The Patriots' offensive coordinator was spotted in a mic'd-up moment giving his young quarterback a pep talk as the snow began to come down in Denver.
There is no debating that the weather in this year's AFC championship game affected play on the field.
Neither Drake Maye nor Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham could really move the ball far downfield by the time we got to the third quarter, due to the snow in the area, which went from flurries to a full-on blizzard.
In the days after the game, the Patriots released some footage from the sidelines that captured the players' and coaches' discussion as the game got really tight.
One memorable moment was when Drake Maye made the late-game run to get the first down and secure the Patriots' win and a trip to Super Bowl LX.
Another clip has surfaced of Maye and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels on the bench during the worst of the snow. As a young quarterback, it's easy to get wrapped up in just how hard the aspects of the game can get to you.
Maye was playing against a top-ranked defense on the road in the snow with a conference championship on the line. The pressure was there for him to fail. Luckily, he has Josh McDaniels around to keep him locked in.
Maye was seen sitting on the bench talking to his offensive coordinator, saying, "It's hard... good God."
McDaniels has gone the distance before and coached in games with even higher stakes than this one. This is a man who was in Tom Brady's ear when the Patriots were down 28-3 in the Super Bowl a little under a decade ago. So the longtime Pats OC gave his young quarterback some encouragement.
"Look at me, it's gonna be hard, but look, this will be the most rewarding six and a half minutes of our lives if we can get it done," McDanels said.
It's a sight to see these two have a seemingly strong bond. Maye needed McDaniels this year. An offensive-minded coach who could draw on his experience working with the greatest player of all time and apply it to developing Maye, who already has some incredible skills of his own.
McDaniels needed Maye, too. The Patriots' long-time OC returned to the organization after another failed attempt at head coaching a few years ago with the Las Vegas Raiders. A redemption story was needed to take shape for McDaniels, who has been hailed all season long as one of the best coordinators in the game today.
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