Conference championship weekend picks and predictions
USA TODAY Sports’ Joe Rivera, Chris Bumbaca, and Jarrett Bell break down who they think will punch their ticket to Super Bowl 60.
The NFL is king, but even this league cannot force Mother Nature to bend a knee.
Inclement weather played a significant factor in the AFC championship game on Jan. 25. Both the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos suffered from miscues and execution issues on routine plays as heavy snow fell and covered the field throughout the second half.
By the end of the Patriots‘ win to return to the Super Bowl, there had been four missed kicks between the two teams, a shanked punt, several slips and falls and a near standstill on offense for both sides.
Take a look at how the weather played a significant role in the AFC championship game:
Weather impacts Broncos vs. Patriots AFC championship game
There were a total of four missed field goals in the AFC championship game. There were two of them – one by each team – at end of the first half, before the snow started to fall. There were two more – also one by each team – in the snowy second half.
First, there was Patriots kicker Andy Borregales’ missed 46-yard field goal attempt near the end of the third quarter.
Then, with five minutes left and a chance to tie the game, Broncos kicker Wil Lutz missed his second kick of the game when Patriots defender Leonard Taylor III got his fingertips on the ball.
In addition to the field goal miscues, Patriots punter Bryce Barringer shanked a 26-yard punt out of bounds just befre Lutz’s second missed kick of the game.
Special teams units weren’t the only ones suffering the effects of the rough weather. On one fourth quarter play, Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson fell down after slipping in the snow, and quarterback Drake Maye followed him to the ground after losing his footing trying to scramble forward.
Along with the scoring figuratively slowing down in the second half, the players were literally slowing down. According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, both teams’ average speeds plummeted in the second half after the snow started falling heavily.
ESPN’s Ben Solak reported early in the fourth quarter that the Broncos’ average team speed dropped from 9.62 mph in the first half to 8.93 to begin the second half. The Patriots’ average speed change was even more drastic, dropping from 10.12 mph in the first half to 8.51 mph in the second.
AFC championship game snow timelapse
CBS showed off how quickly the snow built up over the course of the AFC championship game with a time-lapse on its broadcast.
The NFL’s social media team also showcased the change in conditions with a few side-by-side photos of how the field looked at different stages of the game.
