Preview for New England Patriots @ Denver Broncos
The New England Patriots and Denver Broncos meet on Sunday night in the AFC Championship Game with a place in the Super Bowl on the line.
What initially shaped up to be a heavyweight clash between two 14–3 teams has taken an unexpected turn following a significant injury to Denver quarterback Bo Nix.
The Broncos booked their place in the conference title game with an overtime win over the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round, but that victory came at a major cost as Nix suffered a season-ending ankle injury late in the contest.
As a result, Jarrett Stidham is set to start under centre for Denver, making his first appearance of the season in the most pressurised environment imaginable.
Stidham did not attempt a single pass during the regular season and becomes one of the rare quarterbacks to make their first start of the campaign in a conference championship game.
Despite the setback, Denver arrive with confidence built on a season of steady progression under head coach Sean Payton, who guided the Broncos to the AFC’s top seed.
The Broncos finished the regular season with a league-best defence and will lean heavily on that unit to compensate for the loss of their starting quarterback.
New England, meanwhile, continue a remarkable resurgence after back-to-back 4–13 seasons, reaching the AFC Championship Game under head coach Mike Vrabel.
Quarterback Drake Maye has been central to that turnaround, producing an outstanding campaign that has placed him firmly in the MVP conversation.
The Patriots earned their place in the final four with a composed playoff run and enter Sunday’s contest as narrow favourites, buoyed by stability at quarterback and a defence that has consistently delivered in big moments.
The two franchises have not met since 2023, but they share a rich postseason history, including two AFC Championship encounters earlier in the Brady–Manning era.
