New England may have won six Super Bowls, sharing the NFL record with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they had to rebuild after Tom Brady joined Tampa Bay in 2020 and legendary coach Bill Belichick left after a 4-13 record during the 2023 season.
Less than two hours after another 4-13 season ended last January, owner Robert Kraft made the bold decision to fire Jerod Mayo before letting Mike Vrabel bring in his own coaching staff.
That decision has paid off immediately. Little was expected of the Patriots in pre-season but they improved to 14-3, with that 10-win swing tied for the biggest turnaround in NFL history.
Denver also went 14-3 and secured the NFC’s top seed but had to give back-up quarterback Jarrett Stidham his first start in two years after Bo Nix suffered a broken ankle in last week’s Divisional Round win over Buffalo.
And although he threw a touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton in the first quarter, two Stidham turnovers proved decisive, while Maye again showed maturity beyond his years.
Denver’s defence led the league for sacks this season and although they sacked Maye five times, he made some key plays with his legs.
The 23-year-old scrambled out of the pocket to earn some crucial first downs and scored the Patriots’ only touchdown after Stidham fumbled right in front of the Broncos’ end zone.
Maye then kept a New England drive going for more than nine minutes in the third quarter, resulting in what proved to be the game’s decisive score from kicker Andy Borregales.
In just half a quarter, the entire field was covered in snow, and Denver’s Wil Lutz missed a 45-yard field goal before Stidham’s desperate deep shot was intercepted by Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez with just over two minutes left.
That gave New England the chance to become the first team to reach the Super Bowl after 13 losses in the previous season.
And having won three Super Bowls as a linebacker with the Patriots, 50-year-old Vrabel could now become the first man to become an NFL champion as a player and a head coach with the same team.
