Mile High Report
Broncos Country, it is AFC Championship time and that means another special week of the UFG!!!
First up is an “enemy” version with my good friend Mike Grimaldi, who qualifies as a diehard Patriots fan (but does have a son-in-law who loves the Broncos so perhaps one day we’ll win him over!) In fact, it was the classic Manning-Brady rivalry and my posts on MHR back in the day that brought us together. And in spite of him being a fan of a terrible team, we’ve become friends 😉
His wit and knowledge are obvious and give us some fun things to debate. And even though he obviously picks the Pats to win, it’s not a blowout, so there’s that. PLUS…he hates the Chiefs as much as we do!
Thank you, Mike, for being part of the best series at Mile High Report!
Now let’s get into it…
MHR – Who would have thought these two teams would be back in the AFCCG 10 years after their last matchup featuring two Hall-of-Famers, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady? Does it feel like this could develop into a fun rivalry once again?
Mike Grimaldi: I think so. The Broncos and Patriots fan bases likely share the same sentiment: We are quite happy to have seen the last of the Chiefs and Mahomes dominating the AFC West—and for the entirety of the conference for that matter. Denver has a great defense and an under-appreciated QB in Bo Nix. I know I was giving you grief when the Broncos drafted him, noting that he was already getting AARP literature in the mail.
**MHR – Be honest…did you think at the beginning of the season that your beloved Patriots would be in the AFCCG? What was your prediction for the Pats back in August?
Mike Grimaldi: Absolutely…..not. As of 10 days ago I thought it would be Buffalo and Houston. Which points to my awesome predictive powers. I wanted to have a season of football relevance. After a week one loss to the Raiders and a week three loss to the Steelers we were wondering why we seemed to be blowing a golden opportunity to get off on a positive note. Stevenson was coughing up the ball like an 18th century factory worker with tuberculosis. I thought we might go 9-8 or 10-7.
**MHR – Bo Nix is obviously not playing and your team gets to face a back-up QB that your team tried to sign as ITS backup before the season. There’s plenty of “Stiddy” hype here in the Mile High City, but when Jarrett Stidham takes the field on Sunday, it will be 749 days since his last pass attempt in a regular season game. Do you think the Pats defense is salivating over this? Are you?
Mike Grimaldi: I don’t think he will turn into Marcus Stroud, if that’s what you’re asking. Payton will not put him in a position to fail. The Pats defense...
