The New England Patriots are just one victory away from a trip to Super Bowl LX. When the season began, almost no one expected Mike Vrabel to lead the team this far, especially given how quickly he had to step into the role. However, a major challenge remains as the Patriots prepare to face the Denver Broncos. Vrabel and his team are more than ready to face Denver, especially following Sean Payton’s “two weeks” comment made last Wednesday.

“Mike Vrabel on Sean Payton’s ‘two weeks’ comments ‘I think we’re plenty motivated for the game… I’m really excited to go out there and play.’” Sports Anchor and Reporter Ian Steele reported on his X account.

The Denver Broncos are headed to the championship game after a narrow 33–30 win against the Buffalo Bills. Before that game, coach Sean Payton stirred up excitement when asked what he wanted to tell the fans. He essentially guaranteed a victory by telling them they would have “two weeks” to rest afterward—implying they should prepare to celebrate all the way to the Super Bowl.

It is natural for the Broncos to be confident, and the Patriots Coach Vrabel knows the upcoming game will be a major challenge. He recently praised Sean Payton’s aggressive offense, noting that Denver’s talented roster can easily overwhelm a defense. Beyond the players on the field, the Patriots must also contend with the environment itself, because Denver sits a mile above sea level, the thin air contains less oxygen, forcing athletes to work much harder to keep up.

Additionally, history is also against New England. The team has never won a playoff game at Mile High Stadium, suffering losses there in 2006, 2014, and 2016. However, this year’s Patriots have shown a different identity. Vrabel knows that if the Patriots prioritize ball security, winning will not be an impossible task.

Coming off a dominant performance where they forced four interceptions against the Texans, the team hopes their defensive momentum can finally overcome their past struggles in the Mile High City this weekend. Especially as the Broncos prepare their backup quarterback, Jarrett Stidham.

The Broncos might attempt to repeat history by defeating the Patriots in the AFC title game

The Denver Broncos are heading into the AFC Championship game with history on their side. There are many strange similarities between this season and the team’s championship run ten years ago. Back in 2015, the Broncos lost their legendary quarterback, Peyton Manning, to an injury and had to rely on backup Brock Osweiler.

 A key regular-season win against the New England Patriots that year helped Denver secure the top playoff seed, eventually leading them to beat the Patriots again in the playoffs and win the Super Bowl.

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Now, the Broncos have secured the No. 1 seed once again, and they are playing the Patriots at home. Just like ten years ago, Denver is starting a backup quarterback, Jarrett Stidham, because their starter, Bo Nix, is sidelined with an injury. The team is also hoping running back J.K. Dobbins can return from injury this Sunday to provide the same spark that C.J. Anderson did during the 2015 playoff run.

If the Broncos manage to win this weekend, they will head to Super Bowl LX, which is being held at Levi’s Stadium in California. This is the same stadium where Denver won Super Bowl 50 a decade ago. While Bo Nix will not be able to return for the playoffs as Manning did, history shows that backup quarterbacks can step up in big moments to win it all.

The odds are currently in Denver’s favor when it comes to the record books. The Broncos have never lost a home playoff game to the Patriots, and they hold the highest winning percentage in AFC Championship history.  Even though the Broncos are considered the underdogs for this Sunday’s game, they were in the same position ten years ago when they shocked the world and took home the trophy. 

Now all that remains to be seen is if history will really be repeating itself or not.