2026 AFC Championship Predictions and Preview

East meets West as the Patriots take on the Broncos for the AFC Championship. Both these teams went 14-3 in the regular season. These two teams are no strangers to Playing in this game, but it'll be the first time for either team since the 2018-2019 season. Both teams had hard fought games in the divisional round with the Broncos needing OT to take down the Bills, while the Patriots were able to capitalize on multiple turnovers to take down the Texans.

What a season it's been for Drake Maye and the Patriots. The second year QB looked like a legitimate MVP candidate all season as his 4,394 passing yards and 31 TDs were among the highest in the league, while his 77.1 QBR was the best in the NFL. New England ranked 2nd in points scored pre game, 4th in passing yards, and 6th in rushing this season. Their defense has also been outstanding this season ranking 4th in points allowed per game allowing just 18.8 points on average. The Pats were also perfect on the road this season and have a healthy line up, something that you can't say for the Broncos.

Speaking of Denver, they're without the QB that brought them to their best regular season record since they won Super Bowl 50. Second year QB Bo Nix went down with an ankle injury in the 4th quarter against the Bills and has been ruled out for this game. They'll also be without their leading rusher J.K. Dobbins. Jarrett Stidham will get the start for Denver. Despite playing in 4 games in the last two seasons, Stidham hasn't thrown a pass in a game since the 2023 season. Of all the teams still alive in the playoffs, the Broncos rank the lowest in points scored per game (14th), passing yards (11th) and rushing yards (16th). Despite that, the Bronco's defense has been outstanding this season ranking 3rd in fewest points allowed per game this season, allowing just 18.3 points per game.

The injuries are going to be too much for the Broncos in our opinion. We're predicting the Patriots to win this one with a projected final score of 21.5-18.5. The Broncos opened as 4.5 point underdogs and we're seen that line now move to 5.5, while the total points line has also moved from 41.5 to 40.5 since being announced. Our tip, take the Broncos +5.5 currently at -110 on DraftKings Sportsbook.