Preview for New England Patriots @ Denver Broncos
The New England Patriots and Denver Broncos meet on Sunday night time within the AFC Championship Recreation with a spot within the Super Bowl on the road.
What initially formed as much as be a heavyweight conflict between two 14–3 groups has taken an surprising flip following a major damage to Denver quarterback Bo Nix.
The Broncos booked their place within the convention title recreation with an additional time win over the Buffalo Payments within the divisional spherical, however that victory got here at a serious price as Nix suffered a season-ending ankle damage late within the contest.
Consequently, Jarrett Stidham is ready to start out underneath centre for Denver, making his first look of the season in probably the most pressurised surroundings conceivable.
Stidham didn’t try a single move through the common season and turns into one of many uncommon quarterbacks to make their first begin of the marketing campaign in a convention championship recreation.
Regardless of the setback, Denver arrive with confidence constructed on a season of regular development underneath head coach Sean Payton, who guided the Broncos to the AFC’s prime seed.
The Broncos completed the common season with a league-best defence and can lean closely on that unit to compensate for the lack of their beginning quarterback.
New England, in the meantime, proceed a exceptional resurgence after back-to-back 4–13 seasons, reaching the AFC Championship Recreation underneath head coach Mike Vrabel.
Quarterback Drake Maye has been central to that turnaround, producing an impressive marketing campaign that has positioned him firmly within the MVP dialog.
The Patriots earned their place within the last 4 with a composed playoff run and enter Sunday’s contest as slender favourites, buoyed by stability at quarterback and a defence that has constantly delivered in massive moments.
The 2 franchises haven’t met since 2023, however they share a wealthy postseason historical past, together with two AFC Championship encounters earlier within the Brady–Manning period.
