The New England Patriots are headed back to the Super Bowl, as they defeated the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, 10-7. There were plenty of surprises in this matchup, whether it was the 17 total points scored or how the weather went from beautiful to a nightmarish blizzard in the second half. It was actually a surprise that secured the game for the Patriots, as quarterback Drake Maye went rogue on a third-and-5 to move the chains and run out the clock late in the fourth quarter.Â
According to The Boston Herald, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels called an outside zone run for Rhamondre Stevenson on third down with 1:57 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Patriots held a three-point lead, and their defense was playing well — holding Denver scoreless since the first quarter. Instead of handing the ball to Stevenson, Maye kept it and ran out to the left — beating the Broncos defense for a first down.Â
“I hit my block, and all the defenders started running the other way,” Patriots center Garrett Bradbury said. “I’m like, ‘What? Oh my God.'”
Maye told his teammates after the game that he debated telling them he was going to keep the ball. He decided against it.Â
“After the game, Drake’s like, ‘I debated telling you guys if I was gonna (keep) it or not. But I just decided not to,” Bradbury said.
Maye completed 10 of 21 passes for 86 yards on Sunday, becoming just the second quarterback since 1990 to win a conference championship game while throwing for under 100 yards, the other being Jimmy Garoppolo in 2019. However, Maye made an impact with his legs, rushing 10 times for 65 yards and the Patriots’ lone touchdown of the game.
Thanks to Maye’s gamble, the Patriots find themselves in the Super Bowl for the first time since 2019.
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