If the New England Patriots needed any more motivation ahead of their AFC Championship game against the Denver Broncos, they just got it.
With Sean Payton, who usually offers some words for Denver's home fans, offering up this: “They’re going to have plenty of rest after this one. Two weeks," per Zac Stevens of DNVR Sports, it appears that hasn't gone over too well in New England.
Why? Because Payton is hinting that the Broncos will beat the Patriots, therefore giving fans "two weeks" to rest before the Super Bowl.
And Patriots receiver Kayshon Boutte has returned serve ahead of their trip to Empower Stadium.
"I ain't seen it," Boutte said. "They can rest in Cancun, too, at the end of the day. It is what it is."
The war of words has begun.
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Patriots favorites in AFC Championship
With Bo Nix out for the season with a broken bone in his ankle, Drake Maye and New England are the favorites heading into Mile High.
Jarrett Stidham is set to start in Nix's place, and the consensus is that Mike Vrabel's defense is about to make it incredibly tough on Stidham.
Of course, the Broncos defense can easily do that to Maye, who has struggled at times in the postseason as well.
But no doubt Vrabel will be using Payton's words as motivation in the lead-up to the game, because any extra push you can get helps.
And Payton might have just given New England what it wanted.
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