FOXBORO, Mass. — It is on to Denver for the AFC Championship game.
The Pats have a chance to return to the Super Bowl in just six days.
From four wins total last season to just two wins away from a Super Bowl championship, this storybook season for the Pats rolls on.
The last time the Patriots appeared in the AFC Championship game was in the 2018 season with Tom Brady. The team went on to beat the Rams in the Super Bowl.
But before Patriots fans can even think about Super Bowl 60, they had to endure last night’s game, which was all about the defense.
The Patriots knew they had their toughest task ahead of them, going against the top defense in the NFL, and Houston certainly proved it. The Texans got to Drake Maye often—forcing four fumbles. Maye also threw an interception.
The second-year QB did toss three touchdown passes—helping the offense get the points they needed against Houston. The Patriots defense stepped up big time—picking off CJ Stroud four times, returning one for a touchdown.
Head Coach Mike Vrabel is proud of his team but knows the work is not done yet.
“We’ve asked them to embrace the preparation, embrace the strain, and also enjoy every minute of this,” said Vrabel. “Enjoy walking in this stadium, coming in here, enjoy putting your uniform on, enjoy going out there in warmups, enjoy seeing your family, but most especially enjoy know the execution. So we’ll keep doing that. And we know we got to go on the road to number one seed in the AFC, and it’s not going to be easy, but we’ll come out and be ready to go.”
Two things fans should be excited about: the Patriots are undefeated on the road this season, and they are also facing off against Denver’s backup QB and former Patriots quarterback Jarrett Stidham. But a former backup was quick to put Patriots fans in their place.
Shortly after the Patriots beat the Texans last night, Nick Foles--the backup quarterback for the Eagles when they beat Tom Brady and the Patriots in Super Bowl 52—tweeted last night:
“Note for the Broncos and their fans: I know it has been an emotional 24 hours. I feel for Bo and the team, and I’m sending prayers for a strong recovery. A positive note going into the game versus the Patriots is that they struggle against backup QBs in championship-type games.”
Foles was referring to Denver’s Quarterback Bo Nix being out for the AFC Championship game. He broke a bone in his right ankle in the B win against the Bills Saturday night. Patriots Quarterback Drake Maye spoke about the upcoming matchup.
“It was heartbreaking for what a player he is, you know, the guy he is,” said Maye. “And just know, you’re praying for Bo. I know he’s going to bounce back. He’s a great player in this league and I look forward to matching up with him. We had one in college and he got the best of me. So I know he will bounce back, but they’ve got a good team, and it should be a tough one next week.”
Maye knows he will need to play better. He had four fumbles and one interception—that was against the top-ranked defense in the NFL. The Broncos have the second-best defense in the NFL. The Patriots defense has stepped up as of late, with four interceptions last night, including one pick six—the first in a playoff game for the Pats since Asante Samuel in the 2006 AFC championship game.
The last time the Pats traveled to Denver for an AFC Championship game was in 2016—when Peyton Manning and the Broncos beat Brady and the Pats. New England fans are hoping for a different outcome this time around, when the game kicks off at 3 pm on Sunday.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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