NFL playoffs: Patriots to play Broncos in AFC Championship. See date, time for game

FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots will make their 16th conference championship game appearance and first since their run to their sixth Super Bowl title under Bill Belichick in the 2018 season when they visit the Denver Broncos next weekend.

The 16-3 Patriots, the No. 2 seed in the AFC, will battle the 15-3 Broncos, the No. 1 seed in the AFC, in the Mile High City on Sunday, Jan. 25, in Mike Vrabel’s first season as head coach.

New England punched their ticket to the conference title game after knocking off the Houston Texans, 28-16, in the snow at Foxboro on Sunday afternoon.

In victory, Drake Maye tossed three touchdown passes and finished 16 of 27 for 179 yards, but had an interception and fumbled four times, losing two of them as a wintry mix pelted the field.

If the Patriots defeat the Broncos in enemy territory at Empower Field, they’ll advance to Super Bowl LX in February. While Denver is known for having one of the strongest defenses in the NFL, it’ll be severely shorthanded on offense and tested mightily.

Broncos quarterback Bo Nix suffered a broken ankle in his team’s win over the Buffalo Bills on Saturday and has been ruled out for the remainder of the season.

Jarrett Stidham, who was drafted by the Patriots in 2019, is in line to start the game for the Broncos. He is 1-3 as a starter in his career.

Stidham, a product of the University of Auburn, could be in for a nightmarish matchup, given the Patriots intercepted Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud four times and sacked him three times.

Kickoff between the Patriots and Broncos is set for 3 p.m. The game will air on CBS.

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