The Patriots are heading back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2018 after beating the Broncos, 10-7, in what quickly became a snow game in Denver on Sunday.
New England's defense was solid for most of the game, limiting Jarrett Stidham to just one big play early in the contest. Drake Maye didn't have huge numbers but he did what he had to do to keep the Patriots in the lead in the second half. And Mike Vrabel used a smart move late in the fourth quarter that led to a game-sealing interception.
While all of those things helped lead the Patriots to a hard-fought win, NFL Network's Manti Te'o thinks another thing played a key factor: Vrabel's decision on which uniforms the Patriots wore for the game.
"I have no doubt in my mind that he picked all white uniforms for a reason," Te'o said. "He knew that the weather was going to be a condition they would have to battle with."
"I have no doubt in my mind that he picked all white uniforms for a reason."
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) January 26, 2026
Manti Te'o is giving his game ball from yesterday to @Patriots HC Mike Vrabel 🙌 pic.twitter.com/bpCCIUhpKy
Vrabel has proven to be a great NFL coach and his preparation is a big reason for that. The uniform choice did seem to work in favor for the Patriots because it was tough to see almost anything during stretches of the snowy second half. Did he make that decision on purpose? That's tough to say.
But it is an interesting theory by Te'o.
Oh, and those white uniforms will likely be seen again on Feb. 8 when the Patriots face the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX.
While not yet official unless I missed it somewhere else, the early word I'm hearing is that the Patriots would go with their white-jersey/white-pants combination for Super Bowl LX.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) January 26, 2026
Could that mean San Francisco should brace for snow in a few weeks? Probably not, since the last time that city had any significant snow was in February of 1976.
But ya never know.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Manti Te'o Had Wild Theory on How Patriots’ Uniforms Helped Them Beat the Broncos .
