Snow swirled through the thin Denver air, blanketing Empower Field at Mile High in a wintry haze that seemed to slow time itself. But for the New England Patriots, January 25, 2026, marked anything but a frozen moment—their 10-7 victory over the top-seeded Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game was a pulse-quickening leap into a new era, and a ticket to Super Bowl LX.
Who could’ve predicted this? Just last season, New England languished at 4-13, and the year before, a dismal 0-13 finish had fans and pundits alike wondering if the dynasty days were gone for good. But in a script that feels straight out of a Hollywood underdog flick, first-year head coach Mike Vrabel—himself a Patriots legend—has orchestrated one of the most remarkable turnarounds in NFL history. The Patriots, now 17-3, are bound for their 12th Super Bowl, the most of any franchise, and are staring down the possibility of a record-setting seventh Lombardi Trophy.
"You have to believe things … sometimes before you can see them," Vrabel said after the game, his voice thick with emotion. "We’ve got a great group of guys and they continue to believe in the things that we did. They formed and created an identity, and they tried to protect it." His words echoed through a jubilant locker room, where players celebrated not just a win, but a shared sense of redemption.
Reaching the Super Bowl after a season with five or fewer wins is a feat accomplished by only six teams in NFL history. The last squad to pull it off? The 2001 Patriots, led by a then-unknown Tom Brady. Now, a new cast of characters has stepped into the spotlight, determined to write their own chapter in the franchise's storied legacy.
At the center of it all stood rookie quarterback Drake Maye, an MVP candidate whose stat line—55 net passing yards and 61 rushing yards—might not dazzle at first glance. But Maye’s true triumph was his poise under pressure. In the previous two playoff games, he’d coughed up the ball six times and thrown two interceptions. Yet in Denver’s swirling snow, Maye protected the football like it was the last loaf of bread in a blizzard. "How about our defense?" Maye exclaimed postgame. "We (the offense) are gonna play better. We’ve got to go win one more. We’ve got more work to do. I’m so proud of this team."
Indeed, in conditions that turned blizzardy after halftime, both offenses slogged through the muck, but it was the Patriots’ defense and special teams that made the difference. The game’s pivotal moment came with just under five minutes left, when Denver’s usually reliable kicker Wil Lutz lined up for a 45-yard field goal to tie the game. Leonard Taylor III, a late-season call-up from the practice squad and former Jets castoff, got a hand on the ball, partially blocking the attempt and sending the Patriots sideline into a frenzy. "I just threw my hands up in the air and it happened," Taylor said. "God blessed me to go out there and help the team. I started with the Jets at first and there were a lot of ups and downs there. It’s amazing to go from a losing team to a winning team."
But the story of the game was written not just in single plays, but in coaching decisions and collective grit. Denver struck first, with backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham—who hadn’t thrown an NFL pass since 2023—finding Courtland Sutton for an early touchdown. With the Broncos up 7-0 and the Patriots offense sputtering, Denver head coach Sean Payton faced a fateful choice: fourth-and-1 from the New England 14-yard line. Eschewing a chip-shot field goal that would’ve made it 10-0, Payton opted to go for it. The play-call—a Stidham rollout—was stuffed, and the momentum shifted.
"The feeling was, ‘Man, let’s be aggressive to get up 14,’" Payton explained after the game. "It felt like we had a good call. There are always regrets, yes. So, yes, there’ll always be second thoughts." The Broncos never recovered. Their next drive ended in disaster, as Stidham, under heavy pressure, tossed a backward pass that Patriots defender Elijah Ponder pounced on at the Broncos 12-yard line. Two plays later, Maye scrambled in for the game-tying score.
After halftime, the Patriots took control with a marathon drive—16 plays, 64 yards, chewing up an astonishing 9 minutes and 31 seconds before Andy Borregales split the uprights from 23 yards out. That 10-7 lead would hold, as the Patriots defense smothered Denver’s hopes and the snow continued to fall.
It was, as right tackle Morgan Moses put it, "a street fight." Every inch was earned, every yard contested. And when the final whistle blew, the Patriots had notched their ninth road win of the season without a loss—a first in NFL history.
But this wasn’t just about one game. The journey to Super Bowl LX was forged in adversity. After Vrabel was fired by the Tennessee Titans 748 days before this AFC Championship, he brought with him a cadre of former Titans assistants and players, including edge rusher Harold Landry III, linebacker Jack Gibbens, tight end Austin Hooper, and quarterback Joshua Dobbs. Vice president of football operations and strategy John Streicher also made the trip north. Together, they built a new culture in Foxborough, one that blended old-school toughness with fresh ambition.
"The ultimate goal is to get to the Super Bowl and this team fell short," Denver’s Lutz reflected, his disappointment palpable. "Unfortunately, I played a part in that."
Now, the Patriots are set for a colossal showdown. On February 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, they’ll face the Seattle Seahawks, who edged the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship game. The stakes couldn’t be higher: a seventh Super Bowl title would give New England sole possession of the NFL record, breaking their current tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. Eastern on NBC, and the football world will be watching. For the Patriots, the chance to cement their legacy is just one win away. And if this season has taught us anything, it’s that in New England, anything is possible—especially when everyone believes.
As snow still dusted the Denver turf, safety Jaylinn Hawkins summed it up best: "It’s like a movie, man. It’s something that’s just priceless." The next scene? Super Bowl LX, with history on the line.