Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – New England quarterback Drake Maye and a whole new crop of Patriots take on the Denver Broncos Sunday aiming to return the franchise to the Super Bowl for the first time since the departure of Tom Brady. The winner of the AFC championship game in Denver will face either the Seattle Seahawks or Los Angeles Rams — who clash in the NFC championship game — in the February 8 Super Bowl in Santa Clara, California.
The Patriots won six NFL titles from 2001 to 2018 before superstar quarterback Brady departed in 2019. After missing the playoffs for three straight seasons, the completely rebuilt Pats put together an impressive 14-3 regular season. Maye says he and his teammates just want to keep at it. “I think it’s just another challenge for us to finish what we started,” he said. “I don’t think we want to stop here — we want to keep going.”
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Their chances of doing just that appeared to get a massive boost when Denver quarterback Bo Nix suffered a season-ending broken ankle on the penultimate play of the Broncos’ overtime triumph over the Buffalo Bills last week. Jarett Stidham — a seventh-year quarterback who hasn’t attempted a pass in two seasons — will get the start for the Broncos. “We wouldn’t be in this position without Bo,” Stidham said. “I know all of us on offense, I know the whole team, we want to go out there on Sunday and make him proud.” Given the upheaval, it’s likely that Denver’s formidable defense, led by defensive player of the year Pat Surtain II and top pass rusher Nik Bonitto, will be key. Denver’s defense led the league with 68 quarterback sacks in the regular season.
Maye was sacked five times and surrendered four fumbles in the Patriots’ win over the Houston Texans last week. But he also found Kayshon Boutte for a sensational one-handed touchdown grab in the victory and said he won’t temper his aggressive style in the face of Denver’s defensive strength. “I don’t think you try to change it,” Maye said. “I think last week, if you change it, Kayshon doesn’t make the play. Little things like that are just knowing the time and place for it.” He added, “Trying to get the ball out of my hand and just being cognizant of the edge rushers and taking care of the football is the number one thing. If we have time and have a look downfield, you know me, I’m gonna take a shot.”
**- Seahawks-Rams rubber match -** The NFC title game in Seattle will mark the third meeting of the season between the Seahawks and Rams — the two best teams in the NFC West. Los Angeles escaped with a 21-19 victory in week 11 and Seattle won a thrilling rematch 38-37.
The Seahawks will be without one of their most potent offensive weapons after running back Zach Charbonnet suffered torn knee ligaments in last weekend’s playoff win over the San Francisco 49ers. Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold is also dealing with an oblique injury, but vowed to be ready. “We’re really excited about this opportunity to play these guys,” he said. “I’ve just got to continue to prepare and get my body right for Sunday.”
Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford is motivated to make up for what he recalls as shortcomings in the team’s most recent loss in Seattle. “We didn’t play as up to our standard in some areas, and we had chances to finish that game and didn’t,” he said. “It’s a big test playing against their team. We look forward to the opportunity.”
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