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The Denver Broncos and New England Patriots will square off Sunday with a trip to the Super Bowl at stake, a fitting matchup between two franchises that share notable similarities.
“Great coaching, Mike (Vrabel) does a great job,” Broncos head coach Sean Payton said Friday ahead of the AFC championship. “You have to hit on personnel, and you have to hit on your QB, and they did that. And they drafted well and they signed (free agents). A great coaching staff. A veteran offensive coordinator. It’s a myriad of things that took place that puts them where they’re at. And we kind of went through a similar type of thing. There’re some parallels.”
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Both organizations found long-term answers at quarterback in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, which saw six quarterbacks selected among the first 12 picks. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was taken No. 3 overall, while Broncos quarterback Bo Nix was the final passer selected in the first round at No. 12. The other quarterbacks taken that year were Caleb Williams (1), Jayden Daniels (2), Michael Penix Jr. (8) and J.J. McCarthy (10).
There was early speculation that Payton was forced into selecting Nix, but the former Oregon quarterback silenced critics by leading Denver to the No. 1 seed in the AFC in just his second season. Unfortunately for the Broncos, Nix suffered an injury on one of the final plays of the divisional-round game and will miss the remainder of the postseason.
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Veteran backup Jarrett Stidham will start in his place, marking his first NFL start in two years. Despite the circumstances, Payton expressed confidence in his quarterback and emphasized a broader focus.
Payton said he told the team, “I’m not worried about Stiddy in this game. I’m worried about everyone else and how we play. And that really is the truth.”
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