For the third time in the last 13 years, the Denver Broncos will host the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
But unlike the previous two AFC title game matchups, neither team was expected to be here.
The Broncos made the playoffs last season but weren’t expected to be a top contender for the conference crown. The Patriots were expected to be better after back-to-back 4-13 seasons, but no one could have predicted a 14-3 campaign and a potential trip to the Super Bowl.
Let’s dive into some of the most interesting storylines surrounding the Patriots-Broncos showdown, which is set for 3 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon at Empower Field.
Jarrett Stidham plays against team that drafted him
If the Patriots are going to reach the Super Bowl, they’ll have to beat one of their former quarterbacks.
Jarrett Stidham will be under center for the Broncos on Sunday because starting quarterback Bo Nix fractured his right ankle during Denver’s Divisional Round victory over the Bills.
The Patriots drafted Stidham in the fourth round in 2019, and he was the backup for two seasons before leaving for the Raiders.
Stidham joined the Broncos as a free agent in 2023. He has not thrown a single pass in a regular season or playoff game since 2023. For his career, Stidham has completed jut 59.4 percent of his passes with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions in 20 games played. He has a 1-3 career record as a starter.
Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was in that role in 2019 when the team drafted Stidham. When McDaniels left to become Raiders head coach after the 2021 season, he traded for Stidham to be the team’s backup behind Derek Carr. So the Patriots should have a good sense of Stidham’s strength and weaknesses.
Stidham has good arm talent, but he’s not as mobile as Justin Herbert or C.J. Stroud. The key for Stidham is protecting the football, and the good news for him is that the Broncos have a much better offensive line than the Texans or Chargers o-lines that the Patriots faced over the previous two weeks.
Christian Elliss plays against brother Jonah
Sunday will be a special day for the Elliss family. Christian, a linebacker for the Patriots, will play against his younger brother Jonah’s team. Jonah is also a linebacker.
“We’re excited. It’s a huge blessing for our family,” Christian told reporters at a press conference Monday. “One of us is going to the Super Bowl one way or the other. So we’re very excited. For me, it’s a little bit of smack talking, a little bit of, we have something between him and I, we’ll have a little side bet, and the loser will be reminded forever.”
Christian also noted that they’ve never played against each other before.
Patriots have never won a playoff game in Denver
The Patriots have visited Denver four times in the playoffs, and they are winless. They failed to score 20-plus points in each game, even though Tom Brady was their starting quarterback for three of them.
- 1986 AFC Divisional Round: 22-17 Broncos
- 2005 AFC Divisional Round: 27-13 Broncos
- 2013 AFC Championship Game: 26-16 Broncos
- 2015 AFC Championship Game: 20-18 Broncos
Denver is a tough place to play because of the altitude and the loud Broncos crowd.
That said, the Patriots were the league’s only undefeated team on the road this season (8-0), and quarterback Drake Maye threw 17 touchdowns with only three interceptions and a 120.2 passer rating in those eight games.
One of those streaks will be broken Sunday afternoon.
Patrick Surtain II and Christian Gonzalez lead elite defenses
The Broncos have the league’s top cornerback in Surtain. He won the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award last season, becoming just the second defensive back since 2010 to earn that honor. Surtain also was voted second team All-Pro this season.
But Gonzalez is one of the few young stars with a chance to someday challenge Surtain as the league’s No. 1 cornerback. He has been awesome in coverage during the playoffs, and in the Divisional Round win over the Texans, he had two pass breakups and a forced fumble.
Both of these players have the ability to make a game-changing play.
Will Campbell faces Broncos’ elite pass rush
Campbell made his return from an MCL injury in Week 18 after missing Weeks 13 through 17. He has faced two of the league’s best pass rushes in the playoffs — Chargers in the Wild Card Round and Texans in the Divisional Round — and he didn’t perform well against either one.
He allowed a strip sack in the win over the Chargers:
And it happened again Sunday against elite Texans pass rusher Will Anderson Jr.:
Anderson was credited with four pressures, three sacks and two forced fumbles on Sunday.
The Broncos have a good pass rush, too. They ranked No. 1 in the regular season with a 9.8 percent sack rate. Denver sacked Bills quarterback Josh Allen three times and tallied 10 QB hits in Saturday’s Divisional Round win.
Campbell will need to be much better in the AFC title game to help give Drake Maye a clean pocket.
Mack Hollins’ potential return
Hollins is eligible to be activated from injured reserve this week after missing the last four games due to an abdominal injury. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said Monday that no decision has been made on Hollins yet.
The veteran wideout is in his first season with the Patriots and quickly became one of quarterback Drake Maye’s top targets, as well as a quality blocker in the run game.
Hollins tallied 46 receptions for 550 yards with two touchdowns in the regular season.
More Patriots coverage
From last place to Super Bowl appearance?
If the Patriots beat the Broncos, they will be the sixth team this century to finish last place in their division and then reach the Super Bowl the following season.
Here’s the full list, with those teams’ Super Bowl result in parentheses:
- 2001 New England Patriots (won Super Bowl XXXVI vs. Rams)
- 2003 Carolina Panthers (lost Super Bowl XXXVIII vs. Patriots)
- 2009 New Orleans Saints (won Super Bowl XLIV vs. Colts)
- 2017 Philadelphia Eagles (won Super Bowl LII vs. Patriots)
- 2021 Cincinnati Bengals (lost Super Bowl LVI vs. Chiefs)
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
