The 2016 NFL Playoffs continue today, as we're now in the Championship Round. To kickoff this Sunday's action, the AFC Championship game between the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos takes place, and you won't want to miss any of the action. Below is a link to a free live stream, paid live stream, the TV schedule, betting line and more.
Game Time: 3:05 p.m. ET
TV Channel: CBS
Radio: Sirius XM Radio
Paid Live Stream: NFL Game Pass
Free Live Stream: Stream2U or First Row Sports
Betting Line: -3 NE; 44.5 O/U
Here we go again: Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning.
You have to love and hate this matchup. You love it because these two guys are two of the best quarterbacks to ever grace a football field, and you hate because -- let's be real -- two quarterbacks don't play against each other. It's always been Manning against the Patriots defense and Brady against the Indianapolis Colts or Broncos defense.
OK, maybe I'm just the one who hates that. Sorry for the tangent.
Anyway, this year brings a fantastic bout of two teams who can almost be viewed as equals. Yes, Brady is undoubtedly playing better than Manning these days, but the Broncos have the best defense in the league, and the Patriots do not. The way I see it, New England and Denver is going to be an extremely close game, and I'm relatively surprised that New England is the favorite on the road at Mile High Stadium.
Usually, when two teams are evenly matched like in this instance, the home team has the three-point advantage, but it's the other way around here. Frankly, that leads me to believe people are underestimating the Broncos.
It's true that Manning was brutal during the regular season -- but he was playing hurt. That much is certain just looking at the way he's moving compared to the majority of the year. He's dropping back comfortably, climbing the pocket well and stepping into throws a lot better than in the regular season prior to his benching. And while the ball coming out of his hand isn't always pretty, that's been the case ever since the neck injury anyway. He throws some ducks out there, but they usually get to their man.
Will that be the case in this game? My inclination is to say yes, especially since the weather forecast has the temperatures up between 38 and 48 for the whole game. That's a good sign for Manning, as we all know his history with games that are below freezing temperatures.
The way I see this game unfolding is that the Broncos defense will keep things tight and pretty low-scoring, that is, until the Broncos offense breaks a few plays.
Prediction: Broncos 27, Patriots 20
