Patriots Stock Watch: Here’s who stood out and struggled in gritty win over Broncos

New England Patriots

Christian Gonzalez sealed the win with an interception, and Drake Maye made enough plays with his legs.

The Patriots won a rock fight in Denver, outlasting the Broncos 10-7 and clinching a berth in the Super Bowl.

New England gave up an early score in the first quarter, but held Jarrett Stidham and the Broncos’ offense scoreless the rest of the way.

Drake Maye made an impact with his legs, scrambling for big gains, but his playoff struggles continued as he was nearly picked off on the opening drive and wound up completing less than half of his passes.

In a game featuring two strong defenses, snowy, windy conditions put points at a premium.

Christian Elliss set the Patriots up for their first score, giving New England the ball in the red zone after Elijah Ponder recovered a fumble on a backwards pass.

Christian Gonzalez sealed the deal with an interception right before the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter.

The Patriots are AFC champions once again. Here’s a look at who stood out and struggled on Sunday.

Stock Up

Christian Gonzalez

Gonzalez got burned for an early explosive play, a 52-yard completion to Marvin Mims from Jarrett Stidham.

However, he was stellar the rest of the game, registering a sack, a tackle for loss, six total tackles, and the game-sealing interception.

Mims was the only Broncos receiver with more than 22 years. New England’s secondary was excellent, and Gonzalez was a big part of it.

Christian Barmore

Barmore provided consistent pressure up the middle. He flattened Stidham after beating his blocker with a swim move on his sack.

He chipped in a pair of tackles, including one for loss. The Patriots’ front seven completely stuffed Denver’s run game, holding the Broncos to 3.3 yards per carry.

Mack Hollins

Hollins was the Patriots’ leading receiver, hauling in both of his targets for catches and totaling 51 yards.

It was his first game back since the win against Baltimore last month. He spent several weeks on injured reserve with an abdominal injury.

He was the only Patriot to catch a pass longer than 10 yards, notching a 31-yarder on a flea-flicker pass from Drake Maye.

Christian Elliss

Elliss changed the game by knocking the ball out of Stidham’s hands in the second quarter, giving the Patriots prime field goal position for their only touchdown of the game, which Maye scored on a designed QB run.

He also earned bragging rights over his younger brother, Jonah, who plays linebacker for the Broncos. Christian finished with four tackles, a sack, and a tackle for loss. Jonah finished with three tackles and one tackle for loss.

Leonard Taylor

Taylor got a hand on the Broncos’ final field-goal attempt, tipping the ball and changing it’s path enough for it to miss. Had Denver made that kick, the game would have been tied at 10.

The Patriots got the ball back and had little success moving it, but the combination of Taylor’s tip and Gonzalez’s interception helped close the game out.

Stock Flat

Rhamondre Stevenson

It wasn’t pretty. Stevenson carried the ball 25 times for 71 yards, an average of 2.8 yards per carry. But, he got tough yardage when the Patriots’ needed it, and New England trusted him with all but three of their handoffs. It wasn’t efficient, but Stevenson’s performance was tough.

Drake Maye

Maye did not have a good game as a passer. He looked hesitant at times while facing the Broncos’ pressure. He was fortunate that Talanoa Hufonga was unable to catch a potential interception on the opening drive that would have put Denver in great field position.

But, he picked up 65 yards on the ground, including a bootleg on on the final drive that got the first down that allowed New England to run out the clock.

He finished 10-for-21 with no touchdowns, interceptions, or fumbles. He was sacked five times. The Patriots’ defense held it down for him.

Stock Down

The rest of the Patriots’ receivers

Credit to Stefon Diggs for helping to break up the pass that Hufonga nearly picked. That might have been the biggest play a Patriots receiver made all day.

The Patriots caught Denver with a trick play on the Hollins flea-flicker. Diggs finished with three catches for 17 yards. DeMario Douglas was unable to catch his only target. None of the other Patriots’ receivers had a single target.

The entire offensive line

It was a messy game for this group, which allowed five sacks. The Broncos led the league in sacks during the regular-season and they were known for bringing pressure from all over.

Sunday was no different, six Broncos players had at least half of a sack. They also stuffed the Patriots on the ground, holding them to 3.7 yards per carry including the Maye scrambles.

Khari A. Thompson

Sports Reporter

Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.