New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos in AFC Championship for 3rd Time
New England Patriots head to the Mile High City to play the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game, the third time the teams have met at that stage.
The AFC Championship Game will feature the New England Patriots vs. the Denver Broncos, a third time the two teams have met for the chance to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.
Denver won both of the previous two AFC Championships vs. the Patriots; in 2013 before losing Super Bowl XLVIII and in 2015 before winning Super Bowl 50 over the Carolina Panthers.
Those two championships featured Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady. This Sunday it'll be Drake Maye vs. Jarrett Stidham.
Patriots vs. Broncos in the AFC Championship Game
Denver was a thorn in the side of the Tom Brady dynasty Patriots, stopping them three times in the playoffs, including the 2005 Divisional Round win in Mile High Stadium.
But, this is a whole new era.
This game should be featuring two top quarterbacks from the 2024 NFL Draft. It should be Drake Maye vs. Bo Nix. But Nix, despite his incredible performance against the Bills, shockingly broke a bone in his ankle late in the win.
Rich Kurtzman
So, instead it will be Maye—some folks' pick as the NFL MVP this year—vs. Stidham.
Denver is the only team in the NFL where the backup didn't take a single snap in either of the last two years. Luckily, he did get some playing time in the preseason, and he has 4 starts, back in 2022 and 2023, 2 with the Raiders and 2 with the Broncos. He's 1-3 in those starts.
"He's ready," Sean Payton said of Stidham. "I said this at the beginning of the season. I feel like I've got a 2 that's capable of starting for a number of teams. And I know he feels the same way. So watch out. Just watch.
"He's experienced, he's played in games," Payton continued. "Here we go."
Meanwhile, Maye had an up-and-down game against the Texans on Sunday afternoon in the snow in Foxborough. Ultimately, the Patriots won 28-16.
While he had some precision passes—the touchdown to DeMario Douglas in the first, and the TD to Stefon Diggs in the second—he also threw an interception and fumbled four times, losing two of them. His throw to Kayshon Boutte in the fourth quarter was great, but the one-handed catch was better.
He threw for 179 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception, and lost 2 fumbles.
The snow partially caused turnovers; there were 8 total turnovers, which was the most in a playoff game since 2015, the NFC Championship.
New England's defense looked demonstrative. They crushed the Texans offense, but C.J. Stroud wasn't up to the moment. It was too big for him, with the four interceptions in the first half alone. Some of the picks were balls just thrown up for grabs. He was also sacked three times and under constant pressure.
Patriots and Broncos quick breakdown
This season, the Patriots were the 2nd-best team on offense, scoring 28.8 points per game, and they were the 4th-best defense (18.8 PPG allowed). Offensively, Maye has been spectacular, especially on deep balls, and he led the NFL in completion percentage (72.0) and passer rating (113.5).
But he doesn't have to throw; the Patriots have two great running backs in Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson, combining for 1,700 yards and 16 touchdowns this year. Defensively, cornerbacks Christian Gonzalez (Pro Bowl) and Marcus Jones (2nd-team All-Pro) are the stars while Harold Landry leads their defense in sacks with 8.5.
Meanwhile, the Broncos were the 14th offense (24.3 PPG) and 3rd-best defense (18.3 PPG). Denver will need to lean on their sensational defense that led the NFL in sacks (68.0, a franchise record), and in red zone scoring (42.6%) while being 2nd in 3rd down percentage (33.8%).
There's a hope that Broncos running leader J.K. Dobbins will return for the AFC Championship Game, and either way, Denver will likely need to rely on the run game with Stidham starting. Dobbins would give them a big boost. As would getting back starting center Luke Wattenberg; Denver's down to a third-stringer there.
When the Broncos do pass, they will likely be down multiple starters. No. 2 WR Troy Franklin left the Divisional Round game with a hamstring, while No. 4 WR Pat Bryant sustained a concussion. It'll be Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims, and likely Elijah Moore and Lil'Jordan Humphrey.
Defensively, Pat Surtain is the Broncos leader, while Nik Bonitto's 14.0 sacks led the team by far. Bonitto's huge sack-fumble on Josh Allen was timely yesterday and Maye will have to watch out for him. One factor when it comes to pass rush is the Bills, who gave up 3 sacks, were the best O-line vs. the rush while the Patriots are 6th-best. Denver could possibly feast on Maye pressures and sacks, and he's fumbled multiple times this playoffs on sacks.
Denver Broncos AFC Championship History
The Denver Broncos are 8-2 all-time in the AFC Championship Game. They've won their last two conference championships, with their last loss coming in 2005 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Denver's only other AFC Championship Game loss came in 1992 to the Buffalo Bills.
The Broncos and Patriots both finished the regular season 14-3, and they had the easiest (NE, .391) strength of schedule, while Denver's was second-easiest (.422).
Final Recap of SOS by Team in the 2025 NFL season
by u/Embarrassed-Low9531 in nfl
The knock on both the Patriots and the Broncos were "they didn't play anyone" and New England went 1-2 against playoff teams in the regular season. They did, however, beat both the Chargers and Texans in the playoffs, and they have momentum now.
Denver went 4-2 vs. playoff teams and beat the Bills yesterday.
The Broncos and Patriots are set to play on Sunday, Jan. 25 at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. MT.
The Patriots open as 4.5-point favorites over the Broncos.
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