The main headline in this matchup is the Broncos quarterback situation. Late in their divisional round matchup against Buffalo, Bo Nix fractured his ankle and was ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs. One of the most brutal blows that a team has ever suffered this late into the season.
With Nix sidelined, backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham will take over the reins for Denver. Stidham has not started an NFL game since 2023, making this even more unprecedented. The 29-year-old entered the league in 2019 when he was coincidentally drafted by the team who he will face on Sunday.
Despite losing Nix, I believe that Denver still has a good fighting chance at coming out of this game with the victory. This game being in the Mile High City is very significant, and additionally Denver's defense is no joke and is going to give Drake Maye nightmares.
Coming off of a sloppy victory over the Houston Texans, the Patriots are coming into this game very confident. Their offense shut down all of the rumors that the Texans defense was too much for New England to handle and their defense balled out as well.
However, New England did rack up a couple of injuries in their win this past weekend. Significant names such as Treyveon Henderson, Hunter Henry, Harold Landry, and others all landed on this week's injury report. Being the AFC Championship, I expect these guys are going to do whatever it takes to play, but none of them are going to be 100 percent healthy.
Last time it was Manning vs Brady. This time it's Stidham vs Maye. Despite the injuries, this game is going to be one for the ages. The top two teams in the AFC will compete for the right to go to the Super Bowl this Sunday in Denver.
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