PATRIOTS DEFEAT BRONCOS TO WIN THE AFC CHAMPIONSHIP

 

PATRIOTS ROASTED BY FORMER SUPER BOWL MVP AHEAD OF AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

© David Butler II-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots are heading to the AFC Championship Game after taking care of the Houston Texans on Sunday. 

The team will take on the Denver Broncos, who recently found out that starting quarterback Bo Nix will miss the rest of the postseason with a broken ankle. The Broncos were able to beat the Buffalo Bills anyway, but it'll be tough to move forward without their quarterback. 

However, not everybody is penciling the Patriots into the Super Bowl. 

Former NFL quarterback Nick Foles was watching the game and wanted to remind everybody about something. Foles mentioned that the Patriots "struggle against backup QBs" in championship-style games. 

"Note for the Broncos and their fans: I know it has been an emotional 24 hours. I feel for Bo and the team, and I'm sending prayers for a strong recovery," Foles said. "A positive note going into the game versus the Patriots is that they struggle against backup QBs in championship-type games."

Of course, Foles is referring to Super Bowl LII, where he stepped in as the backup quarterback and led the Philadelphia Eagles to a win over the Patriots. 

In that game, Foles played like a star, throwing for 373 yards and three touchdowns. The famous "Philly Special" play was born that night, and the Patriots received plenty of grief for losing to a backup quarterback. 

Foles went on to play one more season with the Eagles after that Super Bowl before signing a massive free agent contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019. 

It was a hilarious note from Foles, but the situations aren't exactly the same. 

Foles was the backup, but he had already been a Pro Bowler once in his career. The quarterback was a reliable veteran passer and one of the best backups in the league. 

The Broncos, though, have to rely on Jarrett Stidham. Stidham has just over 1,400 yards and eight touchdown passes in his career and has never played in a playoff game. 

Interestingly, Stidham did spend two seasons with the Patriots, and now he has a chance to prove himself against one of his former teams. 

- BRYCE LAZENBY

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TENSION GROWING BETWEEN EAGLES' JALEN HURTS, A.J. BROWN: REPORT

Heading into their Week 5 matchup with the Denver Broncos, the Philadelphia Eagles were undefeated despite their offense being ranked near the bottom of the league.

And up until Sunday, Philadelphia's offensive struggles hadn't necessarily been an issue. But that wasn't the case in the team's 21-17 loss to the Broncos as Lincoln Financial Field.

It was the Eagles first loss since their Week 16 loss to the Washington Commanders in December of last year.

Philadelphia's offensive shortcomings have been front-and-center this season under first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, thanks to wide receiver A.J. Brown.

The All-Pro wideout has been outspoken about being unhappy with his role in the offense and how ineffective he's been this season - Brown has just one game this year with more than 45 yards receiving and he's scored just one touchdown.

While Brown's unhappiness and the lack of a credible passing threat was masked by the Eagles' winning, Sunday's loss made fans pay attention to the fact that something just seems off.

And according to The Athletic's Dianna Russini, it could be the fact that a rift has seemingly developed between Brown and quarterback Jalen Hurts.

"Brown and Hurts have a long history," Russini wrote. "High school and college friends turned NFL teammates, Hurts is the godfather to Brown's daughter, Jersee. A former teammate once described them as ‘an old married couple,' but I'm told they're not that close these days.

"Like any friendship, life happens. Family responsibilities, the grind of being pros, shifting priorities. They're friendly, but as one Eagles player described it: ‘It's functional, professional.'"

The lack of chemistry between Hurts and Brown has manifested in the third-fewest passing yards (809) and the 10th-fewest passing touchdowns (seven).

Hurts himself is 28th in passing yards, 18th in touchdowns, and 10th in passer rating, while Brown is tied for 64th in receptions (14), 30th in targets (28), and he's tied for 69th in yards (151).

- Michael Gallagher Newsweek

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LAMAR JACKSON LEADS RAVENS ROUT WITH PERFECT PASSER RATING

BALTIMORE -- Practice makes perfect -- except if you're Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Despite practicing just once this past week, Jackson was sharp as he has ever been, recording a perfect 158.3 passer rating in Sunday's 41-10 rout of the Denver Broncos. This marked Jackson's fourth career game with a perfect passer rating, which is tied with Ben Roethlisberger and Peyton Manning for the most in NFL history, according to ESPN Research.

"I feel like it doesn't matter if it's one day or half a day [of practice], he's going to be ready," Ravens running back Derrick Henry said.

BALTIMORE -- Practice makes perfect -- except if you're Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Despite practicing just once this past week, Jackson was sharp as he has ever been, recording a perfect 158.3 passer rating in Sunday's 41-10 rout of the Denver Broncos. This marked Jackson's fourth career game with a perfect passer rating, which is tied with Ben Roethlisberger and Peyton Manning for the most in NFL history, according to ESPN Research.

"I feel like it doesn't matter if it's one day or half a day [of practice], he's going to be ready," Ravens running back Derrick Henry said.

Lamar Jackson celebrates with teammates after throwing for a touchdown against the Denver Broncos. Getty Images

"It's like your ideal point guard in a basketball situation -- somebody that sees people, sees their strengths, sees ways to get them won," Ravens wide receiver Nelson Agholor said. "He's a special player, and I think we all know that. He approaches the game a certain way to be the best version of him every time he steps on the field."

This was the first time Jackson had missed any practice time in the regular season this year. When asked after the game if Jackson would get as many rest days as he wanted going forward, Ravens coach John Harbaugh smiled.

Harbaugh said he could tell how sharp Jackson was early in the game. Jackson completed his first four passes and finished the first half by connecting on 11 of his first 12 throws, including two touchdown passes to Zay Flowers of 7 and 53 yards.

"I believe I mentioned it to one of the guys on the [headset] after the second or third series, 'Lamar is one fire. He's on fire throwing the ball,'" Harbaugh said.

Jackson didn't seem at full strength when scrambling, running for 4 yards on three carries. It was his fewest rushing attempts since December 2022, when he left a game against the Broncos in the first quarter with what became a season-ending knee injury.

Jackson's big plays all came with his arm. He was 5-of-5 for 157 yards and a touchdown on throws that traveled at least 20 yards in the air, which are the most such completions in his career.

"He's dangerous with his arm, and I think he showed that," Henry said. "If you want to take away him running the ball, [he'll] go over your head and throw it. If he has to run it, he'll do that as well. Hats off to him. He's an engine that makes this thing go -- 'MV3.'"

With a strong supporting cast, Jackson led the Ravens to seven straight scoring drives as Baltimore put up 40 or more points for the third time in five weeks. On the ground, Henry ran for 106 yards and scored two touchdowns, becoming the 10th player in NFL history to reach 100 career rushing touchdowns. In the passing attack, Flowers became the first Ravens player to total 100 yards receiving and two touchdown catches in the same game since Marquise Brown in 2019.

Now, midway through the season, Jackson is back to being the favorite for NFL MVP. According to ESPN BET, Jackson's odds improved to +225, which moves him past Josh Allen (+360).

Flowers summed up Jackson's performance with a one-word response: "Lamarvelous."

- Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff Writer

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