The Denver Broncos and New England Patriots 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 impressive 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 that drafted him?
AFC Championship Game Expert Picks
Bill Bender, AllSportsPeople: Patriots 24, Broncos 16
"Can Stidham pull a Jeff Hostettler – who led the Giants 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. It’s just going to be tough to pull this off without the Patriots imploding on the road."
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Broncos 23, Patriots 21
"With Bo Nix out with a broken ankle, the Broncos will turn to Jarrett Stidham at quarterback in this one. He hasn't thrown a regular-season pass 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 pressure on Payton to scheme up things to make it easier for Stidham. 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. But Maye has been good on the road this season. Then again, this is the playoffs.
The Bills 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 on Stidham 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."
Jeremy Cluff, Arizona Republic: 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 the Buffalo 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."
Gennaro Filice, NFL.com: Patriots 20, Broncos 17
"The Patriots don't have much recent film on Stidham, but that doesn't mean they aren't familiar with him. Quite the contrary, in fact, as New England drafted Stidham in 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."
Nick Brinkerhoff, USA Today: 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: Vance Joseph nominated for major award along with two other former Broncos coaches
More Broncos Content
Patriots wide receiver fires back at Sean Payton, bulletin board material is everywhere
Broncos have two key players aside from J.K. Dobbins trending towards playing vs. Patriots
Did Sean Payton just guarantee the Broncos get to the Super Bowl?
Broncos looking to keep Patriots from breaking a certain playoff curse in AFC Championship
Broncos could lose four coaches to high-profile jobs following the season