Patriots just survived the one problem Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye can’t fix

The AFC Championship Game was a movie in the second half, the type of game that fans of the New England Patriots have seen before.

The symmetry between this 2025 run and the Patriots’ first Super Bowl championship in franchise history back in 2001 has been striking.

Sunday’s fourth-quarter squall in Denver, with the snow-covered field and wind turning the game’s finish into a grind-it-out slog, had every Patriots fan old enough to remember thinking about the final game ever played in the old Foxboro Stadium, when Brady and the Patriots outlasted the then-Oakland Raiders in a playoff game for the ages.

That Patriots legend Adam Vinatieri was in the house Sunday to help present another Lamar Hunt Trophy to owner Robert Kraft was almost too perfect.

Just like New England’s famous overtime win over the Raiders in the snow, kicking was crucial to the Patriots’ getting out of Denver with a 10-7 win.

Andy Borregales went 1-for-3 on his field goal attempts, but the one he made in the third quarter helped decide the game. Denver’s Will Lutz had a chance at a 45-yard attempt — the exact distance as Vinatieri’s legendary field goal against the Raiders 24 years ago — in the fourth quarter, but the kick was blocked and sailed wide.

But aside from its suffocating defense, Denver nearly won Sunday’s game on special teams. Broncos punter Jeremy Crawshaw handled the elements well, averaging 51.5 yards per punt. He pinned the Patriots’ struggling offense inside the 20-yard line three times and never gave All-Pro returner Marcus Jones a chance to run one back.

Patriots punter Bryce Baringer? He hasn’t had his best season, and the AFC Championship was one of his worst games.

Even Mike Vrabel is powerless against this glaring Patriots flaw

It’s no secret that Maye and the Patriots’ offense have been grinding through an unprecedented gauntlet during these playoffs. New England just became the first team in NFL history to beat three of the league’s top-five defenses in consecutive playoff games.

Ball security and field position have become a key part of Josh McDaniels’ game plan. You could argue that Maye protecting the football, and the Patriots ending every drive with a kick, won them the game against Denver (along with their own elite defense).

The Patriots often found themselves on the wrong side of the field position battle against the Broncos on Sunday, and Baringer’s brutal game was a big reason why.

He punted the football eight times for the second straight game, and once again wasn’t very effective. He averaged just 37.9 yards per punt against Denver with a long of 45. He’s now averaging 40.3 yards per punt in the postseason.

To be fair, Sunday’s conditions were tough, and he obviously didn’t lose the Patriots the game. Give him credit for handling all eight snaps cleanly and avoiding a potential disaster, as several kicks came back near his own goal line. He also limited speedy Broncos punt returner Marvin Mims to just eight total yards on three attempts, which Bariniger told reporters after the game was a point of emphasis.

But Denver’s punter played in the same elements — and was kicking to one of the best punt returners in NFL history. The discrepancy in that area of the game could have easily tilted Sunday’s outcome the other way.

The weather should be much better in Santa Clara, Calif., for Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks. Even with two weeks to prepare, it’s highly unlikely that Vrabel looks to add competition at punter. He’s praised Baringer’s work as the holder for Borregales, and at this point, “We all we got. We all we need.” Obviously, the Patriots are going to take this roster all the way to the finish line, for better or worse.

It’s hard to ignore the team’s poor execution on punts, though, and for a team that’s excelled on special teams with key performers like Jones and Brenden Schooler, this is something Vrabel and company could be shopping for after the Super Bowl.