Exactly 10 years after Peyton Manning handed Tom Brady the Patriots' last AFC Championship loss, we're going to see a rematch in the very same round.

The Patriots are coming to Denver for their ninth AFC Championship Game in the last 15 years. Let's see what the game holds.

The Last Broncos vs Patriots Game

The last time these two teams went head-to-head in a regular season was in 2023. The Patriots won that game 26-23. New England QB Bailey Zappe made clutch completions on the final drive, including a 27-yard connection to DeVante Parker that set up the game-winning kick.

Though the script flips in the conference championship game. The Patriots have lost to the Broncos every time they have met in an AFC Championship game. The scoreboard read 18-20 in 2016 and 16-26 before that in 2014.

What Are the Head Coaches Saying?

Drake Maye and Co. will be going 5,280 feet above sea level for this game, but does it bother the head coach? Nope

“No tricks,” Mike Vrabel said. “Just play well, try to be prepared, and the better condition that you are, the less of an impact that’s going to make. There’s no tricks.”

The Broncos face a major setback with Bo Nix injured. However, Sean Payton has expressed confidence in Jarrett Stidham, a former Patriots fourth-round draft pick.

"I know how McDaniels [Patriots offensive coordinator Josh] felt about him when he brought him from New England to Vegas (in 2022)," Payton said of Stidham. "Then I know reports on how he played, and then we saw him play real time. But ultimately … it's our three years here. In our three years, watching him day in and day out, that you guys don't have access to. He will be ready to go and ready for the moment."

Patriots vs Broncos Injury Reports

New England Patriots-

• Carlton Davis III, CB - Questionable
• Terrell Jennings, RB - IR-R
• Mack Hollins, WR - IR
• Joshua Farmer, DT - IR
• Antonio Gibson, RB - IR

Denver Broncos-

• Bo Nix, QB - Out
• J.K. Dobbins, RB - IR-R
• Alex Forsyth, C - Questionable
• Troy Franklin, WR - Questionable
• Pat Bryant, WR - Questionable

Predictions:

The Bronocs are stepping in with a QB who has not thrown a pass in two seasons and has just four career NFL starts. Their offense is going to take a serious hit, while Drake Maye, on the flip side, has been going well with his MVP-level performance with four touchdowns and 447 yards just in the playoffs. That's not even counting his 31 touchdowns and 4,394 yards from the regular season.

The Patriots might finally make the record 1-2 against the Broncos in the AFC Championship games on Sunday.

Broadcasting and Game Details

Date: Sunday, January 25
Game Time: 3:00 pm ET
Venue: Empower Field at Mile High
How to Watch (TV): CBS/Paramount+

Written by

Reyansh Dubey

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar