What to Watch For: AFC Championship - Patriots vs. Broncos
Sunday, January 24, 2016
The New England Patriots are set to battle the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game this afternoon in Denver. This is the second time in three years the teams have met in this game with Denver winning two years ago. Kick off is set for 3 p.m.
"We know how tough Denver is, and they're a very resilient team. I know they've been through a lot of tough situations this year, a lot of close games, three overtime wins, been down, came back like they did against us a couple of the times, so we know they're physically and mentally tough. They're led by a lot of great players on both sides of the ball and in the kicking game, so a lot of challenges for us here," said Patriots head coach, Bill Belichick, earlier this week.
See What to Watch For in the Slideshow Below
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTJon Heath, the managing editor at Broncos Wire said "I'm a lot more confident than the national media. I think 78% of the national media pick the Patriots to win the game."
If the Patriots are to win, they will have to go through a familiar face on the other side of the ball, Peyton Manning.
Brady vs. Manning
One of the greatest rivalries in the NFL and in sports renews today as Tom Brady and Peyton Manning meet for the 17th time and for the third time in the AFC Championship.
"I think playing someone 17 times is pretty cool; especially someone as great as him. To play against those Peyton Manning-led teams, you know you've got to play 60 minutes, and you're going to be in for a tough game. They're going to take advantage of opportunities that they get, so we're going to have to do a good job of taking care of the football, because you don't want to give it to these guys on a short field. So, it's going to be a big challenge for us," said Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady.
The seemingly annual Brady vs. Manning game almost didn't happen, as Manning got injured and then essentially lost his job to Brock Osweiler, who went 4-2 in his time as a starter. Osweiler was pulled from the final game of the season with the team struggling and replaced by Manning.
"I didn't see any reason for him to come back in. Generally I didn't think Osweiler was the reason for the team's struggles. The offensive line wasn't blocking and receivers were dropping passes. But when they did put him in, he did give the offense a spark," Heath said.
Tom Brady is 11-5 all-time against Peyton Manning, however, Manning has won the last two AFC Championship games over Brady.
Understanding What's at Stake
The Patriots are looking to get back to the Super Bowl for the second straight season and the 9th time in franchise history, which would be an NFL record.
New England would also appear in the Super Bowl for the seventh time in the Brady/Belichick era (15 years).
Getting back to the Super Bowl means that Tom Brady will have a chance to become the only quarterback in NFL history to win 5 Super Bowl titles.
Bill Belichick would also have a chance to become the only coach to win five Super Bowl titles, passing Chuck Noll.
Needless to say, there is a lot riding on this game.
See What to Watch For in the Slideshow Below
Related Slideshow: What to Watch For: AFC Championship - Patriots vs. Broncos
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