New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye took it upon himself to go win the game against the Denver Broncos, according to his teammate Garrett Bradbury.<\/b>
\nNew England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye put the game on his shoulders on the team\u2019s final drive of the AFC Championship against the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
The Patriots needed to convert on third down to essentially end the game and secure their first Super Bowl appearance since Tom Brady was throwing passes and Bill Belichick was roaming the sideline. If the team got stopped, they would have had to punt the ball back to the Broncos and rely on the defense to stop Jarrett Stidham one more time.
On 3rd-and-5, Maye took the snap and faked the handoff. He rolled back toward his left where he only had one guy to beat. Maye was able to just get around Broncos linebacker Jonah Elliss to get the first down and seal the game.
While it seemed like a simple play action call that Maye just executed on, Patriots offensive lineman Garrett Bradbury shared that no one had any idea it was coming. He told the Boston Herald that Maye didn\u2019t share what he was going to do.
\u00ab\u00a0I hit my block, and all the defenders started running the other way\u00a0\u00bb, Bradbury said. \u00ab\u00a0I\u2019m like, \u2018What? Oh my God.’ . After the game, Drake\u2019s like, \u2018I debated telling you guys if I was gonna (keep) it or not. But I just decided not to.\u2019\u00a0\u00bb
The play underscored what Maye was able to do with his legs in the game as the snow hampered his passing ability in the second half against an already tough Broncos defense.
Maye scored the Patriots\u2019 only touchdown in the game after a costly Broncos turnover. The rushing touchdown tied the game in the first half. In the second half, Patriots kicker Andy Borregales nailed a 23-yard field goal to give New England a three-point lead.
\u00ab\u00a0What an atmosphere out here\u00a0\u00bb, he said after the game. \u00ab\u00a0Battle of the elements. Love this team. How about the defense? I love each and every one of them.\u00a0\u00bb
The Patriots will face the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX.<\/p>\n