Drake Maye aims to do what Tom Brady couldn't with the Patriots: win a playoff game in Denver

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Drake Maye has a chance to accomplish something not even Tom Brady did with the Patriots.

Maye is hoping to beat the Broncos in the AFC championship game in Denver on Sunday and lead New England to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2018. The Patriots have never won a playoff game in Denver — losing all four tries, with Brady going 0-3.

“Just the AFC championship, the chance to go to the Super Bowl. That’d be huge,” Maye said. “Another road environment that’s had success in the past. … I know it would be a big-time win.”

The Patriots advanced to their 14th AFC championship game in the last 25 years on Sunday when they beat the Houston Texans 28-16 in Foxborough. Denver beat Buffalo 33-30 to reach the conference title game.

New England and Denver both finished 14-3 in the regular season, but the Broncos won the tiebreaker for home-field advantage because they had a better record against common opponents: Denver beat the Raiders twice this season but the Patriots lost to them.

That loss — to the worst team in the NFL in the first game of the Mike Vrabel era — sent New England into one of the most inhospitable environments in the league. In addition to the high-energy crowd, the Patriots will also have to contend with a low-oxygen environment that they won’t have a chance to acclimate to.

“Kind of what we’ve been doing on the road all season long,” said Maye, who has guided the Patriots to an 8-0 road record this season. “They’ve got a great team, so we’re going to have a tough challenge. But I’m looking forward to getting out there. And getting a chance to possibly celebrate on an away field would be pretty special.”

The last team to go undefeated on the road with a new head coach was the San Francisco 49ers under George Seifert in 1989; they won the Super Bowl.

“Coach (Vrabel) has always been saying, ‘Road warriors,’" Maye said. "So, we’re trying to find that one more time and finish out strong what we’ve done this year.”

The Broncos are 18-5 in home playoff games all-time. But they'll will be without starting quarterback Bo Nix, who broke his ankle near the end of the divisional round victory over Buffalo. Instead, the offense will be led by former Patriot Jarrett Stidham, who hasn’t thrown a pass since 2023.

That's why New England opened as a 5½-point favorite — the biggest road favorite ever in a conference championship game. The line has since moved to Denver plus-4½.

“We always feel as though no matter what anyone else has to say, we still have something to prove," said cornerback Marcus Jones, who returned an interception for a touchdown against Houston. "We’re trying to always prove ourselves right and not trying to prove other people wrong. That’s kind of the philosophy we’ve had for a long time.”

Win or lose, the Patriots could have trouble getting back to New England: A major snowstorm is expected to dump a foot or more of snow on the area.

Vrabel said the team is prepared if it can't leave Denver on Sunday night.

“We have multiple plans of what could go on based on the weather. (It's) something that they’re familiar with here," he said. “I mean, there’s things I can control, (but) that I can’t control.”

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New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is introduced before an NFL divisional playoff football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

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)

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel answers a question during a football availability, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye answers a question during a football availability, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) runs with teammates during a football availability, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Law enforcement investigating the disappearance of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie 's mother sealed off a road near Nancy Guthrie's home in Arizona late Friday night.

A parade of sheriff’s and FBI vehicles, including forensics vehicles, passed through the roadblock that was set up about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the house.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said the activity was part of the Guthrie case. But it said further information was unavailable since it was a joint investigation with the FBI.

Guthrie, 84, was reported missing on Feb. 1. Authorities say her blood was found on the front porch of her Tucson-area home. Purported ransom notes were sent to news outlets, but two deadlines for paying have passed.

Authorities have expressed concerns Guthrie’s health because she needs daily medication. She is said to have a pacemaker and has dealt with high blood pressure and heart issues, according to sheriff’s dispatcher audio on broadcastify.com.

Investigators have studied surveillance video, sorted through thousands of tips and submitted DNA and other evidence for laboratory analysis.

The FBI said it has collected more than 13,000 tips since Feb. 1, the day Guthrie was reported missing. The sheriff’s department, meanwhile, said it has taken at least 18,000 calls.

On Tuesday, authorities released footage showing an armed, masked person at Guthrie’s doorstep on the night she was abducted. The videos — less than a combined minute in length — gave investigators and the public their first glimpse of who was outside Guthrie’s home in the foothills outside Tucson.

Associated Press writer Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed to this report.

A banner reading "Bring her home" on a fence outside of the KVOA news station in Tucson, Ariz., on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

Pima County Sheriff block a road near Nancy Guthrie's home in Tucson, Ariz. on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

Pima County Sheriff block a road near Nancy Guthrie's home in Tucson, Ariz. on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

Pima County Sheriff block a road near Nancy Guthrie's home in Tucson, Ariz. on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)