In the AFC Championship final, the Patriots and Broncos will face each other. The last time they met in the playoffs was a decade ago. It was a time when Tom Brady was facing Payton Manning. This time around, it will be two quarterbacks that only a few could have imagined.
Drake Maye has been good for the Patriots as he overcame a 1-2 start to the season. They have won 15 of their last 16 games, including playoffs. This season, Maye has turned into an MVP candidate for their team.
The inclusion of Jarrod Stidham for the Denver Broncos is far more shocking. Stidham replaced Box Nix in the team, who fractured his ankle in last week’s game.
Here, we will look at three must-know storylines of the AFC Championship Game.
Stidham to Get First Start in Two Years
In this game, Stidham is set to make his first start since Week 18 of the 2023 season. Josh McDaniels, Pats’ offensive coordinator, brought Stidham to the Raiders when he was the head Coach. Stidham hasn’t attempted a regular-season pass in two years. In this game, Denver’s offense is going to look different as they will have to rely on a new strategy with Stidham in the mix. Stidham is not as good as others. He has little utility outside of short yardage. He has a good hand and delivers good throws when required. However, he often struggles to navigate pressure. So, we can expect them to create a game plan heavily reliant on quick passing and in-breaking routes.
Drake Maye Must Hold Up Against Denver Pass Rush
In the two postseason games, the pass protection for Drake Maye has not been excellent. They allowed 10 sacks and 31 pressures on 66 dropbacks. In the two games, he fumbled six times. And most importantly, the pass rush team at Denver is a dangerous one as they’ve harassed Josh Allen last week into four turnovers. Broncos edge rusher Nik Bonitto could do something against Patriots rookie LT Will Campbell. Maye’s regular-season path might have been easier, but this is going to challenge him.
Do Patriots have a run-game advantage?
The Patriots seem to have an advantage in the ground game. Stevenson has been highly efficient in the postseason games, and Maye is a weapon as a scrambler. The Broncos’ run defence was one of the best in the NFL during the regular season. They allowed only 91.1 rush yards per game and 3.9 yards per carry. However, the Bills ran for 183 yards last week in Denver and averaged 5.1 yards per clip. On the other hand, the Broncos are dealing with multiple injuries.