SI

Let’s Stop This Talk of Neutral Site Conference Championship Games Right Now

Weather became a big factor in the Patriots-Broncos game, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Jimmy Traina|
The AFC championship game between the Patriots and Broncos in Denver featured heavy snow during the second half.
The AFC championship game between the Patriots and Broncos in Denver featured heavy snow during the second half. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

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New England PatriotsDenver Broncos

1. This might be a straw man argument more than a real thing that can happen, but it’s important enough that I need to take a stand on it right now.

And this is coming from a legit outlet in Pro Football Talk, not some randoms on social media.

On Monday, Mike Florio wrote a column in which he wondered if the NFL would consider moving the AFC and NFC championships to neutral sites after what we saw in Denver on Sunday. Florio reminded everyone that Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt has pushed for this change for years.

While it’s true that the snow wreaked havoc on the Patriots-Broncos game, with each team being completely unable to move the ball, the weather was not responsible for the outcome.

Denver lost for three reasons. One, it was playing with a backup quarterback who was completely and totally inept. Jarrett Stidham did not throw a backwards pass, which led to New England’s only touchdown of the game, because of the elements. Two, its defense couldn’t stop Drake Maye when he decided to run with the ball. Three, Sean Payton made one of the dumbest decisions you’ll ever see when he passed on kicking a field goal that would’ve given the Broncos a 10–0 lead in the second quarter.

The weather was a factor in the game, but the weather did not determine the outcome of the game.

I’m not sure how anyone would want to trade the atmosphere at playoff games played in front of a home crowd for a boring, generic, neutral site that has diminished emotion.

Weather is part of football. Always has been. Bad weather doesn’t favor one team over the over. Whether it’s rain, wind or a blizzard, the playing conditions are the same for each team.

So, this isn’t a fairness issue. Here’s the question Florio posed in his column:

“After Sunday, here’s the overriding question. Are we O.K. with staging those games in places where the conditions could make them both unplayable and unwatchable? Do we want the team that was trailing once the skies opened and the snow accumulated to have no realistic chance to come back and win?”

My answer is that I’m more than O.K. with it. I thought the game was very watchable. I loved the chess match of each team having to deal with the elements.

The wind and snow had nothing to do with New England winning. If the Broncos had Bo Nix playing instead of Jarrett Stidham, they would’ve had a very realistic chance to come back and win.

Don’t take away our snow games!

2. Speaking of Sean Payton’s blunder, former WFAN host Mike Francesa is getting a lot attention for his pregame and postgame analysis of the Broncos coach.

3. If your stance is that the Pro Bowl has been diminished and should be abolished, but then you get all worked up that Shedeur Sanders was named to the Pro Bowl, you’re contradicting your stance.

You can’t say that the Pro Bowl should go away and then get all worked up about who makes the Pro Bowl. The Pro Bowl is a complete joke on every level. Who makes the Pro Bowl is completely irrelevant.

4. For some reason, a Clippers fan posted that if the Clippers go 15–3 at any stretch of the season, he’d print out his tweet on a piece of paper and eat it.

The Clippers are 15-3 in their last 18 games, so the fan ate a piece of paper, much to the delight of the team’s players.

5. If you believe in betting trends (I don’t), then you’ll want to seriously consider making a wager on the Patriots based on this nugget.

6. This week’s SI Media With Jimmy Traina features a conversation with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt.

Van Pelt talks about whether he will be moving into ESPN’s 5 p.m. slot that used to be occupied by Around the Horn, the pros and cons of that time slot and how close his former partner, Ryen Russillo, came to returning to ESPN and joining him for a new show.

In addition, Van Pelt talks about the controversy involving Jacksonville reporter Lynn Jones complimenting Liam Coen during a press conference, going through a health scare years ago, his addiction to Diet Coke, his favorite Bad Beat of 2025, Super Bowl betting and much more.

Following Van Pelt, SNY's Sal Licata joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week, we discuss dealing with the cold weather, reactions to my recent podcast interviews with Mike Tirico and Laura Rutledge, the problem with NFL television rules analysts, the NFL conference championship games and Sal’s new show.

You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on YouTube.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: I can’t begin to tell you how much I related to this video.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.

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Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

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