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New England Patriots 10, at Denver Broncos 7
Clearly, I got the AFC Championship Game prediction wrong.
However in my defense, I did not expect the weather to be quite as bad as it wound up being.
Nor, frankly, the Broncos offense.
I suspected that this would be a low-scoring affair, with the defenses dictating the tempo. After all, both teams have excellent defenses. Still, the ineptitude of Denver's offense did surprise me. They could not get their running game going, and their passing game seemed non-existent.
Really, it seemed like the Patriots knew that they did not have to worry about the Broncos actually scoring any points during the second half. They seemed willing to punt the ball and play very conservatively on offense, particularly in the fourth quarter, because they did not seem to view Denver's offense as a real threat.
Denver simply could not prove them wrong or make them pay for that.
To be fair, neither team exactly lit up the scoreboard or dazzled on offense. However, the Pats had more of those key moments when they made things happen at precisely the moment when they absolutely needed it. In all, the Patriots produced 206 yards and 12 first downs on offense while hanging onto the ball for over 33 minutes. Denver, meanwhile, produced 181 yards and 11 first downs on offense, while also committing two turnovers. On a day when neither offense got much going, Denver's struggles proved to be more glaring.
The strange thing is that the Broncos managed to open the game up on their second drive of the first quarter looking strong. Of course, the conditions were pretty solid at that point. The weather was sunny, and Jarrett Strindham 52-yard pass to get Denver into the red zone. The Broncos capped that drive with Strindham throwing a 6-yard touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton, and Denver was up 7-0.
Who knew that this would pretty much be the only highlight for the Broncos?
Strindham completed 17 of 33 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown, although he also threw an INT. Their running game was not much of a factor, as they had a total of 79 yards.
As for New England, Drake May arguably had a less flashy day than Strindham, if that was possible. He completed 10 of 21 passes for 86 yards. However, he hit some key passes when it was absolutely necessary. Also, he never turned the ball over, managing the game very well. Also, the Pats running game was decent, grinding out 161 yards on Denver's defense. Rhamondre Stevensen was the leading rusher for New England, with 71 yards on 25 carries. It should be noted, however, that May also helped keep Denver's defense off balance with his legs, running for 65 yards and the only touchdown the Pats would score on 10 carries.
As a result, the Patriots become the first team in this playoff rivalry to snap the home winning streak. Neither team had won a postseason game on the other's field until the Pats managed the feat in yesterday's game.
Now, the Patriots head to yet another Super Bowl. This will be the 12th Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, which is easily the most of all NFL franchises. Not all that surprisingly, they will meet a team that they once already played in the Super Bowl, the Seattle Seahawks. That one was the infamous "2nd and 1" game, when Seattle, seemingly on the verge of winning back-to-back titles, opted to throw a risky pass instead of going for the seemingly safer run from one yard out for what could and maybe should have been the winning touchdown. The pass was intercepted by New England cornerback Malcom Butler.
It was an exciting Super Bowl, even if the ending was...well, bizarre.
Let's see if this game becomes an instant classic like that one did.
My pick: Inaccurate
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