Patriots win AFC Championship for the first time in seven years

The defense led the way for the Patriots. After allowing a touchdown in the first five minutes, the defense didn’t allow any more points the rest of the way. They also had a clutch blocked field goal with under five minutes left in the game to help seal the win.

Backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham struggled against the Patriots. With Nix going down last week with an injury, the Broncos had to turn to the former Patriots quarterback as the starter. Stidham had 133 yards with one touchdown and one pick. He also had 23 rushing yards.

The snow storm played a huge role for both offensive teams. Both teams had a missed field goal in the second half and both teams had multiple three and outs.

The Patriots will now wait to play the winner of the NFC Championship game between the Rams and Seahawks. The Patriots are previously 2-0 against the Rams in the Super Bowl and 1-0 against the Seahawks.