The New England Patriots and Denver Broncos are playing live on the NFL playoffs schedule for the AFC Championship on Sunday and the game is live on CBS for TV coverage from Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The matchup starts at 3:05 pm ET and has Peyton Manning and Tom Brady facing off to see who will make it to the Super Bowl.
The Broncos come into the game after winning over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the divisional round, while the Patriots come in after winning over the Kansas City Chiefs. Both teams are relatively healthy for the game, with Denver having Chris Harris as a game-time decision, while Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins are expected to play for the Pats. Jerod Mayo was placed on IR and is done for the remainder of the playoffs for New England.
Brady is 2-6 in his career in Denver and this will be matchup number 17 between Brady and Manning and it could be the last one if Manning decides to retire after this season. The two teams faced off in Denver two years ago in the AFC title game and that matchup saw Manning and the Broncos advance to play the Seahawks in the Super Bowl.
These two teams played earlier in the season, but Manning and Brady did not face off, as Manning was dealing with a foot injury and did not start. Brock Osweiler started that game and ended up leading the Broncos to a comeback victory in overtime with a touchdown from CJ Anderson. That win eventually helped clinch home field advantage in the playoffs for the Broncos and now they will host the AFC title game on Sunday. The Patriots have been to five straight AFC title games and are trying to advance to their ninth Super Bowl appearance, while Brady is looking to get to his seventh, which would set a new league record.
Overall, Brady has won six of the 14 games he has played against the Broncos and he will try and bounce back after that 2013 AFC title loss. The Denver defense has been sending Brady some messages in the media this week and that bulletin board material could get the Patriots even more motivated to win on Sunday.
The Broncos and the Patriots were the top two teams in the league in sacks this past season and that could mean some quick throws on offense for both Manning and Brady. Brady was clocked getting the ball out around two second after the snap against the Chiefs and that likely will be the strategy again to help avoid the rush from players like Von Miller and the rest of the Broncos defense.
