| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|
|
0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
|
|
7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
New England Patriots vs Denver Broncos AFC Championship Game Preview
The AFC Championship Game brings a massive twist nobody saw coming. The Denver Broncos lost their starting quarterback Bo Nix to a broken ankle in the final moments of their overtime win against Buffalo. Now backup Jarrett Stidham takes center stage against the surging New England Patriots.
Game Details
The Patriots travel to Denver on Sunday, January 25 at 3:00 PM ET. CBS will broadcast the game with streaming available on Paramount Plus. The winner advances to Super Bowl LX on February 8 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.
The Quarterback Battle
Drake Maye leads the Patriots into hostile territory riding a perfect 8-0 road record. The 23-year-old has thrown four touchdown passes in two playoff wins. He carved up the Houston Texans with three scoring strikes in snowy conditions during the Divisional Round.
Stidham faces an enormous challenge. He hasn't started a game in over two years. The 29-year-old former Patriots backup will make his first career playoff appearance in the biggest game of his life. He completes 59.4% of his passes with 1,422 career yards and eight touchdowns and eight interceptions across his career.
The spread tells the story. Denver opened as 1.5-point favorites before Nix went down. Now the Patriots are 5.5-point favorites on the road.
Defense Leads the Way
The Broncos built their season on elite defense. They finished second in total yards allowed and third in points allowed at 18.3 per game. Denver's pass rush tormented Josh Allen into five turnovers in the Divisional Round. The altitude at Mile High Stadium adds another layer of difficulty for visiting offenses.
New England's defense stepped up when needed most. They forced five turnovers from C.J. Stroud last week. Marcus Jones returned one interception for a touchdown. The Patriots shut down the run game in both playoff victories. They allowed just 87 and 48 rushing yards in their two wins.
Offensive Questions
The Patriots averaged under four yards per play against Houston. Maye completed only 16 of 27 passes for 179 yards. The offense managed just three conversions on 14 third-down attempts. Kayshon Boutte made a spectacular one-handed touchdown catch but New England needs more consistent production.
Denver's offense faces bigger questions. Stidham operates a conservative passing attack that relies on yards after the catch. The Broncos ranked 29th in air yards per attempt during the regular season. Sean Payton must simplify the game plan for his backup quarterback while keeping the Patriots defense honest.
Keys to Victory
The Patriots need Maye to avoid turnovers. He committed four fumbles against Houston and lost two. New England wins if they protect the football and let their defense create short fields.
Denver must lean on their elite defense to keep the score low. Stidham needs to manage the game without forcing throws into coverage. The home crowd and altitude provide real advantages the Broncos must use well.
The stakes are clear. One team reaches the Super Bowl. The other goes home wondering what might have been with a healthy Bo Nix.
| Passing | C/Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Sacks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drake Maye [QB] | 10/21 | 86 | 4.1 | 0 | 0 | 5-21 |
| Rushing | Yds | Att | TD | Lng |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhamondre Stevenson [RB] | 71 | 25 | 0 | 12 |
| Drake Maye [QB] | 65 | 10 | 1 | 28 |
| TreVeyon Henderson [RB] | 5 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Receiving | Tgts | Rec | Yds | Lng | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mack Hollins [WR] | 2 | 2 | 51 | 31 | 0 |
| Rhamondre Stevenson [RB] | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hunter Henry [TE] | 3 | 2 | 12 | 9 | 0 |
| Stefon Diggs [WR] | 6 | 5 | 17 | 6 | 0 |
| Demario Douglas [WR] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kayshon Boutte [WR] | 6 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| Fumbles | Fum |
|---|---|
| Elijah Ponder [LB] | 0 |
| Interceptions | Int | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Gonzalez [CB] | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tackles | Tckl | Solo | Sck |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chad Muma [LB] | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| K'Lavon Chaisson [LB] | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Christian Barmore [DT] | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Anfernee Jennings [LB] | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Marcus Jones [CB] | 6 | 4 | 0 |
| Brenden Schooler [S] | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Jack Gibbens [LB] | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| Khyiris Tonga [DT] | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Jaylinn Hawkins [S] | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Milton Williams [DE] | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christian Elliss [LB] | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Robert Spillane [LB] | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Carlton Davis III [CB] | 7 | 4 | 0 |
| Elijah Ponder [LB] | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cory Durden [DT] | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Dell Pettus [S] | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Craig Woodson [S] | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Julian Ashby [LS] | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Marte Mapu [LB] | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jahlani Tavai [LB] | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Christian Gonzalez [CB] | 6 | 5 | 1 |
| Kick Returns | No | Yds | Lng | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D'Ernest Johnson [RB] | 2 | 59 | 30 | 0 |
| Punt Returns | No | Yds | Lng | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus Jones [CB] | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Kicking | FG | Lng | XPM | XPA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andres Borregales [PK] | 1/3 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Punting | No | Yds | TB | in20 | Lng |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryce Baringer [P] | 8 | 303 | 0 | 1 | 45 |
| Passing | C/Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Sacks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jarrett Stidham [QB] | 17/31 | 133 | 4.3 | 1 | 1 | 3-31 |
| Rushing | Yds | Att | TD | Lng |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adam Prentice [FB] | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Jarrett Stidham [QB] | 23 | 4 | 0 | 8 |
| Tyler Badie [RB] | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Jaleel McLaughlin [RB] | 11 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| Pat Bryant [WR] | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| RJ Harvey [RB] | 37 | 13 | 0 | 9 |
| Receiving | Tgts | Rec | Yds | Lng | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lil'Jordan Humphrey [WR] | 3 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Elijah Moore [WR] | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Evan Engram [TE] | 3 | 2 | 19 | 12 | 0 |
| Courtland Sutton [WR] | 5 | 3 | 17 | 6 | 1 |
| Marvin Mims [WR] | 6 | 4 | 62 | 52 | 0 |
| Jaleel McLaughlin [RB] | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Pat Bryant [WR] | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| RJ Harvey [RB] | 6 | 4 | 22 | 11 | 0 |
| Fumbles | Fum |
|---|---|
| Jarrett Stidham [QB] | 1 |
| Interceptions | Int | Yds | TD |
|---|
| Tackles | Tckl | Solo | Sck |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dre Greenlaw [LB] | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Talanoa Hufanga [S] | 7 | 4 | 0 |
| Zach Allen [DE] | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| John Franklin-Myers [DE] | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Malcolm Roach [DT] | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| Eyioma Uwazurike [DE] | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| D.J. Jones [DT] | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| Jonathon Cooper [LB] | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Alex Singleton [LB] | 12 | 4 | 0 |
| Justin Strnad [LB] | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Ja'Quan McMillian [CB] | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Pat Surtain II [CB] | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| P.J. Locke [S] | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Devon Key [S] | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Kris AbramsDraine [CB] | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Jonah Elliss [LB] | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Marvin Mims [WR] | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Riley Moss [CB] | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Dondrea Tillman [LB] | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Quandarrius Robinson [LB] | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Jahdae Barron [CB] | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Kick Returns | No | Yds | Lng | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Badie [RB] | 1 | 20 | 20 | 0 |
| Punt Returns | No | Yds | Lng | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvin Mims [WR] | 3 | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| Kicking | FG | Lng | XPM | XPA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wil Lutz [PK] | 0/1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Punting | No | Yds | TB | in20 | Lng |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremy Crawshaw [P] | 6 | 309 | 2 | 3 | 60 |
