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As the NFL named Drake Maye among its MVP finalists, Colin Cowherd ranked the New England Patriots quarterback behind two Denver Broncos stars when handicapping his top players in the AFC Championship Game. Cowerd placed Maye, who will likely finish first or second to Matthew Stafford in the MVP voting, No. 3 in his top-10 players from Sunday’s matchup. The Fox Sports host predicted on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” that the rising 23-year-old passer will keep getting better, but he also noted that Maye hasn’t had the cleanest postseason. Maye has thrown an interception in each Patriots victory and lost three of six fumbles. He’s also amassed 447 passing yards, four touchdowns and 76 rushing yards in playoff wins over two top-five defenses. “I don’t even think he’s in his prime,” Cowherd said of Maye. “I don’t even think, so far, he’s been great in the playoffs.” Cowherd gave the No. 2 spot to Pro Bowl edge rusher Nik Bonitto, who tallied 14 sacks in the regular season and forced two Josh Allen fumbles in Denver’s second-round win over the Buffalo Bills. “Outside of Myles Garrett, he’s the only player with 13-plus sacks the last two years,” Cowherd noted of Bonitto. “And he’ll probably get one this weekend … It feels like he’s getting better every year of his career, and he is a dog in big moments.” Patriots’ Mike Vrabel Shares Expectations For Drake Maye In AFC Championship by Keagan Stiefel 2 Min Read Why Patriots Are Confident In Drake Maye ‘Advantage’ For AFC Title Game by Andrew Gould 2 Min Read Patriots’ Mike Vrabel Praises Broncos Defense Before AFC Championship Game by Andrew Gould 2 Min Read Cowherd ranked star cornerback Patrick Surtain II as his best player in the AFC Championship Game. Meanwhile, Christian Gonzalez was No. 8. “You can make the argument he’s the best corner,” Cowherd said of Surtain. “Reigning Defensive Player of the Year. Four-time Pro Bowler last four years. Voted the No. 10 player in the league by other players.” Mike Onwenu (No. 10) and Stefon Diggs (No. 5) were the only other Patriots to make Cowherd’s top 10. Denver guard Quinn Meinerz placed No. 4. Offensive tackle Garett Bolles (No. 6) and defensive tackle (No. 7) Zach Allen landed between Diggs and Gonzalez, and wide receiver Courtland Sutton garnered the No. 9 designation. His list favors the Broncos, and some Patriots fans may feel Cowherd slighted Maye. However, the host still cited New England’s quarterback edge as the main reason the AFC East champions could prevail on the road. “New England, at the most important position, has a sizeable advantage,” Cowherd said. “Drake Maye over Jarrett Stidham. And I think that’s the difference in the game.” More NFL: Insider Identifies Patriots’ ‘Biggest Fear’ For AFC Championship Game Vs. Broncos

The New England Patriots and Denver Broncos will do battle in the AFC Championship on Sunday — all for a chance to advance to Super Bowl LX. Who will win? How will they do it? I’ve put together the keys to victory for both sides: NE: PROTECT THE KID I’ve used this one before, but “the kid” has an entirely different meaning this time around… Will Campbell has faced something of a gauntlet this far, and it’s safe to say he’s failed — allowing four sacks and double-digit pressures against the likes of Khalil Mack, Odafe Oweh, Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. Nik Bonitto and Jonathan Cooper are even more formidable opponents than some of those guys we just mentioned, helping their defense lead the league in sacks (68) while accounting for 76 and 51 pressures, respectively, according to Pro Football Focus. It’s time to start putting protections in place to aid the rookie offensive lineman, which will include chipping from Rhamondre Stevenson, Austin Hooper and Hunter Henry, as well as minimizing individual matchups by sliding the likes of Jared Wilson and Garrett Bradbury. If you can’t protect Drake Maye, you can’t win this game. If you don’t do everything in your power to aid Campbell, you aren’t protecting Maye. A Boutte Beauty ❄️@Patriots | @InsidetheNFL pic.twitter.com/EmdDn83DyR— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) January 19, 2026 DEN: SEAN PAYTON MASTERCLASS Broncos head coach Sean Payton has built his offensive system around making things easy for the quarterback — quick, high-percentage passes; using motion to create one-on-one mismatches; minimize reads for the quarterback— which will help now that they’re forced to rely on backup Jarrett Stidham. If you haven’t heard all about that by now, get out from under your rock. Payton will want to do all the same things he’s been doing, but with a special focus on getting the running game going and causing chaos — we’re talking about the guy who called for a surprise onside kick in Super Bowl XLIV. It’s on him… NE: CREATE SPACE Maye will be facing pressure all afternoon, but abandoning the passing game hasn’t been and shouldn’t be something to consider — just help him out. The Patriots have relied heavily on 21 (two running backs, one tight end) and 12 (one running back, two tight ends) personnel throughout the latter half of the season, but it might be time to spread things out and attack with quick game. Kayshon Boutte, Stefon Diggs and DeMario Douglas have been surprisingly great against man-coverage — with all three scoring touchdowns in the divisional round by winning quickly off the line of scrimmage and coming to the aid of their quarterback. Boutte made an incredible diving catch. Diggs showed his strong hands and held on despite being clawed at by three defenders. Douglas didn’t even need gloves to convert for his score on fourth down. It’s a better group than we thought, so continue to trust them. DEN: PROTECT THE FOOTBALL The Texans turned the ball over five times last weekend. The Broncos haven’t turned the ball over that many times in a single game this season, and haven’t turned it over more than twice since their sloppy Week 1 victory over the Tennessee Titans (four times). If they can avoid putting the ball in harm’s way, they’ll have an opportunity to win this football game — though that is easier said than done. 2X @Carlton_Lowkey 🔁📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/gpBsIuS5t2— New England Patriots (@Patriots) January 18, 2026 NE: DIAL IT UP The Patriots’ defense had incredible success dialing up pressure against the Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans — but those happens to be the 30th and 27th ranked offensive lines, respectively, according to Pro Football Focus. It’ll be a different story this week. The Broncos’ offense ranked first in sacks allowed (22), pressures allowed (137) and pass-blocking efficiency rating (89.5), according to PFF. It’s no easy task getting to the quarterback, no matter who it is, though some things might change. Bo Nix worked on designed rollouts…

Apparently, people aren’t sick of watching the New England Patriots in the NFL playoffs after all. Sunday afternoon’s divisional round contest between the Patriots and the Houston Texans, which aired on ESPN, ABC and ESPN Deportes, was officially the most-watched game in ESPN history. According to Nielsen ratings, the game drew 38 million viewers — a record for any event that’s aired on ESPN since the network launched in 1979. The game was also Disney’s most-watched live sporting event, excluding Super Bowls. ESPN’s telecast of Sunday’s Texans–Patriots matchup became the most-watched event in ESPN history, dating back to the network’s launch in 1979, with 38 million viewers. The game also ranks as Disney’s most-watched sporting event outside of the Super Bowl across nearly three… pic.twitter.com/KtOwBryjc9— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 22, 2026 That’s surprising given the limited household names on both teams and the lack of a rivalry angle. However, Houston and New England are both massive media markets. The nearly 40 million viewers who tuned in saw a sloppy, turnover-filled game on a snowy afternoon at Gillette Stadium. Both quarterbacks struggled in the inclement weather, with Drake Maye fumbling four times and C.J. Stroud throwing four interceptions. However, the Patriots prevailed 28-16 in their final home game of the season, advancing to the AFC Championship Game for the first time since the 2018 season. They’ll square off against the Denver Broncos, who outlasted the Buffalo Bills in an overtime thriller on Saturday. While New England enjoyed a ton of postseason success during the 2000s and 2010s with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, this is the franchise’s first deep playoff run in seven years. Led by Maye and Mike Vrabel, the Patriots are young, exciting underdogs for a change, which may have compelled viewers to tune in. It was also a holiday weekend, which may have boosted ratings. Regardless, there will be plenty of eyes on New England this Sunday when it battles the Broncos with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. More Patriots: Cam Newton Calls Patriots’ Super Bowl Path ‘Joke,’ But His Was Easier

The New England Patriots could potentially receive a huge boost during their matchup with the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship. Mack Hollins — who hasn’t been seen since suffering his abdomen injury during the club’s victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 21, which ultimately ended up with him being placed on injured reserve on Dec. 27. — was seen putting on his cleats in the locker room prior to practice on Thursday, according to MassLive’s Karen Guregian. What does that mean? Hollins likely won’t be activated to return this week, but opening his practice window puts him in a position to play as soon as Sunday. If not, he’ll be eligible to continue practicing and can be activated at any point until the day before Super Bowl LX. The Patriots would certainly be eager to bring the veteran wide receiver back into the fold, as he finished third on the team in receptions (46) and fourth in receiving yards (550) despite suffering his injury and missing the final two regular season games against the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins. New England is getting healthy at the right time, with running back Terrell Jennings and defensive lineman Joshua Farmer already returning to practice this week and remaining eligible to be activated off injured reserve — while cornerback Carlton Davis remains just one step away from clearing the league’s concussion protocol. More Patriots: Cam Newton Calls Patriots’ Super Bowl Path ‘Joke,’ But His Was Easier

Ahead of the AFC wild-card round, four of the NFL.com’s five editors chose the New England Patriots to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers. Before New England’s AFC Divisional Round contest against the Houston Texans, three of the quintet sided with the Patriots. This time, it’s unanimous. The group made their AFC Championship Game picks on Thursday and all five took New England to down the Denver Broncos on the road. Notably though, each of the five members of the panel see the Patriots winning a one-score game. “But clearly, in the wake of Bo Nix’s gutting ankle injury, Denver is fighting an uphill battle, facing a sudden switch at the game’s most important position. Jarrett Stidham hasn’t thrown a pass in a real game in two years, and now he’s tasked with punching the Broncos’ ticket to the Super Bowl. It’s a daunting development, to say the least,” Gennaro Filice, who was the lone member to pick Los Angeles over New England, said. “With an 8-0 mark outside of Foxborough this season, New England’s the only team in the league that hasn’t lost a game in the unfriendly confines. The altitude is indeed an additional factor that’s unique to Denver, but generally speaking, these Pats don’t cower in hostile environments.” The biggest storyline ahead of Sunday afternoon’s battle is former New England quarterback Jarrett Stidham getting his chance at revenge as he takes over for the injured Bo Nix. Stidham is looking to become just the second quarterback since 1950 to make his first start of the season in the playoffs and win. Frank Reich is the only other signal-caller to accomplish the feat. More NFL: Cam Newton Calls Patriots’ Super Bowl Path ‘Joke,’ But His Was Easier