In dramatically snowy conditions, the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos battled it out for a ticket to the Super Bowl, with the Patriots coming out on top with a 10-7 win. Broncos backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham was the unfortunate owner of the defining moment of the matchup—the backward pass, which the officials initially got wrong.

“Obviously, I can’t put our team in a bad situation like that… I can’t put the ball in a position like that… I thought I had thrown it forwards… probably should’ve just eaten the sack,” he said in the post-game presser.

The play came when Jarrett Stidham was under pressure from the Patriots’ pass rush and threw a two-handed backward pass. Patriots linebacker Elijah Ponder recovered the ball and returned it for a 12-yard TD. The officials got it wrong first, ruling that Stidham had thrown a forward pass.

As the discussion began, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel had his red challenge flag out and ready while the officials huddled. After reviewing the play, they corrected the call: the pass was backward, and the Patriots had recovered the ball. But the touchdown didn’t count. The whistle had already blown because of the initial ruling on the field.

The officials essentially took away the chance for the play to stand as it happened. Had they let it go and sorted it out on replay, the touchdown would’ve been there. Instead, the Patriots got the ball but had to settle for continuing the drive.

In the end, it didn’t change the scoreboard much. New England scored on the short field anyway, tying the game at 7–7. But the process was messy. The officials should’ve let the play continue. They replay review available anyway, there was no need to rush it. While it didn’t end up mattering much, it was questionable officiating regardless.

For Stidham, he’s left to wonder how different the afternoon might have looked if that moment (and a few others) had broken his way.

Jason Stidham had his chances but couldn’t see them through

Stepping in for Bo Nix was about as tough an assignment as it gets, especially for a quarterback who hadn’t thrown a regular-season pass since 2023. No one realistically expected Jarrett Stidham to carry the Denver Broncos to a win. He didn’t. Still, there were a few moments early when it felt like maybe the impossible might happen.

His first completion since that 2023 appearance was a reminder of why coaches keep him around. Stidham dropped a 52-yard throw downfield to Marvin Mims Jr., putting the ball at the New England 7-yard line. Two plays later, Courtland Sutton finished it off with a six-yard touchdown catch.

But there wasn’t much beyond that. Stidham finished the night 17-of-31 for 133 yards and one touchdown, which tells you how limited the offense became as the game wore on. The biggest issue was the pressure.

Top Stories

Mike Vrabel Threatens to Bench Locker Room for Super Bowl After Patriots Win vs Broncos

Sean Payton’s Stern Statement on Jarrett Stidham’s Mistake After Assigning Blame for Broncos’ Loss

NFL Announces Punishment Decision for Josh Allen’s Bills Following Divisional Round Loss

Michael Strahan Forced to Intervene as Terry Bradshaw Visibly Struggles Amid Calls for FOX to Cut Him Loose

When the Patriots weren’t getting to him, Stidham looked comfortable enough. He completed 12 of 15 passes for 123 yards and the touchdown when kept clean in the first half. When the rush arrived, it was a different story. Under pressure, he went 0-for-6 and was sacked three times.

Even so, there was still a sense that if he could just manage things, the Broncos might sneak out a win. That hope lasted until the backward pass, which led to the Patriots’ only touchdown. Before that, there was another pivotal moment late in the second quarter.

Facing fourth-and-1 at the Patriots’ 14-yard line, head coach Sean Payton chose to trust Stidham rather than settle for three points, but the throw was incomplete. Payton could have taken the field goal. He didn’t. Denver didn’t get many clean looks in scoring territory after that.

Once you start stacking up the what-ifs—the backward pass, the fourth-down miss, the decision not to kick, the margins sound cruel. Then there was Wil Lutz. Two missed field goals on a night when every point mattered. That’s after a season in which he was perfect from that range and a career that reads 92-for-94 on those kicks.

In the end, the Broncos were close. Their defense did its job, holding a Drake Maye-led offense to 10 points. In a different version of this game, that’s enough. It just wasn’t meant to be today.