Patriots links 1/26/26: Pats ‘Warriors’ gut out 10-7 AFC Championship win

Daily news and links for Monday

TEAM TALK

LOCAL LINKS

  • Andrew Callahan writes how the Patriots’ return to the Super Bowl a complete team triumph.
  • Karen Guregian says stop calling it luck—the Patriots’ Super Bowl run is a masterclass in team building.
  • Mark Daniels gives us 11 takeaways as the Patriots book trip to Super Bowl LX: Here’s how it happened.
  • Alex Barth shares 5 takeaways as the Patriots punch their ticket to Super Bowl LX. A Denver Snow Bowl.
  • Phil Perry sees the Pats as a better-prepared and better-coached team vs. the Broncos.
  • Doug Kyed looks at the best and worst to see what we learned from Sunday’s win over Broncos.
  • Andrew Callahan details how Drake Maye improvised the final play to send the Pats to the Super Bowl.
  • Matt Vautour explains how Drake Maye’s evolution as a runner sent Patriots to Super Bowl 60.
  • Karen Guregian spotlights Drake Maye taking down the Broncos with his legs.
  • Sophie Weller explains how Bryce Baringer’s punts served a bigger purpose than field position. Baringer executed the game plan he was given with one goal: Don’t let “game wrecker” Marvin Mims touch the ball.
  • Mark Daniels notes Jets castoff Leonard Taylor III turns into Pats hero with tipped field goal kick, ‘I went from a losing team to a Super Bowl team.’
  • Alex Barth points out Drake Maye made NFL history in the AFC Championship. Maye is the first QB in NFL history to win three playoff games against three top-five ranked defenses in a single postseason.

NATIONAL NEWS

  • Matt Verderame (SI) The Patriots will need Drake Maye to play his best for a shot at history.
  • Kevin Patra (NFL.com) Patriots-Broncos on Championship Sunday: What we learned from New England’s 10-7 win. 1. Patriots hang on in brutal conditions, head to Super Bowl LX; More!
  • Jared Dubin (CBS Sports) Takeaways: Patriots hold off Broncos in snowy conditions to advance to Super Bowl LX.
  • Chris Bumbaca (USA Today) Turnaround title: How Patriots went from AFC basement to Super Bowl 60.
  • Eric Edholm (NFL.com) Patriots defense dominates Denver in snowy conditions, calls out Broncos’ ‘No. 1’ offensive line.
  • Matt Verderame (SI) Good, bad and ugly, Championship Sunday: Patriots punch ticket to the Super Bowl.
  • Nate Davis (USA Today) Early Super Bowl 60 storylines: Patriots, Seahawks meet again.
  • Dan Graziano (ESPN) One year turnaround? Patriots showed what it means to hire the right head coach.
  • Zachary Pereles (CBS Sports) Patriots beat Broncos: Mike Vrabel can become first to win Super Bowl as player and coach for same team.
  • Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports) Inside Sean Payton’s decision that haunted the Broncos as snow engulfed loss to Patriots: ‘There’s always regrets.’
  • Conor Orr (SI) Sean Payton passed up three points that could’ve swung an AFC Championship game.
  • Karl Rasmussen (SI) Wil Lutz says Broncos may have made brutal mistake before missed FG.

VIEW FROM DENVER

  • Troy Renck (Denver Post) Broncos’ Sean Payton puts blame where it belongs– on himself: Payton got aggressive in 2nd quarter on 4th-and-1, and not taking field goal left Denver chasing a tail it couldn’t catch.
  • Parker Gabriel (Denver Post) 7 Thoughts: Weeklong Sean Payton masterclass followed by Broncos’ AFC title game mistakes will sting forever.
  • Tim Lynch (Mile High Report) Broncos eliminated from playoffs with AFC Championship loss to Patriots.
  • Aric Dilalla (DenverBroncos) ‘We needed more than that’: Broncos look to unrealized first-half opportunities following 10-7 loss to Patriots.
  • Jess Place (Mile High Report) Doofus decisions doom Denver Broncos in AFC Championship: In a game of inches, sometimes it doesn’t take much.
  • Luca Evans (Denver Post) The Broncos’ defense brought it against the Patriots in AFC Championship, but it wasn’t enough: Sean Payton handed out bats in team meetings for specific games this season, meant to signify grit. But this ‘Bat Game’ ended in defeat.
  • John Heath (Broncos Wire) Broncos fall to Patriots 10-7 in AFC Championship game.
  • Parker Gabriel (Denver Post) Broncos’ season lost in whiteout one game short of Super Bowl: ‘It’s going to hurt for a long time’.
  • John Heath (Broncos Wire) Was Jarrett Stidham’s fumble really a backward pass?
  • Scotty Payne (Mile High Report) Winners and losers from the Broncos 10-7 loss to the Patriots.
  • Brandon Walker (Broncos Wire) Studs and duds from Broncos’ AFC Championship loss to Patriots.
  • Tim Lynch (Mile High Report) Broncos-Patriots AFC Championship live discussion Game Thread.

Category: General Sports