The Denver Broncos will face the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game on Jan. 25, after New England beat the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round, 28-16, Sunday in Foxborough.Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. between t he top two seeds in the conference. The game marks a rematch of the 2015 AFC Championship game, which, of course, Denver won on its way to Super Bowl 50 where it hoisted the Lombardi Trophy.Denver, of course, lost quarterback Bo Nix for the remainder of the playoffs after Nix fractured an ankle late in Saturdays 33-30 overtime win over Buffalo. Jarrett Stidham is expected to make his first start of the season.On the other side, Drake Maye selected nine picks before Nix in the 2024 NFL Draft and widely considered an MVP candidate this season leads the Patriots into the Mile High City.Both teams used big defensive plays to earn their spot in the conference title game. The Broncos forced five turnovers two interceptions and three fumble recoveries to edge the Bills on Saturday. The Patriots recorded five takeaways of their own, including four interceptions of Houston quarterback CJ Stroud one returned for a touchdown in the first half.Denver and New England had the Nos. 2 and 8 yardage defenses in the NFL during the regular season, respectively, and the Nos. 3 and 4 scoring defenses.The Patriots also ranked third in offensive yards per game and second in points scored per game. Even with Nix at the helm, the Broncos ranked 10th and 14th in those categories during the regular season. ...read more read less