Patriots’ AFC Championship Opponent, Date Finalized

The New England Patriots participated in one of the most unique playoff games in recent memory in their Divisional Round win against the Houston Texans, which saw both teams turn the ball over a total of eight times combined, including four interceptions thrown by Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud in just the first half of action.

The Patriots proved to be the far more complete team in the 28-16 win that never really felt in doubt after mid-way through the second quarter,

The defense to wreak havoc on Stroud, while offensively Drake Maye was able to navigate the league's No. 1 total defense and continuously push the ball down the field, highlighted by a miraculous, one-handed Kayshon Boutte fourth quarter touchdown reception that ultimately put the game to bed.

Who Will The Patriots Face Next And When?

Going onto the next round, the Patriots will now play at the Denver Broncos, who, after beating the Buffalo Bills in an end-to-end overtime win in their Divisional Round game, will not have quarterback Bo Nix playing after he was ruled out for the rest of the playoffs with a broken ankle.

Both of the conference championship games will be played on Jan. 25. The Patriots-Broncos game will occur in the early afternoon kickoff at 3 p.m. EST, while the NFC Championship game will be played in the later slot at 6:30 p.m. EST.

That game will be played between the Seattle Seahawks, who dismantled the San Francisco 49ers last night, to the tune of 41-6, and the winner of the Los Angeles Rams-Chicago Bears matchup.

The Patriots Will Face A Backup QB Next Weekend

Although no one wants to see injuries happen, especially at key positions like quarterback, the Patriots knew that a win today would mean they would almost certainly be favored heading into Denver next weekend.

Jarrett Stidham - ironically, the former fourth-round pick for New England back in 2019 - will take Nix's role under center and look to make a potential Nick Foles-esque run in the final two games of the playoffs.

Stidham has shown during his time in Massachusetts, Vegas and Denver that he is one of the more capable, reliable backups in the NFL who can make almost all the throws. So anyone assuming that the AFC Championship Game will be a rudimentary cake-walk will no doubt have to think again.

Yet, even so the Patriots remain just one game away from going to yet another Super Bowl.

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