Ahead of Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton encouraged the home fans to be loud and told them they would get some time off.
“They’re going to have plenty of rest after this one,” Payton said. “Two weeks.”
After being asked about Payton’s comments, Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte said he did not hear the comments, but that the Broncos “can rest in Cancun too at the end of the day.”
This Sunday the Broncos and Patriots will play in the AFC Championship Game and renew a rivalry that featured Peyton Manning and Tom Brady squaring off in the 2015 AFC title game.
One team will have two weeks to prepare for the Super Bowl, while the other will start their offseason, in Cancun or elsewhere.
The Patriots are coming off back-to-back wins over the Chargers and Texans to reach their first AFC Championship since 2018. New England is led by second-year quarterback Drake Maye, who was announced as an MVP finalist on Thursday.
The Broncos are coming off a 33-30 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills to advance to their first AFC Championship since 2015. On one of the final plays of that game, Broncos quarterback Bo Nix suffered a season-ending ankle fracture.
Former Patriots quarterback Jarrett Stidham will start in Sunday’s game for the Broncos, who could get running back J.K. Dobbins back for the game. Dobbins has been out since Week 10 with a Lisfranc injury.
