Three games remain. Four teams with two in each conference. The remaining two in the AFC are the east winning New England Patriots and the west division winning and conference leading Denver Broncos. Both teams have run-first offenses, elite defenses, and bright-minded veteran head coaches. Time to determine who will advance to the Super Bowl.
#2 New England Patriots v. #1 Denver Broncos
The NFL was right to schedule this conference championship game first. Not only is it the least exciting of the two, this game will have a backup quarterback start his first game of the season. Denver’s Jarrett Stidham will play his sixth career game against one of the NFL’s most complete defenses.
It won’t matter how great the Broncos defense is in this game. Denver will struggle to put together scoring drives against a New England defense that stifles the running game and gives up less than 195 passing yards each weekend. Despite a week of practice, Stidham’s lack of game and playoff experience as a starting quarterback tragically dooms the Broncos this late in the season.
Prediction: Patriots win the AFC championship 31-13 and advance to Super Bowl LX
AFC divisional round playoff picks record: 0-2
2026 AFC playoff picks record: 2-3
JD's Sportscorner 