|
|
|
The and were the two best teams in the AFC for much of the 2025 NFL season. It's fitting that these two teams will play for the right to play in Super Bowl LX. For the Patriots, the hope is that it's the return to familiar dominance for the franchise that put together the most impre sive run for any team in league history behind Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. First-year head coach Mike Vrabel was a perfect pick as the team's head coach and starting quarterback Drake Maye has been in the MVP conversation all season. For the Broncos, they have turned around one of the NFL's biggest dumpster fires in just three seasons under head coach Sean Payton. Though they will have to find a way to win this game without starting quarterback Bo Nix, Payton will have his team ready to play. So who wins this one? Do the Broncos prevail as the home team or does Jarrett Stidham stumble against the team Toni Kukoc Jersey that drafted him? AFC Championship Game Expert Picks Patriots 24, Broncos 16 "Can Stidham pull a Jeff Hostettler who led the to a Super Bowl XXV victory after Phil Simms was injured. Hostettler had two regular-season starts before the playoffs. A week might not be enough time for Denver here. Its just going to be tough to pull this off without the Patriots imploding on the road." Broncos 23, Patriots 21 "WithBo Nixout with a broken ankle, the Broncos will turn toJarrett Stidhamat quarterback in this one. He hasn't thrown a regular-season pa s since 2023, but Broncos coach Sean Payton believes in him. And when he does, he usually lets the quarterback play loose. The New England defense can be stingy, especially against the run, which can put more pre sure on Payton to scheme up things to make it easier forStidham. I think Payton is one of the best play callers in the league, so I think he will.On the other side,Drake Maye will be making his first road playoff start for the Patriots. That can be daunting, especially against a good Denver defense. ButMaye has been good on the road this season. Then again, this is the playoffs. The ran on the Broncos last week, so I expect the Patriots to try to do the same. New England is averaging 156.1 rushing yards per game over the last seven games, but I think Denver will be better this time against the run. It would be easy to pick the Pats here based onStidham playing. But I think the Denver players will elevate their games around him and Payton will have a big day calling the game for him. I think Denver's defense will get the best of the Pats offense. Denver goes to the Super Bowl." Patriots 23, Broncos 17 "No. 1 vs. No. 2 face off for a berth in the Super Bowl, but the No. 1 Broncos are an underdog after losing quarterback Bo Nix to an injury in the divisional-round win over theBuffalo Bills. Can Jarrett Stidham pull a Nick Foles and lead Denver to the Super Bowl? We don't see it. New England will force the QB into some mistakes, and Drake Maye and the Patriots will put up enough points to win the AFC championship." Patriots 20, Broncos 17 "The Patriots don't have much recent film onStidham, but that doesn't mean they aren't familiar with him. Quite the contrary, in fact, as New England draftedStidhamin the fourth round back in 2019, with Josh McDaniels serving as the quarterback's offensive coordinator for his first three NFL seasons. Something tells me McDaniels has contributed to this week's defensive game plan." Patriots 24, Broncos 20 "While Stidham may keep the Broncos competitive, Maye and Co. can be expected to pull out a late win on the road at Mile High Stadium to send the team through to Super Bowl 60." READ: More Broncos Content Scottie Pippen Jersey |
|
发表于