New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has claimed that he drew on a lesson he learnt almost three decades ago when he chose to go with the wind rather than receive the ball on Sunday.

During the overtime coin toss in the win over the Denver Broncos, Belichick took the unusual step of choosing an end, rather than give his side the first opportunity to score first and potentially end the contest.

In his head, Belichick drew on an experience from when he was a New York Giants player back in the NFC Championship game of 1986.

Belichick told NBC Sports: "Coach [Bill] Parcells against the Redskins took the wind to start the game and we went ahead 17-0, and that was the final score of the game. I learned a lot from that. I'm not saying that it's always the right decision. Clearly each situation is different, but there's a place for it.

"I think there's a time when it's right. I just thought that Sunday night was the right time for us. If the conditions are what they are, it can be such a big factor in the game that it's worth making that decision if you feel it's that significant.

"Bill did it, and there are not many games bigger than an NFC Championship game. I think that was probably the difference in that game and it was in this one."

The Patriots lead the AFC East as they bid to win the division for the fifth year in a row.