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

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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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AMARI COOPER HAS FRANCHISE-RECORD 265 YARDS RECEIVING TONLEAD BROWNS TO 36-22 WIN OVER TEXANS

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HOUSTON (AP) — After Amari Cooper grabbed a 53-yard reception on the game's first play Sunday, the Cleveland Browns star thought he'd be in for a big day.

It turned out to be the biggest day for a receiver in team history.

Cooper set a franchise record with 265 yards receiving and scored two touchdowns and a 2-point conversion, and the Browns beat the Houston Texans 36-22 to move closer to a playoff berth.

“Not to disrespect their defensive backs (but) everything was flowing well and it kind of seemed a little easy,” he said.

Cooper's performance moved him atop the Browns' record book ahead of Josh Gordon, who had 261 yards receiving against Jacksonville on Dec. 1, 2013. It was also the most receiving yards in an NFL game this season. Cooper has 1,250 yards, making him the first receiver in team history with consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.

NFL ROUNDUP: TEXANS SCORE 20 STRAIGHT POINTS TO UPEND PATRIOT'S

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Davis Mills and Case Keenum each threw a touchdown pass while the Houston Texans held the New England Patriots to 180 total yards in a 20-9 preseason victory on Thursday night in Foxborough, Mass.

After Jalen Mills intercepted rookie C.J. Stroud's pass on the game's first possession, Nick Folk got the Patriots on the board first with a 44-yard field goal.

Houston took a 7-3 lead into halftime on Davis Mills' 6-yard TD toss to Nathaniel Dell, who finished with game highs of five catches and 65 yards.