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Broncos fall to Patriots 10-7 in snowy AFC Championship Game

By January 25, 2026 | updated 1 hour ago

Denver Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham (8) runs against the New England Patriots during the second half of the AFC Championship NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

The Broncos have had a lot of fantastic finishes this season, but two plays in the first half doomed them Sunday.

The Broncos lost 10-7 to the New England Patriots at Empower Field at Mile HIgh in the AFC Championship Game, with the second half played in a snowstorm.

The score was tied 7-7 when the Patriots took the second-half kickoff and drove 64 yards in 16 plays before settling for a 23-yard field goal by Andy Borregales for a 10-7 lead with 5:29 left in the third quarter. Those points held up for the win.

The Broncos took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a 6-yard touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton from Jarrett Stidham, taking over for the injured Bo Nix.

Leading 7-0, the Broncos had a chance to break the game open in the second quarter when they moved to the New England 23 and had first-and-10. But on fourth-and-1 at 14, the Broncos went for it, and Stidham rolled right and threw a short incompletion to running back RJ Harvey.

That was the first play that doomed the Broncos. Then came the second.

On Denver’s next possession, there was disaster. Stidham was sacked for a 19-yard loss by Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss and lost a fumble that was recovered by Elijah Ponder at the Denver 12. Intentional grounding was first called on Stidham, but the call was changed to make it a backward pass.

Two plays later, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye scored on a 6-yard run to tie the score 7-7 with 2:10 left in the first half.

Stidham completed just 17 of 31 passes for 133 yards.

In the second half, with the snow coming down, Borregales missed a 47-yard field goal in the third quarter and Wil Lutz had a 45-yard attempt blocked at the line of scrimmage by defensive lineman Leonard Taylor with 4:42 left in the game.

The Broncos had a final chance to at least force overtime. But Stidham was picked off by Christian Gonzalez at the New England 36 with 2:11 left in the game on a second-and-9 play at the Denver 33.

On the drive in which Borregales hit the go-ahead field goal in the third quarter, Maye had a key conversion on a sneak on fourth-and-1 at the Denver 8. Maye got the first down on a one-yard run, which stood following a challenge by Broncos coach Sean Payton.

The Broncos unleashed Stidham on their second drive of the game. He threw a 52-yard pass to Marvin Mims Jr. for his first playoff completion to the Patriots’ 7. Two plays later, he hit Sutton for the touchdown pass.

The Patriots to Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, Calif., on Feb. 8 to face the NFC winner, either Seattle or the Los Angeles Rams.

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Chris Tomasson

Reporter

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