over the Denver Broncos

The New England Patriots are headed to the Super Bowl. I repeat, the New England Patriots are headed to the SUPER BOWL.

Following what felt more like a rock fight than a football game, the Patriots booked a trip back to the NFL title game for the first time since 2019 by taking down the Denver Broncos, 10–7.

The New England Patriots Are Headed to the Super Bowl

In what looked more like a snow globe than a field in the second half, New England's defense came up huge time and time again to keep the Patriots ahead, before Drake Maye closed it out with a massive QB run on third down with less than two minutes to play. After that, New England ran down the clock and can now start packing for Santa Clara.

While Maye made the play at the end, the defense continues to be the major story for New England, having allowed only two touchdowns in its three playoff games. That is quite an astounding stat, considering the circumstances of, you know, facing playoff teams.

The Patriots limited the Broncos to just one legitimate scoring chance in the second half, and that’s when the special teams decided to get in the mix and make a huge play of their own. Enter Leonard Taylor III, a fringe active roster player who got the call-up for Sunday’s game. And when he was called upon to make a play, he did just that by tipping Will Lutz’s potential game-tying kick and keeping the Patriots ahead.

This was a total team-effort win by the Patriots, something they should certainly pride themselves on—and something that shouldn’t surprise anyone, especially in a season that has been simply magical.

Who Will the New England Patriots Play in the Super Bowl?

Now, will it wear off in the Super Bowl? I guess we’ll all find out in a few weeks when the Pats take on the Seattle Seahawks. I’m sure nobody will mention Malcolm Butler over these two weeks.

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Now it’s time to reflect on the win with some incredible images from the game. Here’s what it looked like from the field on Sunday afternoon.