Stick here for live updates and analysis as Denver takes on the Patriots at Empower Field at Mile High. Live updates Pre-game updates Cowboy Jarrett Stidham (11:47 a.m.): Jarrett Stidham arrived at the game wearing a cowboy hat. This is classic Stidham. He is not letting the week change his personal ity. Be yourself has been a common theme. Can he do that now when the fire alarms are blaring? Well… Stiddy Up… is now the new rallying cry. — Renck Bo watch (11:37 a.m.): Bo Nix’s season is over, but he’s going to be in the building today. He’ll be watching along with other Denver players not in uniform at Empower Field. A lot of storylines around the QBs this week, but one that has come to mind a few times: It has to be absolutely brutal for Nix to be watching as his team plays for a trip to the Super Bowl. — Gabriel Roster moves (11:33 a.m.): A couple of guys filling in key spots: WR Elijah Moore is Denver’s fifth receiver today and Sam Mustipher is the No. 2 center behind Luke Wattenberg. — Gabriel Inactives (11:31 a.m.): Broncos WR Troy Franklin (hamstring) is officially inactive. The rest: C Alex Forsyth (ankle) S JL Skinner (quad) WR Michael Bandy (PS) DL Sai’Vion Jones DL Jordan Jackson ILB Karene Reid — Gabriel Game day (10:51 a.m.): It’s a beautiful but cold morning at Empower Field for AFC Championship Sunday. The Broncos and Patriots play for a spot in the Super Bowl at 1 p.m. We’ve seen Jarrett Stidham out for early warmups, Garett Bolles taking his pregame walk in a Bo Nix jersey and safety JL Skinner, questionable with a quad injury, go through a pregame workout under the watchful eyes of training staff and GM George Paton. Setting up to bet quite a day here. — Gabriel Weather (9:58 a.m.): Heading to the game? Snow’s likely for kick-off. — Nguyen Scouting report (9:15 a.m.): Check out how the Broncos match up with the Patriots in Luca Evans’ scouting report. Game predictions Parker Gabriel, Broncos reporter: Patriots 17, Broncos 16 It would be a tremendous story if Denver punches a ticket to Santa Clara with Jarrett Stidham at the helm. It’s not impossible, either. The Broncos are confident, even without quarterback Bo Nix. They don’t just think ‘Stiddy’ will play well, they will be really surprised if he doesn’t. They’ve got a deep roster, a talented defense and an offensive line that can control a game. New England has that, too, plus an MVP candidate at quarterback in Drake Maye. Luca Evans, Broncos reporter: Patriots 17, Broncos 10 Going through the scouting report on New England truly reminds one how stacked the Patriots are as a group, and how many holes these Broncos have without Bo Nix’s late-game magic to help tie things up. Toss out all the light-schedule talk around the Pats; they’ve dispatched Los Angeles and Houston in timely fashion in these playoffs. This is just a brutal draw for Jarrett Stidham against his former team, and the magic runs out here. Troy Renck, columnist: Broncos 22, Patriots 20 Everything about Sunday suggests the Broncos will lose without Bo Nix. They are the largest home underdog in a conference championship game since the league merger. Jarrett Stidham hasn’t played in a postseason game since he led Auburn to a win over Purdue in the 2018 Music City Bowl. But Sean Payton is the best version of himself in these spots, and the Broncos defense will make Drake Maye miserable enough to pull off the upset. Sean Keeler, columnist: Broncos 23, Patriots 20 We may not know what we’re going to get from Jarrett Stidham, but we know what we’re going to get from Drake Maye — and from this Broncos pass rush. The Pats’ offense line allowed a bottom-10-in-the-NFL sack rate during the regular season, and Maye sports a 39.60 passer rating when “pressured” this postseason. The defense will have to carry the load one more time. With feeling. Will Lutz with the winner late. Same as it ever was. Nate Peterson, sports editor: Broncos 21, Patriots 17 The Patriots have gotten here by demolishing two lousy offensive lines to rattle Justin Herbert and C.J. Stroud, but that won’t be the case Sunday. The Broncos’ O-line stands up for ‘Stiddy’ and the run game provides enough of a lift to shorten the game to pull off the unthinkable in front of a frothing home crowd. Sean Payton relishes nothing more than being counted out, and he told the world to “watch out” on Saturday after getting the crushing news about Bo Nix. Denver somehow, some way, gets it done. Broncos-Patriots AFC Championship: Must-reads How Jarrett Stidham’s self-belief has given Denver Broncos faith after Bo Nix’s injury In Year 2 in Denver, Bo Nix and Sean Payton found synergy as the second-year quarterback praised Payton for letting him be his “authentic self.” These Broncos formed an identity around Nix, a fiery 25-year-old whose white-hot competitiveness fueled a season of second-half comebacks. They are now rallying around Stidham, a cool 29-year-old whose serenity masks his own fire. Stidham has kept the same routine for three years in Denver, left tackle Garett Bolles said. He eats the same food. He drinks the same water. He hits the steam room at the same time. He listens to the same music, on a Turtlebox waterproof speaker that he affectionately refers to as “Mr. Turtle.” Nothing has changed in this week of madness. Stidham is who he is because he knows who he is. That is comfort, as these Broncos head into a war. Read Luca Evans’ story. How Sean Payton programmed the Broncos to believe they can survive anything — even losing Bo Nix Fellow quarterbacks Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger were in the training room with Nix while he was evaluated and the imaging was done. They each described the moments that followed as “devastating.” Head coach Sean Payton, his team scattered to the wind, decided to announce the news to reporters right away Saturday night. He did so because he knew the injury wouldn’t stay quiet until a Monday morning team meeting, but in the process, he also seized an opportunity to set an immediate tone. Part of that really is about belief in Stidham. Much of it, though, is because Denver is not scrambling this week trying to figure out how to approach life without Nix. Really, Payton and the Broncos front office have spent the past three years assembling a team and an operation built for this exact moment. Now comes the biggest stress test to date on the biggest stage yet. Read Parker Gabriel’s story. Renck: Stiddy will be ready against Patriots. Will Drake Maye against Broncos defense? Stiddy will be ready. Will the Broncos defense? The Drake Maye we saw during the regular season would absolutely beat Denver. The Drake Maybe we have seen during the postseason creates serious doubts outside of the greater New England area. Once Jarrett Stidham moved into the starting lineup for an injured Bo Nix, the Broncos lost respect. New England fans, buoyed by six Super Bowl titles, see Denver as a speed bump, a layover from Boston en route to Santa Clara. They are laughing at the Broncos because they know Stidham. They had him. Read Troy Renck’s column. Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis. ...read more read less