The Denver Broncos host the New England Patriots in the AFC title game, and the neat thing with this playoff rivalry is that the Pats have never beaten the Broncos in Denver in the playoffs. Hopefully, that trend continues on Sunday.
Obviously, the Broncos are going to have to win this game without Bo Nix, the starting QB. Nix broke his ankle near the end of overtime and is going to miss the rest of the season. Fortunately, the injury should not impact Nix for the start of the 2026 season.
All in all, the Broncos are going to be able to win this game, but it's going to be more of a team effort than any game this year, and it's going to be the biggest game of the season up to this point. While much of the chatter has been about the offense and Jarrett Stidham, there is a reason why the Broncos defense could have some troubles in the AFC title game.
The Patriots offensive weapons could strain the Denver Broncos defense
In the regular season, here are the scrimmage yard leaders for the New England Patriots:
1. TreVeyon Henderson - 1,132
2. Stefon Diggs - 1,013
3. Rhamondre Stevenson - 948
4. Hunter Henry - 768
5. Mack Hollins - 554
6. Kayshon Boutte - 551
The Patriots had six players in the regular season with at least 550 yards from scrimmage, which is an insane level of spreading the ball out. TreVeyon Henderson and Stefon Diggs both eclipsed 1,000 yards, but they also had four other players racking up some yardage.
Receiver Mack Hollins is also expected to return to the lineup for the Patriots, which is a huge return for them. The Broncos defense could get a bit strained here with all of the capable weapons New England has, but the one bright side here is that there isn't a truly elite playmaker in this group like there was last week in the Divisional Round with James Cook.
The Broncos should be able to contain the receivers, as the team has the CBs in Patrick Surtain, Riley Moss, and Ja'Quan McMillian to match that talent. Hunter Henry had a great year, though, and Denver seems to always struggle against tight ends.
And if the Divisional Round was any indication, the Broncos could struggle stopping the opposing running back. All in all, the Broncos defense should be able to contain the Patriots offense given the circumstances, but the wealth of weapons New England has could be a sore spot for the Broncos defense.