New England Patriots - NESN.com
Las Vegas appears to like the New England Patriots’ chances of returning to the Super Bowl.
The Patriots continued their resurgent season with a 28-16 home win over the Houston Texans. They’ll advance to play the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game.
Denver hosts the conference title matchup at Mile High, but oddsmakers still think New England will prevail. The Patriots opened the week as 4.5-point favorites on FanDuel Sportsbook, but they’re already up to 5.5 on DraftKings and BetMGM.
ESPN’s Doug Greenberg noted that a 5.5-point edge would make the Patriots the largest road favorite in a conference championship game since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970.
“We’re looking forward to seeing how these two defensive-minded teams match up in the AFC Championship and evaluating just how big of an impact Bo Nix had on this Broncos team throughout the year,” Caesars Sportsbooks’ head of football Joey Feazel told Greenberg. “We’re also eager to see where the sharps ultimately land on this game.”
Mike Vrabel’s squad earned some trust by going a perfect 8-0 away from Gillette Stadium during the regular season. Perhaps more importantly, the Broncos are counting on a backup quarterback to preserve their championship bid.
Bo Nix broke his ankle at the end of Saturday’s 33-30 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills. As a result, former Patriots fourth-round draft pick Jarrett Stidham will make his first career start since the 2023 season.
New England still can’t overlook Denver’s No. 2 defense, but the betting market could have more faith in Josh McDaniels’ offense after watching the Patriots overcome Houston’s top-ranked defense despite four Drake Maye fumbles.
The AFC Championship Game kicks off Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on CBS.
