Drake Maye’s evolution as a runner sent Patriots to Super Bowl 60 | Matt Vautour

With 1:57 left in the game and New England facing a third and 5 from their 41, the Patriots needed one more play.

Clinging to a three-point lead, Drake Maye took the snap, faked a handoff, then rolled to his left. From there, it was a race across the slippery grass.

The Patriots quarterback could see the first down marker along the sideline in front of him and took off toward it as Broncos linebacker Jonah Elliss gave chase.

Maye scampered out of bounds across the 48-yard line. He stopped just beyond the first-down marker, but he could have kept going.

All the way to Santa Clara, California.

With the Broncos unable to stop the clock in the AFC Championship, that first down ensured a victory and that this magical Patriots season would finish in Super Bowl 60.

• Patriots will face the Seahawks in Super Bowl 60

The play was a fitting finish. In a year where Maye’s performance as a passer helped turn the Patriots from a 13-loss team to a playoff-bound squad in the regular season, it was his running ability that put the Patriots over the top on Sunday.

Maye wasn’t the hero on Sunday. Highlighted by Christian Gonzalez’s huge interception, the Patriots’ defense deserved most of the credit and adulation for the win. But Maye did enough to put them over the top.

A year ago, Maye showed all sorts of talent throwing the ball as a rookie, but hadn’t figured out how to harness his big arm and avoid crushing mistakes.

The same was just as true, but not as obvious, as a runner. He was clearly fast, athletic and capable. But his decision-making on when to run wasn’t honed and his sliding was, at best, awkward.

He hadn’t figured out how to turn his talent into winning football.

This season, his evolution from great talent to a great player has made him an MVP candidate and the Patriots a championship contender. On Sunday, his ability not only to run, but to run wisely was an essential piece to the Patriots winning the football game.

“That’s the great thing about Drake — the ability to extend plays and if it’s not there, gain chunks," Mike Vrabel said. “He’s done that most of the year. ”

It wasn’t just the last run either.

The Patriots’ lone touchdown came on a delayed run, when he took the snap at the Bronco 6, dropped back, waited for Denver to retreat into coverage and then scooted into the end zone.

Then, at the end of the first half with the score tied 7-7, Maye scrambled from New England’s 39 with nine seconds left.

Maye had the presence of mind to watch the clock as he ran. When he realized he wasn’t going to get out of bounds in time to stop it, he slid at the Denver 45, right toward Mike Vrabel, who called time out.

Even at altitude, 63 yards is a difficult field goal, especially on a cold day and Andy Borregales missed it. But it gave the Patriots a chance to score in a game that was eventually decided by three points. More than that, it was a reflection of Maye’s growing command of the game.

It would be stupid to suggest that the Patriots wouldn’t have won Sunday’s game with Tom Brady leading the offense. Betting against the greatest quarterback in NFL history, even hypothetically, is foolish. But New England couldn’t have beaten the Broncos with Tom Brady the way they won on Sunday.

Maye finished with 65 yards on 10 carries. Brady had 15 seasons where he didn’t rush for 65 total yards.

“Those long legs came in handy. He was running around stiff-arming guys,” Diggs said. “Making plays at a high level. He was being smart. The biggest thing in this game was not turning the ball over.”

Hunter Henry agreed.

“He’s a tremendous athlete. It’s a threat. To be that mobile and be able to run the way he does and see things, extend plays is a big advantage for us,” he said. “He’s a tremendous player, a tremendous competitor. For him to make a lot of plays with his legs today was big.”

Maye wasn’t sure those legs were going to outrun linebacker Jonah Elliss for that final first down until he reached the sideline.

“The footing was tough a little bit on the grass, but it was good enough on that last one to get around the edge,” he said. “I thought he was going to track me and get me down, but I had just enough to get around the edge and get the first down.

He smiled.

“It was a cool moment and cool to celebrate with those guys.”

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