2. New England Patriots
The New England Patriots beat the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round and will now travel to Denver to face the Broncos in the AFC title game. The Broncos have hosted the Patriots in the 2013 and 2015 AFC title games, and have won them both. Even with Bo Nix not in for this game, it’s going to be a tough task for the Patriots.
Jarrett Stidham is a capable starter, and Sean Payton knows how to have his backup QBs ready to go. He’s done quite well with backup quarterbacks, recently going 9-8 in the 2021 season with a bunch of backup QBs, and previously going 5-0 with backup QB Teddy Bridgewater back in the 2019 season.
New England is a well-rounded team, and while they don’t have as much roster talent as Denver does, they’re very well coached and likely won’t make a ton of mistakes. This is going to be the biggest start of Drake Maye’s career, and he’s simply never played in an environment like Denver in the playoffs.
While the Patriots might be in a position to win given the QB situation, they’ll have to show up in this one. The Patriots are one win away from a berth in Super Bowl LX.
1. Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks barely had to lift a finger to beat the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round, and now they will host the NFC Championship Game. Seattle has been riding an elite defense and a top-tier offense. Sam Darnold has not always played well this year, but he really didn’t have to do much in this one.
The Seahawks will lose in the NFC title game if Sam Darnold doesn’t play well - Darnold’s performances in big games are a bit of an issue. Seattle’s passing attack, while lethal, is a bit lopsided at times, too.
With Seattle and the Denver Broncos both getting to host the conference title games, we could be in store for a rematch of Super Bowl 48. The Seahawks biggest thing here is Sam Darnold. The defense is going to play well, and that really isn’t up for discussion. The Seahawks essentially swapped Geno Smith for Sam Darnold last offseason, and they did it for a reason.
Now is the time for Darnold to etch his name into a bit of NFL history.