Patriots Pregame Thread Pre-Game thread - 2025 AFC Championship at Denver Broncos

[hornetfb85]

 

[Uptown]

 

[gtfanboy]

It occurs to me that the Broncos' MO of 4th-quarter comebacks and the mile-high air are likely related. Denver's 4th-quarter offensive production at home, as the visiting defense just plain runs out of oxygen, has been tremendous.

Get ahead early and don't ease up.

Agreed. Thats whats happening. I follow the Broncos enough since we have our summer home there.

Trick is playing a clean game, get up by a multiple scores and dont let up with anticipation that q4 our team might be gassed and all about holding on

 

[Mack Herron]

Don’t ask about the other side.

 

[BTTA]

#12, book it.

 

[patchick]

I'm wondering how you all think Drake Maye will do in probably the most hostile environment he's ever played in, with what's at stake in a game like this, with a defense that gets to the quarterback better than any team he's played yet. Not a presumptuous question. I really don't know. I do think that if he isn't more careful with the ball than he was yesterday, we likely win.

First off, I’m always happy to see visiting fans who actually want to talk football, not trash. I’ve gained a lot of insight from views from the other side.

The thing about Maye is that he’s a calm dude. Super competitive but not easily ruffled, and not super emotional in either direction. Vrabel actually had to coach him to go celebrate with his teammates after big TDs rather than just walk quietly off the field.

So I don’t think his struggles in the postseason so far have been about the stakes. Or to put it another way, the pressure that’s been bothering him has been inflicted by DEs crashing down on his blindside, not from inside his head.

 

[farn]

first things first : it’s 5:32pm Eastern. I am watching college championship preview. And - for way too many minutes now - Pitbull is singing Timber on some stage in Miami with attractive, but quite suggestively dressed, gals slinking around.

Trying to understand. It’s January 2026. And that was weird.

Carry on.

 

[patchick]

Agreed. Thats whats happening. I follow the Broncos enough since we have our summer home there.

Trick is playing a clean game, get up by a multiple scores and dont let up with anticipation that q4 our team might be gassed and all about holding on

Vrabel’s season-long tendency to play absolutely everybody could pay off here. Use the depth and help key players keep a little in the tank.

 

[TommyD4207]

first things first : it’s 5:32pm Eastern. I am watching college championship preview. And - for way too many minutes now - Pitbull is singing Timber on some stage in Miami with attractive, but quite suggestively dressed, gals slinking around.

Trying to understand. It’s January 2026. And that was weird.

Carry on.

College Football has the oldest audience of any major sport in the US.

Pitbull is one of the few celebrities from Miami who some of them may have actually heard of before.

 

[DomCasual]

First off, I’m always happy to see visiting fans who actually want to talk football, not trash. I’ve gained a lot of insight from views from the other side.

The thing about Maye is that he’s a calm dude. Super competitive but not easily ruffled, and not super emotional in either direction. Vrabel actually had to coach him to go celebrate with his teammates after big TDs rather than just walk quietly off the field.

So I don’t think his struggles in the postseason so far have been about the stakes. Or to put it another way, the pressure that’s been bothering him has been inflicted by DEs crashing down on his blindside, not from inside his head.

He's likely to get some of that. I'm not talking trash with anyone here, by the way. I have no idea what will happen. It's the most interesting game I can remember, with all the oddities. I hope like heck we win. But I sort of feel we're playing with the house's money, at this point.

I do think that those here who are expecting a blowout are going to be much more tense Sunday than they expected. It's going to be a keep it close until someone makes the first mistake kind of game.

Another thing to throw out there - we activated JK Dobbins today. Not sure how much he will be able to help, but our offense completely changed when he went down.

 

[Water Boy]

Mo Mo is balling.

 

[Keyser Söze]

If we don’t implode, we should be Super Bowl bound.

 

[SpartanStar]

Looks like more trouble at the Allen household this weekend...

 

[Toofy]

There probably has been no starting quarterback in AFC championship history with less experience than Jarrett Stidham. His biggest asset is that almost no game footage of him playing quarterback exists.

You have to understand that McDaniels has 3 years of experience with stidham. So he would have seen enough of his tendencies. We seem to en underrating that exposure.

 

[yukon cornelius]

Sean Payton leads prayer circles. There, I said it.

Gotta think opening his window is a smokescreen.... 6-7 weeks to recover from Lisfranc surgery is super quick; from a career standpoint it makes no sense. I'd be surprised to see him play or at least play effectively.

 

[Toofy]

For those of you that think Stidham will make the game "easier" to win.

Pats have lost in Denver to the following QBs:
Jake Plummer
The corpse of Peyton Manning
Kyle Orton
Brock Osweiller
Brian Griese

That defense, home field, special teams and running game or threat of one all factor in.

The Pats offensive line has struggled at home. How will they play on the road? If they can be average to slightly above they can pull off the win.
A repeat of Sunday and this game can get away fast. Especially on the road.

As a side note I once played in a charity dodge ball tournament here in Denver. We had to play a team who had Brian Griese as their guest. It did not end well for us...

I think we always had a lot of bend don't break defense back in belichick years. Haven't seen too much stunts or blitzes . I like what Zak is doing and I am not sure when was the last time we had two stud interior DTs who can consume 3 to 4 linemen in pass blocking allowing other edge rushers to actually feast.

If only landry were half as effective. Thankfully jennings is playing like a stud. Just kill their run and we should be good to go . Force stidham to pass.

 

[Triumph]

Pats opened 5 point favorites.

 

[Toofy]

He's likely to get some of that. I'm not talking trash with anyone here, by the way. I have no idea what will happen. It's the most interesting game I can remember, with all the oddities. I hope like heck we win. But I sort of feel we're playing with the house's money, at this point.

I do think that those here who are expecting a blowout are going to be much more tense Sunday than they expected. It's going to be a keep it close until someone makes the first mistake kind of game.

Another thing to throw out there - we activated JK Dobbins today. Not sure how much he will be able to help, but our offense completely changed when he went down.

Welcome to pats fandom . We have had prior posters who started off with good intentions and when their team lost and we were winning started to trash talk is or just engage in banter that borders on trolling . Hence the suspicion on all fans of other teams. Nothing personal here.

Respect your views here and as every fandom you will find us to be passionate and probably more biased as every fandom Should be .


As for Maye , he has had 2 bad games and I believe it's got to do with left side pressure and Campbell our LT is coming off injury . So there has been a bit of acclimatization phase.

But having said that , Campbell has similar issues at the start of season and then for next 7 weeks he played at an pro bowl level. So we never know, If that happens we should be able to move the ball at will unless conditions are super difficult or different.

It should be a close game , but if stars align from acclimatization phase and Campbell reverting to form , we should win it handily . It's not overconfidence but just laying it out based on how offense had played before .

Mac hollins was macs safety valve on 3rd downs who had been injured for last 4 weeks . So if we get him back, 3rd downs will be even more simpler.

The game against Texans was one of maye's worst games and he still had 3 TD against Texans and that's the most by any QB this season.

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

Looks like more trouble at the Allen household this weekend...

Is it me? or does Allen's HS GF look much hotter than his Hollywood wife?

 

[TommyD4207]

Is it me? or does Allen's HS GF look much hotter than his Hollywood wife?

Many such cases.