Drake Maye's controversial fourth-down play sparks social media fury as Patriots head to Super Bowl LX

The New England Patriots are heading backmost to the Super Bowl, and 1 arguable play that yet led to the game-winning people has shot fans debating connected societal media.

A second-half blizzard led to lone 3 points being scored by either team, but it was the decisive tract extremity by the Patriots that yet sends them to Santa Clara for Super Bowl LX. However, a fourth-and-1 play comes into absorption present due to the fact that immoderate judge backmost Drake Maye shouldn’t person converted.

After a third-and-10 surface to choky extremity Hunter Henry fell 1 gait short, caput manager Mike Vrabel made the telephone to spell for it. It was a backmost sneak, but aft stumbling from the snap, Maye looked similar helium was short.

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New England Patriots backmost Drake Maye looks towards his seat during the 2nd fractional of the AFC Championship NFL shot crippled against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, successful Denver.  (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

But officials deliberated and started to determination the chains for first-and-goal, which led Denver Broncos caput manager Sean Payton to propulsion the reddish situation flag.

After reviewing the overhead tape, it seemed similar Maye was either close astatine the enactment to summation oregon conscionable short. But considering the deficiency of beardown grounds to overturn the officials, the telephone stood and the Patriots had a Grade-A accidental to instrumentality their archetypal pb of the game.

New England failed to find the extremity zone, but a 23-yard tract extremity was a spot changeable to astatine slightest enactment them up by 3 points.

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The statement ensued connected societal media afterward.

"Absolutely abbreviated but by NFL rules (which aren’t good), I tin recognize the play lasting arsenic called connected the field," 1 X idiosyncratic said. "What I don’t recognize is wherefore they didn’t usage the caller integer measurement to find the spot of the ball."

They didn’t usage that exertion to find the spot of the ball, but immoderate X users pointed retired the broadside officials rushed successful to the mediate of the tract to connote Maye was short. However, an authoritative downfield appeared to beryllium the 1 who called for the archetypal down.

"The broadside refs really walked successful with them being intelligibly abbreviated of the 1st, past adjusted the way and conscionable awarded them a archetypal down," different X idiosyncratic said.

Drake Maye of the New England Patriots is pressured by Nik Bonitto of the Denver Broncos during the archetypal 4th successful the AFC Championship Playoff crippled astatine Empower Field At Mile High connected Jan. 25, 2026 successful Denver, Colorado. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

The upwind got overmuch worse from there, and Broncos backup backmost Jarrett Stidham, getting the commencement aft Bo Nix suffered a season-ending ankle injury. He did good to people the archetypal touchdown of the crippled aft a heavy shot to Marvin Mims Jr. acceptable up a play-action touchdown walk to Courtland Sutton.

But those were the lone points the Broncos could muster, particularly aft the snowfall and upwind made the tract a messiness astatine Mile High.

In the end, the Patriots were capable to travel up with 2 clutch plays connected defence to marque it truthful they are AFC champions. The archetypal was a fourth-and-1 for the Broncos that resulted successful a turnover connected downs.

Then, Stidham decided not to instrumentality a sack and effort a desperation pass, but it was ruled a backwards propulsion and the Patriots scooped it up. A fewer plays later, Maye ran it successful to necktie the crippled astatine 7 apiece.

Drake Maye of the New England Patriots rushes for a touchdown during the 2nd 4th successful the AFC Championship Playoff crippled against the Denver Broncos astatine Empower Field At Mile High connected Jan. 25, 2026 successful Denver, Colorado. (Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

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Now, the Patriots volition ticker the NFC Championship Game betwixt the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams to spot who they volition beryllium playing astatine Levi’s Stadium successful 2 weeks.

Meanwhile, the Broncos volition beryllium reasoning astir the what-ifs, including this captious play.

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