Wil Lutz, Andy Borregales missed kicks highlight ugly first half of Broncos-Patriots AFC championship

The AFC championship game was never expected to be the prettiest game for offenses, but special teams units also took their lumps early in Sunday's contest.

Both kickers missed a potential go-ahead field goal in the final minute of the first half, with Denver Broncos kicker Wil Lutz missing from 54 yards out and New England Patriots kicker Andy Borregales missing a longer 63-yard try after some heroics by Drake Maye just to get in position.

Lutz and Borregales are both coming off impressive regular seasons, but those missing three points could haunt either team when all is said and done.

Here's a look at how the first half of the AFC championship game ended on Sunday.

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Wil Lutz missed field goal

The Broncos started their final drive of the first half near midfield and felt strongly about their ability to tack on points before the break, but a sack of Jarrett Stidham turned a 52-yard attempt into a 54-yard try for the veteran Lutz.

With the wind only lightly blowing, Lutz's kick hooked just to the right, marking a rare miss for the former New Orleans Saints kicker.

The missed field goal kept the score tied at seven, and it even gave the Patriots some time to work some magic of their own before the end of the half.

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Andy Borregales missed field goal

The Patriots put themselves in position for a Hail Mary field goal attempt when Drake Maye ran for 16 yards and slid just in time to get one more play off, but that still left Borregales facing an uphill climb to giving New England the lead.

Borregales, with a career-long of 59 yards in his lone NFL season, attempted the kick from 63 yards out with the wind blowing and didn't come particularly close, making Maye's run irrelevant and leaving the game tied at seven.

The Patriots didn't seem too disappointed by Borregales' miss, as 63 yards was a significant ask for a rookie even after a promising season, but both kicks highlighted the difficulty each team had when it came to scoring in the first half.