01/23/26 04:09:00
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01/23 16:08 CST Drake Maye aims to do what Tom Brady couldn't with the
Patriots: win a playoff game in Denver
Drake Maye aims to do what Tom Brady couldn't with the Patriots: win a playoff
game in Denver
By JIMMY GOLEN
AP Sports Writer
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) --- Drake Maye has a chance to accomplish something not
even Tom Brady did with the Patriots.
Maye is hoping to beat the Broncos in the AFC championship game in Denver on
Sunday and lead New England to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2018.
The Patriots have never won a playoff game in Denver --- losing all four tries,
with Brady going 0-3.
"Just the AFC championship, the chance to go to the Super Bowl. That'd be
huge," Maye said. "Another road environment that's had success in the past. ...
I know it would be a big-time win."
The Patriots advanced to their 14th AFC championship game in the last 25 years
on Sunday when they beat the Houston Texans 28-16 in Foxborough. Denver beat
Buffalo 33-30 to reach the conference title game.
New England and Denver both finished 14-3 in the regular season, but the
Broncos won the tiebreaker for home-field advantage because they had a better
record against common opponents: Denver beat the Raiders twice this season but
the Patriots lost to them.
That loss --- to the worst team in the NFL in the first game of the Mike Vrabel
era --- sent New England into one of the most inhospitable environments in the
league. In addition to the high-energy crowd, the Patriots will also have to
contend with a low-oxygen environment that they won't have a chance to
acclimate to.
"Kind of what we've been doing on the road all season long," said Maye, who has
guided the Patriots to an 8-0 road record this season. "They've got a great
team, so we're going to have a tough challenge. But I'm looking forward to
getting out there. And getting a chance to possibly celebrate on an away field
would be pretty special."
The last team to go undefeated on the road with a new head coach was the San
Francisco 49ers under George Seifert in 1989; they won the Super Bowl.
"Coach (Vrabel) has always been saying, ?Road warriors,'" Maye said. "So, we're
trying to find that one more time and finish out strong what we've done this
year."
The Broncos are 18-5 in home playoff games all-time. But they'll will be
without starting quarterback Bo Nix, who broke his ankle near the end of the
divisional round victory over Buffalo. Instead, the offense will be led by
former Patriot Jarrett Stidham, who hasn't thrown a pass since 2023.
That's why New England opened as a 5-point favorite --- the biggest road
favorite ever in a conference championship game. The line has since moved to
Denver plus-4.
"We always feel as though no matter what anyone else has to say, we still have
something to prove," said cornerback Marcus Jones, who returned an interception
for a touchdown against Houston. "We're trying to always prove ourselves right
and not trying to prove other people wrong. That's kind of the philosophy we've
had for a long time."
Win or lose, the Patriots could have trouble getting back to New England: A
major snowstorm is expected to dump a foot or more of snow on the area.
Vrabel said the team is prepared if it can't leave Denver on Sunday night.
"We have multiple plans of what could go on based on the weather. (It's)
something that they're familiar with here," he said. "I mean, there's things I
can control, (but) that I can't control."
___
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