The Denver Broncos are set to host the New England Patriots today in the AFC Championship Game. Denver will be without Bo Nix, but the team has faith in Jarrett Stidham to fill in the shoes of their starting quarterback.
Today, the Broncos will take the field in their Sunset Orange jerseys paired with Summit White pants, along with their signature navy metallic satin helmets featuring the usual “5280” detail on the front.
Here’s Why the Broncos’ Helmets Have “5280” Written on Them
The “5280” text represents the city of Denver, which is known as the “Mile High City.” The Broncos’ previous stadium, which was demolished in 2002, was also known as Mile High Stadium.
Since a mile is 5,280 feet, the Broncos feature that number on the front of their helmets. The franchise is paying homage to the area it represents, as it arguably has one of the best home-field advantages in the NFL.
As a result, even without Nix, Denver has a real shot at winning the AFC Championship Game against the Patriots, who are led by MVP candidate Drake Maye.
The Broncos finished the regular season with a 14-3 record and were the top seed in the AFC. The Patriots, on the other hand, also had the same record, but since they were the second seed, they had to play one more game compared to Denver to reach the AFC Title Game.
The Broncos came away with a thrilling overtime win over the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round, while the Patriots, led by their defense, have defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans so far in the playoffs.
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According to PFSN’s Defense Impact Metric, Denver has the best defense in the league. Maye, who hasn’t played up to his usual standards so far in the playoffs, will have his work cut out today, and it will be interesting to see how he performs.
Preview for Broncos vs. Patriots AFC Championship Game
PFSN Analytics: Patriots: 67.9% win rate, Broncos: 32.1% win rate
Power Ranking
- NE: 7th (77.3)
- DEN: 3rd (79.2)
Offense
NE: 2nd (86.6; B) in PFSN’s Offense Impact (OFFi)
- Drake Maye: 2nd (91.1; A-) in PFSN’s Quarterback Impact (QBi)
- Offensive Line: 12th (74.5; C) in PFSN’s Offensive Line Impact (OLi)
DEN: 15th (75.9; C) in PFSN’s Defense Impact (DEFi)
- Stidham: Four qualified QBi games in his career. Best score: 81.4 (B-) with the Raiders vs the 49ers in 2022. His lowest score was a 72.7 (C-) in 2022.
- Offensive Line: 5th (80.9 B-)
Defense
- NE: 12th (78.2 C+)
- DEN: 1st (90.1 A-)
Special Teams
- NE: 20th (73.9 C)
- DEN: 22nd (70.9 C-)
Preview Notes
- Drake Maye has six fumbles, including three lost, in two postseason games after having eight with three lost in 17 regular-season games.
- The Broncos and Patriots have met in the postseason five times, with the home team winning each time. This will be the fifth time they play in Denver.
- Denver’s defense allowed an NFL-best 2.1 yards per play in the red zone. In contrast, New England’s red zone offense averaged 2.9 yards per play, ranking last in the league.
- On offense, the Broncos averaged 3.4 yards per red-zone play, ranking third in the NFL. Defensively, the Patriots allowed an average of 3.8 yards per red-zone play, ranking last.
- Denver’s fourth-quarter point differential was +64, second-best in the NFL for the regular season. The Patriots’ fourth-quarter point differential was -12, putting them at 19th overall.
- New England would be the ninth team to make a Super Bowl the year after losing at least ten games.
- New England is 9-4 in AFC Championship Games since the 2001 season.
A win gives the Patriots their 40th all-time postseason win, breaking a tie with the San Francisco 49ers. - Denver is 8-2 all-time in AFC Championship games, including 6-1 at home.
- A win would clinch Denver’s ninth Super Bowl appearance, breaking a tie with the Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, and San Francisco 49ers for the second most. New England’s 11 is the most in NFL history.
