By Cole SullivanShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberAfter six seasons, the New England Patriots are back in the Super Bowl in head coach Mike Vrabel's first season at the helm and star quarterback Drake Maye's second season in the NFL.
On Sunday in the AFC Championship Game, the Patriots beat the Denver Broncos 10-7 in a defensive grudge match where the weather at Mile High Stadium in Denver played a massive role in the second half, limiting to a combined two missed field goals, and just three total points, which were scored by the Patriots on the very first drive of the third quarter after entering halftime tied at seven.
There were four missed FG attempts throughout the entire game and New England ultimately won the turnover battle two to zero, which certainly played into the final outcome.
Nonetheless, the Patriots have had one of the most impressive turnarounds in recent memory, going 4-13 last season to 13-4 this year, winning the AFC East, and now heading to Santa Clara in two weeks.
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Shortly after the game ended, former Patriots legend and someone who knows a thing or two about winning Super Bowl's, Julian Edelman, reacted to his former team getting back to the big game.
"What a coaching job today," Edelman posted. "Survive and advance. See you in Santa Clara. #LFG."
...Julian Edelman played in four Super Bowls as a member of the Patriots, winning three of them while emerging as one of Tom Brady’s most reliable offensive targets.
He also made one of the most iconic catches in Super Bowl history during the Patriots’ comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons, when New England erased a 28–3 deficit in the second half and went on to win the game in overtime in 2017.
Edelman retired from the NFL in 2021 after a 12-year career — an impressive accomplishment considering he was drafted in the seventh round out of Kent State and entered the league as a long shot to make the Patriots’ roster. He carved out a role on special teams before eventually becoming one of the NFL’s premier slot receivers.
More news: Patriots Make Mack Hollins Decision for Broncos Playoff Game
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