PostGame Thread 2025 AFCCG OFFICIAL POSTGAME THREAD: We're on to the Super Bowl!!!

[JonBonesJones84]

We blitz. He will kill us.. put gonzo and safety as backup for nacua and rest do zone.. 4 man rush should be enough . No need for a spy against Stafford.. so we can have a personnel advantage against rams..

I expect gonzo to be solid against nacua.

That’s the thing, though. Stafford can beat you with his legs. He’s not afraid to, plus he can lob it up in the air just before he runs out of bounds to his TE or Adams, like he always does . He’s not incompetent either where you expect him to hold on to the ball for an eternity and risk fumbling.

 

[NFL Mystique]

they both have 0 wins



not an individual stat

Alright...Bledsoe led Patriots teams with three wins. Maye led Patriots teams with three wins.

 

[Patjew]

OK. What just happened?

 

[SVN]

 

[Uptown]

CAN THE TEAM FLY HOME ????

Probably need to play it safe and wait a day.

Yeah..play it safe & run out the clock in Denver until tomorrow..

 

[UGAPatsfan]

Campbell likes the sound of that.

Jesus he’s been god awful in the playoffs. Rookie or not, awful.

 

[sb1]

New England Patriots last 3 seasons...

2023: 4 regular season wins
2024: 4 regular season wins
2025: 3 postseason wins…and counting..

I see a pattern.

 

[Triumph]

1. Stiddy faded bigtime after the adrenaline wore off.

2. Denvers loss is squarely on Payton. He totally screwed up not taking the 3 points and got high on his play sheet. He of all people should have known that field conditions would eventually worsen making it harder to score. He really had no run game too forcing Denver to put all their money on Stiddy. Harvey would just quit mid run and give himself up. I feared that a tie game could go on to infinity.

3. Vrabel brought up Lenny Taylor and he tipped the Denver FG that went left.

4. Mack Hollins led all NE WRs with 51 yards.

5. It was 60 degrees in Santa Clara, CA today. Maye clearly struggles to pass in the cold.

6. The first long Denver pass to Mims was blown Safety pickup and not on Gonzo. Romo or somebody said that NE was in Zone. After the Pats adjusted on D it was over for Stiddy.

7. Maye rushed for 6.5 ypc @ 65 yards and a TD.

8. McDaniels called 38 rushes. Some runs went into a wall and even backwards, but football is a game with a finite amount of time. On those 38 runs if you used the whole 40 second play clock you would burn 25 minutes off the game clock.

9. The Pats didnt make any mistakes while Denver fumbled and had an INT.

10. NE won time of possession 33 minutes to 27 minutes for Denver.

 

[Toofy]

I think Williams becomes adviser or Asst. Coach or something.

Agree. No way can Williams come back after what Zak just did in his absence In His first year .

Team first. So lets welcome our newly promoted DC Zak Kuhr..

 

[A Defiant Goose]

Jesus he’s been god awful in the playoffs. Rookie or not, awful.

I felt he had a good game today

 

[Ian]

 

[yukon cornelius]

Alright...Bledsoe led Patriots teams with three wins. Maye led Patriots teams with three wins.

that really doesn't even fly, but it's better

teams with each as their QB? lol

 

[festy1986]

One thing I like to say to the haters in my life is they we waited long enough. It was our time.

Try it. It's fun.

 

[Ian]

 

[Shed83]

Congrats to the bengals for being the only team outside KC and NEP to sniff the Super Bowl in the last 10 years!!!

Yes that’s right buffalo….not you!

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

It wasn't pretty, but a "W" is a "W" - and it looks like we'll have yet another game still left in this incredible 2025 season.

I think it's safe to say that, as recently September 27th, few people including ourselves, thought we would be where we are today. But, as Patriots fans, we have lots of experience making it here after very difficult, losing starts to a season including some serious personal hardships. Mike Vrabel has that experience too, himself. He lived it. In four years with the Steelers, Mike never started a game before he came here. He did have one, huge major moment: Sacking Drew Bledsoe on 1/3/98 to clinch a 1-point playoff win and a spot in the AFCCG.

Back in training camp, all the Patriots had was each other. Personal and career goals, challenges, and obstacles. There was not fanfare or glory, and there were low expectations outside of the locker room. Yes, there are compelling similarities with 1976 and 2001. Steve Grogan was 23 when the Patriots were robbed, the same age as Drake Maye is today.

Today, the Patriots did what they've been doing all season: making the big plays even on days when things haven't all gone our way, and taking what the opponent gives them. Simple way to put it is, the Patriots play hard, and smart.

Today, of course, there was a mountain of apprehension for all of us. We were 0-4 lifetime in the postseason at Denver, and I believe we had the better team and should have won all four. We didn't because we beat ourselves, strategically and/or attitudinally. We lost to:

Dan Reeves
Mike Shanahan
John Fox
Gary Kubiak

I think I wasn't the only one today, based upon the above, waiting for something terrible to happen. But this Patriots team doesn't blink.

I was surprised to see the Broncos beating themselves in the first half, taking three points off the board (Did they learn that from Belichick?!) and repeatedly dropping Stidham back to pass when they obviously just should have run it.

Going into Santa Clara now, I feel the Patriots have the advantage in real time awareness, situational football and executing what they can - that is, doing enough to win a game. But no matter what happens, we should be as proud of this team as we've been of any of their predecessors. Like it's been week after week, there were lots of Patriots heroes out there today, and most of them are unsung.

 

[UGAPatsfan]

I felt he had a good game today

I was watching him every snap. Got smoked by Bonito a lot, bad false start, on attempted cut block where he flopped like a dead fish.

 

[Dec54]

Final thoughts on the game. If someone told me Maye would go 10-21 (under 50%) for 86 yards, get sacked 5 times, the Pats would only score 10 points and STILL win, I would’ve said you’re crazy.

The weather obviously played a MAJOR part in the game, kickers were only 1-5 on field goal attempts. Just crazy. Drake Maye was the best runner in the game, for either team.

Pats defense was fierce, have only given up 26 points in 3 playoff games combined (8.67 per game average). Props to both defenses. The Pats averaged 28.8 points per game, and the Broncos averaged 24.3, and there were only 17 total points in the game, such a crazy game.

Got 3 sacks on the vaunted Broncos OLine.

Just an unbelievable win, this team just finds a way. Can exhale for the next 13 days. Coach Payton can spend the next two weeks in Cancun.

All I have to say is.....

 

[ZotZot]

 

[DaBruinz]

I can’t believe this FA class, they didn’t miss on anyone. Even the little guys late — Durden came up huge, Taylor with the FG block. Unbelievable work by the front office and coaching staff.

Durden wasn't a Free Agent. He was claimed off waivers. He was signed to the PS on the 1st day after the Cutdowns to 53. .

Taylor's block was the key play of the game.