All eyes will be on Jarrett Stidham when the Broncos host the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
The backup quarterback was thrown into the spotlight after Bo Nix suffered a season-ending ankle injury against the Bills. Will Stidham be able to lead the Broncos to an upset victory? Or will Drake Maye continue his amazing season and bring the Patriots back to the Super Bowl?
Here’s some information about how each team got to this point, what channel the game is on, why this is such a fantastic matchup and more.
New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos Kickoff Time
The game kicks off at 3 p.m. ET (1 p.m. MT) at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver.
New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos Channel
The AFC Championship Game will air on CBS. The game can be streamed on Paramount+ or NFL+.
New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos Weather
There will be some football weather in Denver on Sunday afternoon!
Temperatures will top out at around 20 degrees and there is a chance of snow. Moderate winds (around 12 mph) are expected.
The Patriots are coming off a snowy win over the Texans, where Drake Maye struggled in the wintry conditions, throwing an interception, putting the ball on the ground four times and losing two fumbles.
And of course, altitude could play a factor in the Mile High City, potentially causing issues for players on the Patriots who are not acclimated to the thin air.
How much are tickets for the NFC Championship Game?
The Broncos have a loyal fanbase and they will bring the noise on Sunday afternoon.
As of Friday night, tickets were starting at just under $400, with prices approaching $2,000 in seats closer to the field.
Denver Broncos Key Storyline
The Broncos had hoped that J.K. Dobbins would return from his foot injury to play the Patriots, but he has been ruled out, an unfortunate development for Sean Payton and company. This gives Stidham one fewer weapon as he becomes the second quarterback ever to make his first start of a season in a conference championship game, joining Roger Staubach (1972). Stidham has not thrown a pass in a regular-season or playoff game in 749 days, and he will need to step up in a big way if the Broncos want to play in Super Bowl LX.
New England Patriots Key Storyline
There have been four teams in NFL history to win the Super Bowl the season after finishing last in their division: the 1999 Rams, 2001 Patriots, 2009 Saints and the 2017 Eagles. If Mike Vrabel’s squad wants to join that list, they will need to take care of business in Denver against a backup quarterback. That might sound easy, especially considering the Patriots are favored, but they are 0-4 on the road against the Broncos in the postseason, including an 0-3 record with Tom Brady. The last time these two teams met in the playoffs was the 2015 AFC title game, when Peyton Manning did just enough and Denver’s defense stepped up in a big way to earn a home upset victory and a Super Bowl trip to Levi’s Stadium. Sound familiar?
New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos History
These teams have not played a game against each other since 2023, when the 4-11 Patriots beat the 7-8 Broncos 26-23 in Denver. Bailey Zappe and Russell Wilson were the starting quarterbacks in a game decided by kicker Chad Ryand’s career-long 56-yard field goal with two seconds left.
The Patriots and Broncos have played 50 regular-season games, with the Broncos leading the all-time series 27-23. In the playoffs, the Denver is 4-1 all-time against New England, with the home team winning every single game between the two franchises.
Will AFC Championship Game impact 2026 NFL Draft?
While the first 28 picks of the 2026 NFL Draft are locked in, the final four spots are still to be determined, and the loser of the AFC Championship Game will get a slightly better first-round selection.
The current order of the first round is below.
- Las Vegas Raiders
- New York Jets
- Arizona Cardinals
- Tennessee Titans
- New York Giants
- Cleveland Browns
- Washington Commanders
- New Orleans Saints
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Miami Dolphins
- Dallas Cowboys
- Los Angeles Rams via Atlanta Falcons
- Baltimore Ravens
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- New York Jets via Indianapolis Colts
- Detroit Lions
- Minnesota Vikings
- Carolina Panthers
- Dallas Cowboys via Green Bay Packers
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Cleveland Browns via Jacksonville Jaguars
- Chicago Bears
- Buffalo Bills
- San Francisco 49ers
- Houston Texans
- Los Angeles Rams (Projected, TBD)
- Denver Broncos (Projected, TBD)
- New England Patriots (Projected, TBD)
- Seattle Seahawks (Projected, TBD)
NFL Divisional Round Scores:
Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026
Denver Broncos 33, Buffalo Bills 30 Final/OT
Seattle Seahawks 41, San Francisco 49ers 6
Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026
New England Patriots 28, Houston Texans 16
Los Angeles Rams 20, Chicago Bears 17 Final/OT
NFL Wild Card Weekend Scores:
Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026
Los Angeles Rams 34, Carolina Panthers 31
Chicago Bears 31, Green Bay Packers 27
Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026
Buffalo Bills 27, Jacksonville Jaguars 24
San Francisco 49ers 23, Philadelphia Eagles 19
New England Patriots 16, Los Angeles Chargers 3
Monday, Jan. 12, 2026
Houston Texans 30, Pittsburgh Steelers 6
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Is Super Bowl LX on Peacock?
Super Bowl LX will air on NBC and stream live on Peacock on Sunday, Feb 8, 2026.
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