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

Hugepatsfan said:

They tried to help him like that against Myles Garrett and it made the issue worse. Campbell's main problem with edge rushers is that he lacks the reach to get to them when they run the arc off the edge. It makes it hard for him to disrupt them with contact so they're able to go full speed around him and get to Maye's backside if he doesn't step up in the pocket. When you put a TE to his side, you widen the DE out even further making it even harder for Campbell to reach him. It does buy a little extra time just by widening the arc the DE has to run, but that cushion gets eaten up if Maye doesn't throw the ball immediately on his drop back because now Campbell is going to struggle even more to reach the DE.

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denverpatsfan said:

I think the Pats need to rediscover the run game. Dominate TOP so the D isn't gased at the end. That and play solid D.

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TommyD4207 said:

Many such cases.

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PatsFan2 said:

Glad Will Campbell stayed away from the cameras. Will Anderson made him look like Vederian Lowe. I thought Campbell would have put up a little more resistance but he was No Match!

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DomCasual said:

Have I missed said insanity?

Most of what I see is along the lines of, "He's probably not going to be as bad as a lot of you think," followed by, "What the hell? Stop saying this guy is going to be in Canton! Dumbass!" (And the one guy who seems to end all his posts with hahahahahahaha - he's a peach.)

I think a lot of you read what you want to read, see what you want to see, and hear what you want to hear. Broncos fans generally feel as if they have something of a puncher's chance in this game. If Maye puts the ball on the ground, and we protect it, we can win. If Bo Nix played, I'd feel differently. But in all likelihood, our season essentially ended when they took the x-ray of his leg. But honestly, a lot of you sort of remind me why it would be really cool to see Stidham come out, throw for 4 TDs, and make Patriots fans go back to being generally miserable about life. (Hey, no offense - I feel the same way about Celtics, Bruins, and Red Sox fans - don't take it personally. But I digress. I'm digressing.)

I kid. Sort of. Some of you seem delightful.

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bakes781 said:

To this point teams who score 1st are 9-1 in the playoffs.

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uknepatsfan said:

Realistically, who has fared well against him this season, or that Texans pass rush in general?

I see everyone ripping on Campbell like this was the first game all season that Will Anderson got to a QB.

Campbell didn’t have a good game, neither did Drake, but you’d struggle to find a LT in this league who could keep Anderson at bay all game. He’s an elite pass rusher. They will find a QB usually more than once in a game.

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bakes781 said:

Safe to say Bonito is a lock for 5-6 sacks. Sorry but lets be real about the situation. That said the key to winning is having the OL get to the 2nd level in the run game. More specifically blocking Alex Singleton.

Defensively we just need to stop their run game and not allow them to get off to a hot start.

To this point teams who score 1st are 9-1 in the playoffs.

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bakes781 said:

Safe to say Bonito is a lock for 5-6 sacks. Sorry but lets be real about the situation. That said the key to winning is having the OL get to the 2nd level in the run game. More specifically blocking Alex Singleton.

Defensively we just need to stop their run game and not allow them to get off to a hot start.

To this point teams who score 1st are 9-1 in the playoffs.

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slash83 said:

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uknepatsfan said:

The point that some have made here is that every capable offense Denver has played has put 20+ on them.

The Pats D has also bamboozled Justin Herbert and caused C J Stroud to crash and burn. If they could do that to those two starters then you have to ask what they are potentially going to do to Stid the Kid?

If most people felt the Pats were slight favourites with Bo Nix under center for Denver then why would that suddenly be better for the Broncos now that it’s Stidham instead?

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KCSVEN said:

They leave on Saturday, normal travel day. Buffalo left on Friday for the Saturday game. 24 hours is fine, it takes 1-2 weeks to acclimate fully. I think the oxygen on the sideline makes a big difference.

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Triumph said:

You were not exaggerating about inflation in Denver. Ticket prices are insane.

$500 - $600 to sit eye level with the Rocky Mountains.

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denverpatsfan said:

For those of you that think Sean Payton is overrated. He directly impacted the game on Saturday.
The Winners and Losers of the NFL’s Divisional Round

This is twofold. The Broncos beat the Bills on Saturday in large part because of head coach Sean Payton’s offensive creativity and his ability to draw up the right play at the right moment for quarterback Bo Nix to exploit the weaknesses in Buffalo’s defense—particularly a banged-up secondary.


In the final minute of the first half, Bills safety Cam Lewis headed to the locker room early because of cramping in his legs. He was replaced by Darnell Savage—and the Broncos immediately took advantage. Nix rolled out of the pocket to his right, planted his feet, and launched a pass deep for receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey, who went streaking down the right seam and caught Savage out of position just outside the end zone. Savage could only dive at Humphrey’s feet as the receiver hauled in the touchdown.

Late in regulation, the Bills’ most experienced cornerback, Tre’Davious White, briefly left the game after getting pancaked by a Denver offensive lineman during a Nix scramble, and he was replaced by Dane Jackson. Payton determined it was the perfect time to dial up a pass play for Marvin Mims Jr. that the receiver ran to perfection earlier in the week in practice against Pat Surtain II, beating Denver’s best corner and last season’s NFL Defensive Player of the Year with a double move. Payton added the play to the call sheet Friday night and asked his assistants to remind him to call it in the game. “When we did our video the night before and we put the practice clip up, I said, ‘You’re beating the no. 1 corner in the world. All right? I don’t care who they put over there in the game tomorrow, we’re running this play,’” Payton told reporters Sunday morning.

That moment came as soon as White left the game. Mims motioned from the right side of the formation to the left to get lined up opposite of Jackson. A stutter-step about 6 yards into his route froze Jackson just enough for Mims to burst past the corner and get a step ahead as Nix laid the pass over Mims’s shoulder in the end zone. That 26-yard touchdown gave the Broncos a 30-27 lead with 55 seconds remaining.

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NormZauchin said:

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.

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