After hosting two games at Gillette Stadium in the 2026 NFL playoffs, the New England Patriots are taking to the road for the AFC Championship. The Patriots will face the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High Sunday afternoon with a berth in Super Bowl LX on the line.
Drake Maye put up MVP-caliber numbers in the regular season, but has been slowed a bit in the playoffs has he has faced two difficult defenses in the Chargers and Texans. That will be the case again on Sunday, as the Broncos have an elite defensive unit.
But Denver will face a unique challenge on the other side of the ball. Starting Broncos quarterback Bo Nix suffered a season-ending injury in overtime on Saturday, leaving former Patriots backup Jarrett Stidham at quarterback for the Broncos.
New England is coming off a 28-16 win over the Houston Texans, while Denver beat the Buffalo Bills, 33-30, in overtime.
Sunday’s game is set to kick off at 3 p.m. The winner will advance to the Super Bowl to play either the Seattle Seahawks or Los Angeles Rams.
Where can you stream the Patriots vs. Broncos playoff game?
The AFC Championship Game between between the Patriots and Broncos will air as the first half of a championship weekend doubleheader.
Fans can stream the game using the Paramount+ app, in addition to being able to watch through the NFL+ subscription service.
The title game can also be found on NFL Sunday Ticket through YouTube and YouTube TV.
How can you watch the AFC Championship Game on cable?
For fans watching around the country, they’ll be able to find the game on CBS stations.
In Massachusetts, that means the Patriots-Broncos game will be found on WBZ-TV. In the Denver area, the game will air on CBS Colorado.
Exact channel numbers may vary based on your TV provider. In addition, channels can be different based on whether you are watching over the air or through a cable/satellite service.
Jim Nantz and Tony Romo will have play-by-play and color commentary, with sideline reporting done by Tracy Wolfson and Evan Washburn.
Pregame coverage in the Boston market begins at 11 a.m. on WBZ-TV with a special 1-hour addition of Patriots Gameday live from Denver.
There will be complete coverage after the game in the Boston area with reaction and analysis during Patriots 5th Quarter airing on TV38. Postgame coverage will include news conferences from head coach Mike Vrabel and quarterback Drake Maye, plus more player reactions from the big game.
The NFC Championship Game is slotted at 6:30 p.m. on FOX.
Who is favored and predicted to win the Patriots vs. Broncos AFC title game?
Once news broke that Nix would miss the game and Stidham would start, the Patriots were listed as favorites in the game. According to CBS Sports, New England opened being favored by 5.5 points, but the margin has since dipped to 4.5 points.
Basing their picks on the original spread of 5.5 points, CBS News experts Jared Dubin, Ryan Wilson, Tyler Sullivan, Dave Richard, and Jamey Eisenberg all picked the Patriots. Pete Prisco and John Breech picked the Broncos to cover.
Picking the game straight up, everyone picked the Patriots with the exception of Prisco, who took Denver to win by a score of 23-21.
The majority of ESPN experts went with New England to advance to the Super Bowl. Jeremy Fowler picked Denver.
