Buoyed by a stellar defensive effort, quarterback Drake Maye and the Patriots edged backup QB Jarrett Stidham and the Broncos on a snowy and swirling afternoon in Denver.

Tom Brady and Brady Belichick have moved on. Maye and Vrabel have shown that the future is here. The post ‘It’s a new era’: Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel will write New England’s next Super Bowl chapter appeared first on Boston.

DENVER (AP) — Drake Maye handled the sloppy, snowy conditions better than the home team and he scored New England’s only touchdown on a 6-yard keeper, propelling the Patriots to their 12th Super Bowl with a 10-7 win over the Denver Broncos in the AFC championship game Sunday.

Former Oregon Ducks star Christian Gonzalez made a great play in the snow, which has sent his team to the conference championship.

The UFC on Paramount+ era opened with an instant classic as Justin Gaethje defeated Paddy Pimblett to secure his second stint as interim lightweight champion. Gaethje knocked Pimblett down twice and took him down three times, yet the latter withstood a number of power punches and landed more significant strikes, 156 to 144.

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Ironically, the Broncos were the only NFL team this season that did not have their backup quarterback attempt a pass during the regular season. Sunday in the AFC Championship, snaps will only be taken by not just the backup quarterback for Denver when they face New England,

The kick was blocked by Leonard Taylor III, but the Broncos may have inadvertently helped that happen. After the game, Lutz revealed that he and punter/holder Jeremy Crawshaw may have lined up a yard too close to the line of scrimmage because they couldn't clearly see the hashmarks on the field.