First-year coach. Rookie quarterback. Super Bowl.

If you'd told anyone before the season that this New England Patriots team would be playing for a championship, they would've laughed you out of the room. But here we are, folks, and this is why we love this game.

The Patriots ground out a brutal 10-7 victory over the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game at Empower Field on Sunday. In snow. In misery. With everything on the line. And rookie quarterback Drake Maye just did something Tom Brady never did in his first season.

Let that sink in for a moment.

"What an atmosphere," Maye said after the game, according to Sports Illustrated. "How about our defense? We've got to win to go win one more."

This is the franchise's first AFC title since 2018 when Brady and Bill Belichick won their ninth together. Now? It's Mike Vrabel's team, the Hall of Fame linebacker who took over as head coach and immediately restored glory to Foxborough.

The game was a defensive slugfest played in harsh winter conditions. The Patriots fell behind 7-0 early but clawed back to tie it by halftime. Field goals were missed. Punts were shanked. But New England found a way—because that's what this franchise does.

After the game, Vrabel delivered a classic message to his team celebrating in Denver. Defensive tackle Milton Williams recounted it: "No curfew tonight. But the bus leaving at eight in the morning, so if you ain't on it, you ain't playing in the Bowl."

When asked if Vrabel was serious, Williams laughed: "Oh yeah. I ain't playing."

This marks New England's 12th Super Bowl appearance. But this one feels different. This one's built on youth, hunger, and a rookie quarterback who's rewriting the script. The Patriots face the Seattle Seahawks on February 8, and despite being underdogs, nobody's counting them out.

One season. One incredible turnaround. And Drake Maye is one game away from immortality.