Le Journal

It’s the last dance for Sundance in Park City as the indie-focused festival prepares to relocate to Boulder, Colorado, next year. It’s also the first fest to go on without its legendary Oscar-winning founder Robert Redford, who died in September. The event’s 42nd edition kicked off January 22 and runs through Sunday, February 1, with […]

Former New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton seems to make a living off of antagonizing the fan base that once bought his jerseys. Since becoming a prominent media personality, Newton has targeted one team more than the rest: the Patriots. He has called the team’s success “fool’s gold”, he has called Drake Maye a “game manager,” and now he once again has set his sights on the Patriots as they try to earn a spot in the Super Bowl. “The New England Patriots have had the easiest road to the Super Bowl in NFL history,” Newton said on his “4th&1” podcast. “The first team that you played, the Los Angeles Chargers, that’s a bottom-tier team. Not a team that’s expected to have a deep playoff push… “And then they played another team that came into Foxboro and was deficient offensively, the Houston Texans. Nico Collins, out. That wasn’t the best version of that team.” He then pointed to quarterback C.J. Stroud playing the worst game of his career as a knock on the Texans talent, not a credit to the Patriots defense and game plan. Since Newton has opened the floor to comparison, let’s examine his 2015 Carolina Panthers’ path to meeting Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl. It started with a narrow seven-point home victory over the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks were majorly without star running back Marshawn Lynch. Lynch had played the entire 2015 season laboring through a hamstring strain before suffering a sports hernia in November. Lynch played in just seven games that season, totalling just six playoff carries and then retiring immediately following the loss. An argument could be made that the Seahawks team was not at full strength. Next, he played 36-year-old Carson Palmer’s Arizona Cardinals, once again at home. Palmer threw four interceptions in the blowout road loss. Sounds familiar. Not to mention that his team’s playoff push began with a bye week. So in his only Super Bowl run, Newton had the home-field advantage, played a team with an injured star, and then met a quarterback who threw four interceptions. Perhaps Newton is projecting when he calls the Patriots’ path historically weak. More New England Patriots: NFL Insider Pushes Back On Critics Disrespecting Patriots

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

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye committed a career-high four fumbles during the team’s AFC Divisional Round win against the Houston Texans. Patriots insider Chad Graff wrote Thursday about how Maye’s ball security and the team’s offensive line could be a concern heading into Sunday’s AFC Championship Game vs. the Denver Broncos. Graff cited rookie left tackle Will Campbell’s recent struggles in his breakdown of the matchup. The senior writer for The Athletic said that Campbell will be “one of the most important players for the Patriots” for the third straight game on Sunday. “The Denver Broncos don’t have quite as dangerous a pass rush as the Texans, but they’re not far from it. The Texans ranked second in the NFL this season in pressure rate. The Broncos were third,” Graff said. “And, more to the point, heading into an AFC Championship Game in which the Patriots are favorites and have several meaningful advantages (none bigger than at quarterback, where Jarrett Stidham, a 2019 draft pick of the Patriots, is set to start for the injured Bo Nix), the Broncos could end this magical run by dominating them up front and forcing Maye into some turnovers.” While Graff admitted that “so much has gone right” for New England in the playoffs, Maye “suddenly having issues hanging onto” the football is a “troubling trend.” He opined that the Patriots offensive line — particularly Campbell and fellow rookie Jared Wilson — has had some “frighteningly weak moments” over the past two contests. “That will get even more difficult in Denver. The Broncos boast one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL. Even if they didn’t have one of the league’s best pass rushes, it could still be difficult for the Patriots O-line to be on the same page, given the noise,” Graff said. “But the biggest fear for the Patriots in this matchup is a suddenly turnover-prone offense with a front five that’s coming off two of its worst games of the season, going up against a really good pass rush.” New England is understandably favored to beat Denver on Sunday, but there is a path for the Broncos to pull off the upset and advance to their first Super Bowl in 10 years. More NFL: Cam Newton Calls Patriots’ Super Bowl Path ‘Joke,’ But His Was Easier

The New England Patriots will encounter a familiar face when opposing Jarrett Stidham in an unexpected AFC Championship Game showdown. With a Super Bowl spot on the line, Stidham will make his first NFL start since the 2023 season. New England’s former fourth-round pick replaces Bo Nix, who broke his ankle at the end of the Denver Broncos’ AFC Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills. Josh McDaniels knows Stidham well from his prior stints as New England’s offensive coordinator and the Las Vegas Raiders’ head coach. He offered a flattering review of the quarterback on Thursday, via CLNS Media. “Smart. Accurate. Great human being,” McDaniels said of Stidham. “Worked hard. Great teammate. Just hadn’t had an opportunity based on the situations and those kind of things. Enjoyed working with him. Enjoyed my time with him, and I’m sure he’ll be ready to go this week. For sure.” Stidham began his career as Tom Brady’s understudy for the Patriots in 2019, and he appeared in five games off the bench in 2020 after the icon’s departure. McDaniels gave Stidham his first starting opportunity when controversially sitting Derek Carr to end the 2022 season. The Raiders lost two games started by Stidham, but he amassed 365 passing yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in an overtime loss to a San Francisco 49ers squad that made the NFC Championship Game. Stidham also closed the 2023 campaign under center after Las Vegas fired McDaniels. Patriots’ Mike Vrabel Praises Jarrett Stidham Ahead Of AFC Championship Game by Cole Shelton 2 Min Read Broncos Have ‘Utmost Confidence’ In Jarrett Stidham Ahead Of AFCCG Against Patriots by Cole Shelton 3 Min Read Broncos Defender Makes Absurd Jarrett Stidham Statement Before AFC Championship by Keagan Stiefel 2 Min Read The Patriots aren’t daring to publicly overlook Stidham, but they’re nevertheless 5.5-point favorites to win on the road. Sunday’s AFC Championship Game starts at 3 p.m. ET on CBS. More NFL: Jon Heyman Ties Red Sox To Three Different Infield Trade Targets