Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham’s first big mistake of Sunday’s game led to the first points for the Patriots.
Stidham tried to throw the ball away while under heavy pressure from Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss, but wound up throwing the ball backward and Patriots linebacker Elijah Ponder recovered the ball. Ponder ran for a touchdown, but a whistle blew the play dead before he scored.
Officials initially ruled that Stidham was guilty of intentional grounding, but replays showed that the ball was not a forward pass and officials changed the call after a conference.
The Patriots took over on the Broncos’ 12-yard line and quarterback Drake Maye ran for a six-yard touchdown after a short completion to wide receiver Kayshon Boutte. The score is now 7-7 with 2:10 to play in the first half.
The Broncos passed on a chance to kick a short field goal on their previous drive, but Stidham threw an incomplete pass on fourth down. They were able to force a quick Patriots punt, but their lead is gone.
Broncos wide receiver Pat Bryant and Patriots linebacker Robert Spillane are both questionable to return. Bryant hurt his hamstring and Spillane hurt his ankle.
Last year, Donald Trump became the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl. He won’t be doing it again this year.
Trump told the New York Post that he’ll skip the game to be played in Santa Clara in two weeks.
“It’s just too far away,” Trump said. “I would. I’ve [gotten] great hands [at] the Super Bowl. They like me. I would go if, you know, it was a little bit shorter.”
One thing he won’t miss is the musical acts. Beyond Bad Bunny, the headliner at halftime, the NFL recently added Oakland natives Green Day to perform at the game’s “opening ceremony.”
“I’m anti-them,” Trump said. “I think it’s a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible.”
The feelings, in all fairness, between Trump and the musical acts are mutual.
The first five offensive snaps of the game for the Broncos were unimpressive, but No. 6 made up for it.
Quarterback Jarrett Stidham launched a ball downfield for wide receiver Marvin Mims and Mims reeled it in for a 52-yard gain. Stidham hit wide receiver Courtland Sutton two plays later for a six-yard touchdown and an early lead over the Patriots.
The extra point made it 7-0 with 10:19 off the clock.
The Broncos picked up one yard while going three-and-out to open the game and Stidham threw incompletions on the first two plays of the second drive. The Patriots weren’t any better as they punted after three plays, but we’ll find out if the second try works as well as it did for the home team.
The Broncos and Patriots have released their inactive lists for Sunday afternoon’s AFC Championship Game.
Wide receiver Troy Franklin is on Denver’s list. Franklin, who was listed as questionable with a hamstring injury, had 65 catches for 709 yards and six touchdowns in the regular season.
Center Alex Forsyth (ankle) is also out after being listed as questionable. Forsyth started the last three games for the Broncos, but they activated Luke Wattenberg from injured reserve this week.
Safety JL Skinner, linebacker Karene Reid, wide receiver Michael Bandy, defensive lineman Jordan Jackson, and defensive end Sai’vion Jones are also inactive for Denver.
Patriots linebacker Marte Mapu is active after being listed as questionable with a hip injury. Edge rusher Harold Landry was ruled out on Friday and is inactive along with cornerback Kobee Minor, tackle Marcus Bryant, guard Caedan Wallace, tight end C.J. Dippre, wide receiver Efton Chism, and quarterback Tommy DeVito.
Broncos quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator Davis Webb will be a busy man this week one way or another.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Webb is expected to meet with the Raiders about their head coaching job after Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against the Patriots. Webb interviewed with the Raiders earlier this month, so he will be able to meet with the Raiders whether the Broncos win or lose.
Schefter reports that the Bills also want to meet with Webb, but they have not had an interview with him because they did not fire Sean McDermott until after the divisional round. NFL rules bar them from being able to have a first meeting until the Broncos’ season is over. That would mean waiting two weeks for the Super Bowl should the Broncos prevail.
Webb played for the Bills from 2019-2021 and is close friends with his former teammate Josh Allen.
A Broncos win on Sunday would likely boost Webb’s appeal to other clubs. He’s spent the last week helping to prepare backup Jarrett Stidham for his start against New England and a victory with a quarterback who hasn’t thrown a pass in a meaningful game since 2023 would make a strong endorsement for Webb’s coaching acumen.
