Patriots' Drake Maye faces Broncos' D and Jarrett Stidham steps in for Bo Nix in AFC title game

New England (16-3) at Denver (15-3)

Sunday, 3 p.m. EST, CBS/Paramount+

BetMGM NFL odds: Patriots by 5.

Against the spread: Patriots 13-5-1; Broncos 8-9-1.

Series record: Broncos lead 31-24.

Last meeting: Patriots won 26-23 in Denver on Dec. 24, 2023.

Last week: Patriots beat Texans 28-16; Broncos beat Bills 33-30 in overtime.

Patriots offense: overall (3), rush (6), pass (4), scoring (2).

Patriots defense: overall (8), rush (6), pass (9), scoring (4).

Broncos offense: overall (10), rush (16), pass (11), scoring (14).

Broncos defense: overall (2), rush (2), pass (7), scoring (3).

Turnover differential: Patriots plus-3; Broncos plus-1.

Drake Maye. The MVP finalist had three touchdown passes in the Patriots’ divisional round win over Houston. It marked the 13th time in team history that a quarterback had thrown at least three TD passes in a playoff game. It was also the most since Tom Brady had three in Super Bowl 52 against Philadelphia.

Jarrett Stidham. Bo Nix's backup hasn't thrown a pass in two seasons and the only snap he played this season came on a kneel-down at the end of a blowout over the Dallas Cowboys. Stidham has appeared in 20 games with four starts in his six-year NFL career and the Patriots tried to sign him last spring before he re-signed with Denver for $12 million over two years.

Maye versus Denver's defense. The Broncos led the league with a franchise-record 68 sacks this season and sacked Josh Allen three times. They also forced Allen to turn the ball over four times after he had gone six straight playoff games without a turnover. Allen had two fumbles and two interceptions, including one in overtime. In the playoffs, Maye has been sacked 10 times, thrown two interceptions and fumbled six times, losing three of them.

Patriots: LB Harold Landry III (knee) has been ruled out. CB Carlton Davis (concussion protocol) and LB Marte Mapu (hip) are both questionable. ... WR Mack Hollins, who has been on injured reserve since Dec. 27 with an abdomen injury, was activated on Saturday. He played in the first 15 games of the season prior to going on IR, catching 46 passes for 550 yards and two touchdowns.

Broncos: RB J.K. Dobbins, who returned to practice this week for the first time since foot surgery in mid-November, was ruled out. ... WRs Troy Franklin (hamstring) and Pat Bryant (concussion) both participated in practice this week. Center Luke Wattenberg was activated off injured reserve. He went on IR with a shoulder injury last month. He took the roster spot of Nix (ankle surgery), who went on IR on Saturday, ending his season. The Broncos also promoted WRs Michael Bandy and Elijah Moore from their practice squad.

The Broncos have a 4-1 edge in the playoff matchups between the teams, winning all four games in Denver. The two most recent meetings were in the AFC championship games during the 2013 and 2015 seasons, and were both won by the Broncos. Denver's 20-18 win in the 2015 AFC title game on Jan. 24, 2016, was the final meeting between quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.

This will be the Patriots’ 13th appearance in the AFC title game in the past 25 seasons. ... The Patriots (Mike Vrabel) and San Francisco 49ers (George Seifert 1989, won the Super Bowl) are the only teams in the Super Bowl era to go undefeated on the road with a new head coach. ... Vrabel is attempting to become the eighth coach in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl in his first season with a team. ... Maye has completed 3 of 10 deep passes (20 or more yards) through his first two playoff games. The Broncos didn’t allow Buffalo’s Josh Allen a completion and intercepted him twice on nine deep pass attempts in the divisional round. ... With a win, Maye would become the first quarterback to win three playoff games against top-five defenses in the same postseason: the Chargers entered the playoffs ranked fifth, the Texans ranked first, and the Broncos ranked second. ... Maye has been strip-sacked 11 times this season, including the playoffs. The Patriots have recovered six of Maye’s fumbles on sacks, with three recoveries by LT Will Campbell. The only other quarterbacks strip-sacked 10 or more times since 2020 are Matt Ryan (11 in 2022), Derek Carr (10 in 2021) and Kirk Cousins (10 in 2021). ... Maye is one of three quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era with five or more turnovers and 10 or more sacks. He joins Russell Wilson (2014, lost in the Super Bowl) and Roger Staubach (1973, lost in the NFC championship game). ... WR Stefon Diggs has played in 16 postseason games and has 75 receptions for 965 yards and five touchdowns. He needs 35 yards to become the 18th NFL player to reach 1,000, and the third Patriots player. Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski are the only Patriots players to eclipse the mark. ... Diggs has played in the most postseason games among all Patriots players with 16. CB Carlton Davis III is second with 11 postseason games. ... LB K’Lavon Chaisson has three sacks this postseason. With another he’ll joint Willie McGinest (five in 2003 and 4 1/2 in 2005) and Garin Veris (four in 1985) as the only Patriots with at least four in a single postseason. ... The Broncos are 18-5 all time in home playoff games since their first one in 1977 during the "Orange Crush" era. ... This is Denver's 11th appearance in the AFC championship game. ... Stidham is 1-3 in his four NFL starts with his only victory coming against the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 31, 2023. ... K Wil Lutz made all four of his field-goal attempts and all three of his extra points against Buffalo last week. His four field goals are one shy of the franchise playoff record of five set by Brandon McManus in the playoffs following the 2015 season. ... Last week OLB Nik Bonitto became the third player in Broncos history to force two fumbles in a playoff game. By stripping the ball from Josh Allen twice, Bonitto joined Von Miller (against Carolina in Super Bowl 50) and Tom Jackson (against Dallas in Super Bowl 12). ... ILB Alex Singleton's 14 tackles last week, including 11 solo, were the most by a Denver defender in a playoff game this century. ... DE Malcolm Roach is coming off a big game against Buffalo. He had 1 1/2 sacks and recovered a fumble.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye speaks at a news conference after an NFL divisional playoff football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Denver Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham responds to questions after an NFL football practice at the team's headquarters Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in Centennial, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) walks off the field after an NFL divisional playoff football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Denver Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham warms up before an NFL divisional round playoff football game against the Buffalo Bills, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

France, Scotland or Ireland will clinch the most fun Six Nations in years on Saturday.

Predictions have been torn up and one last twist in the final round of a gripping championship would not surprise.

France is in pole position to win successive titles for the first time since 2006-07. France leads Scotland in the table only on points difference. Its massive though. Ireland is two points behind.

The French have the advantage of closing the championship at a packed Stade de France against an underwhelming England, knowing what they will need to do four hours after Ireland hosts Scotland in Dublin.

Scotland blew open the title race after destroying France's Grand Slam hopes 50-40 in Edinburgh last Saturday.

Scotland's most basic route to a first title since the 1999 Five Nations is beating Ireland and France losing to England. But Scotland hasn't beaten Ireland since 2017 and not in Dublin since 2010. Ireland has been the graveyard of Scotland dreams in their last 11 contests.

Ireland's simplest path to a third title in four years is beating Scotland and also hoping England beats France.

A draw and/or bonus points spin out the scenarios.

Ireland and Scotland are also in the first showdown since 2009 for the Triple Crown, awarded to the home nation which beats the other three home nations. Ireland won it in 2022, 2023 and 2025. Scotland last won it in 1990.

The championship goes into the last round with a first three-way title shootout since 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced an October finish. England won on points difference after Ireland and France couldn't meet scoring requirements.

The other Six Nations match on Saturday is also tasty: Wales hosts Italy in Cardiff. Wales is trying to end a 15-match losing streak in the tournament; Italy is trying for three wins in a single championship for the first time.

Fabien Galthié, France: “We don’t dwell on what just happened (against Scotland), we focus on what's coming next. What matters to us is that we've earned the right to play for the win on Saturday. We'll assess the tournament with its highs and lows later. In this Six Nations championship everything can change from one day to the next. All six teams have experienced positive periods and more challenging times. But the most important thing is that we have the opportunity to play for the win on Saturday night. And that's what motivates us.”

Gregor Townsend, Scotland: “No (I haven't thought of winning the title). It's out of our hands, really. We can only do a certain amount. It's a game against an opponent that's had the upper hand on us for years. It's a challenge but a real opportunity for us to go and deliver an even better performance than we did last week. If we win the game we know there's something at stake. That performance (against France) was close to the best that we've seen from this group and from probably any Scotland team. I think the belief is there that when we get our game right it can put pressure on any defense, and when we get our defense in place we can frustrate opposition. But this is a different challenge. Ireland seem to play very well against us so that's what we’re expecting.”

Andy Farrell, Ireland: “Of course you would like to dream (of the title) but the rest is out of our hands. But something is in our hands and we will focus on our performance, first and foremost. It would be nice to win something that is pretty special for us and that's the Triple Crown. It's been hard to come by over the years when playing for Ireland so we're desperate to get across that. (Scotland) were outstanding against France and we have been preparing for another Scottish performance like that. We'll have to be at our best to beat them as they are a side we have always respected.”

Super Saturday

Ireland vs. Scotland, Dublin, 1410 GMT

Wales vs. Italy, Cardiff, 1640 GMT

France vs. England, Paris, 2010 GMT

AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby

Ireland's players celebrate after their teammate Jamie Osborne scored a try during a Six Nations rugby union match between Ireland and Wales in Dublin, Ireland, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Scotland's Kyle Steyn celebrates scoring a try during the Six Nations rugby match between Scotland and France in Edinburgh, Scotland, Saturday March 7, 2026. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)

France's Antoine Dupont and Scotland's Sione Tuipulotu, left, in action during the Six Nations rugby match between Scotland and France in Edinburgh, Scotland, Saturday March 7, 2026. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)