The 16-3 Patriots, the AFC’s No. 2 seed, will face the 15-3 Broncos, the AFC’s No. 1 seed, in the Mile High City on Sunday, Jan. 25, in Mike Vrabel’s first season as head coach.
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New England punched its ticket to the conference title game after defeating the Houston Texans, 28-16, in the snow in Foxboro on Sunday afternoon.
In the win, Drake Maye threw three touchdown passes and finished 16 of 27 for 179 yards, but had one interception and fumbled four times, losing two of them as a wintry mix hit the field.
If the Patriots defeat the Broncos in enemy territory at Empower Field, they will advance to Super Bowl LX in February. While Denver is known for having one of the strongest defenses in the NFL, it will be severely shorthanded on offense and will be tested mightily.
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix suffered a broken ankle in his team’s win over the Buffalo Bills on Saturday and has been ruled out for the remainder of the season.
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Jarrett Stidham, who was drafted by the Patriots in 2019, is in line to start the game for the Broncos. He is 1-3 as a starter in his career.
Stidham, a product of Auburn University, could find himself in a nightmare matchup, as the Patriots intercepted Texans quarterback CJ Stroud four times and sacked him three times.
Kickoff between the Patriots and Broncos is scheduled for 3 p.m. The game will air on CBS.
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