The Denver Broncos matchup well with the New England Patriots and can win this game. It's going to be a tall task either way, but this is a winnable one for Denver even without Bo Nix, who has a broken ankle and will miss the rest of the playoffs.
Nix's status is unknown beyond that. He'll have surgery on Tuesday, and I suppose at that time, the Broncos may know about how long the recovery timeline is. The team will now focus on getting ready to host the Patriots. Jarrett Stidham takes over as starter, and with the news that JK Dobbins' practice window has opened, the Broncos might have a clear offensive gameplan.
They are very likely going to run the heck out of the ball, especially if Dobbins is back, and perhaps not ask Stidham to do a ton. Defensively, though, the Broncos have to ensure that Drake Maye can't beat them through the air, as he can throw the ball down the field quite well. Given what has happened in the playoffs thus far, the defensive gameplan is already obvious.
The Denver Broncos pass rush has to be the focal point of the defensive gameplan
Patriots left tackle Will Campbell has also struggled in the playoffs a bit, and he's a rookie who has definitely gone through the growing pains:
Although he's been a reliable blocker for most of his rookie campaign, Campbell was anything but that on Sunday afternoon. The 2025 draft's fourth-overall pick was constantly getting burned by the Texans' defensive line, allowing a team-high five pressures (three hurries, two sacks) across 34 pass-blocking downs, per Pro Football Focus. This means he made QB Drake Maye's job tougher than it had to be on 14.7% of his opportunities.
Through two playoff games, not only has Campbell himself played poorly, but Drake Maye has been sacked a whopping 10 times. He's lost 69 yards on those sacks, and he's also had six fumbles. He's thrown two interceptions in two games as well after throwing just eight in the regular season.
But back in the regular season, Maye was still sacked 47 times. If the Denver Broncos hope to beat the New England Patriots in the AFC title game, the pass rush is going to be the centerpiece of that. We have seen this defense begin to force more turnovers, and I do believe Denver may need multiple strip sacks and at least one interception to have a chance.
But given what has transpired along the Patriots offensive line recently, this could turn out to be a great matchup for Denver.