The New England Patriots will go up against Denver Broncos on Sunday for the AFC Championship game. Expect a tough matchup as sure-fire Hall of Famers Tom Brady and Peyton Manning will go head-to-head against each other for the 17th time.
Here's what you need to know about the Sunday' encounter:
Time and Date: 3:05 p.m. ET, Jan. 24, 2016.
Location: Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado
TV: CBS, WOIO Channel 4 (Local)
Radio: SiriusXM 82 (Denver broadcast), Sirius 83/XM 226 (New England broadcast)
Online Streaming: NFL Gamepass
The Patriots are 5-2 straight up and against the spread in their last seven encounters with the Broncos, but two of the last three games are conquered by Denver. The Patriots aim to win the Sunday's matchup to return to the Super Bowl for the second straight season.
According Sports Illustrated, New England Patriots offense is a perfect combination of Tom Brady and effective gameplay that is almost impossible to stop. At the core of the team's offense, the responsibility is heaped upon the QB's shoulders.
Furthermore, the Patriots' system is the extensive combination of receiver route adjustments, which is based on the defender's position. With that offensive gameplay, it enables Brady to throw more often, and that's when he can be most effective.
The quarterback has also reliable targets such as slot receiver Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola. Brady leads the NFL league with 36 touchdown throws and his passer rating is good enough for fourth-best overall.
The amazing thing about the Patriots' offense is that receivers are interpreting a defense the exact same way-and as quickly-as the quarterback, putting themselves exactly where the QB expects.
In the defensive department, New England made post 49 sacks in the regular season, second only to Denver in the NFL.
On other hand, Denver Broncos gets their offensive power from Peyton Manning, who is seeking his second Super Bowl title, going 1-2 in the championship game during his career. However, this 2015 version of Manning isn't the same one as the quarterback who made 55 touchdown passes during the 2013 season. Sports analysts say this is Manning's weakest season.
The quarterback only appeared in 10 regular season games and finished it with a career-worst 67.9 passer rating.
Now, which side are you on New England Patriots or Denver Broncos? Let's find out who will on Sunday.
