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In the first of two conference title games on Sunday, the Denver Broncos will host the New England Patriots at Empower Field at Mile High.
The Broncos made the playoffs off a 14-3 season that saw the team win the AFC West and earn the No. 1 seed in the conference. Denver got past the divisional round with an overtime victory over the Buffalo Bills last week.
The Patriots finished with a 14-3 record, also, but that was only good enough for the No. 2 seed in the conference. New England did, however, win the AFC East.
The Patriots knocked out the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round before beating the Houston Texans in the divisional round last week.
Denver will be operating at a massive disadvantage in this game, as quarterback Bo Nix has been ruled out for the rest of the playoffs due to a broken ankle. That means Denver will be starting Jarrett Stidham on Sunday.
Here's a look at who the majority of experts are picking to win the AFC Championship Game between Denver and New England.
Broncos vs. Patriots predictions
Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News: Patriots 24, Broncos 13
Iyer: "The Broncos have had a special season but it was dependent a lot on the late-game heroics of Nix, all the way through the thrilling overtime win over the Bills last week. There's no reason to believe Stidham can re-create the same kind of unique magic, even if he's well prepared to run the offense under Payton. This is a time for superior QB play and great coaching. The Patriots have that clear advantage with Maye and Vrabel, channeling Brady and Belichick."
Bill Bender, The Sporting News: Patriots 24, Broncos 16
Bender: "Can Stidham pull a Jeff Hostettler – who led the Giants to a Super Bowl XXV victory after Phil Simms was injured. Hostettler had two regular-season starts before the playoffs. A week might not be enough time for Denver here. It’s just going to be tough to pull this off without the Patriots imploding on the road. "
- Stephania Bell: Patriots
- Matt Bowen: Patriots
- Mike Clay: Patriots
- Jeremy Fowler: Broncos
- Dan Graziano: Patriots
- Kalyn Kahler:Patriots
- Pamela Maldonado: Patriots
- Eric Moody: Patriots
- Jason Reid: Patriots
- Lindsey Thiry: Patriots
- Clare Brennan: Patriots
- Mitch Goldich: Patriots
- Gilberto Manzano: Broncos
- Conor Orr: Broncos
- John Pluym: Patriots
- Matt Verderame: Patriots
- Pete Prisco: Broncos
- Jared Dubin: Patriots
- Ryan Wilson: Patriots
- John Breech: Patriots
- Tyler Sullivan: Patriots
- Dave Richard: Patriots
- Jamey Eisenberg: Patriots
Number of experts picking Broncos: 4
Number of experts picking Patriots: 21
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