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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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Only two teams remain in the AFC Playoffs, as the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos will battle it out at Sunday's AFC Championship Game.
New England is enjoying a return to success under head coach Mike Vrabel, along with young quarterback Drake Maye and stars including Stefon Diggs, Hunter Henry, TreVeyon Henderson, and Kayshon Boutte. On the opposing side, the Denver Broncos, coached by Sean Payton, are facing a challenging situation without their biggest leader.
After the team's 33-30 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional Round, they lost their star quarterback, Bo Nix, to a broken ankle, sidelining him for the rest of the playoffs. Payton will look to backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham to lead them to the Super Bowl amid Nix's injury.
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And based on his pregame remarks, Payton seems quite confident that Stidham and his team will get the win at their home stadium.
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"They're going to have plenty of rest after this one. Two weeks," Payton said when asked his message to Broncos fans.
Payton's remark suggests Denver is going to win and reach the Super Bowl. Still, it also may have provided intriguing bulletin board material and motivation for the New England Patriots.
Reporters asked Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte if he'd heard Payton's remarks. He hadn't, and after being informed what the head coach said, Boutte had quite the response for the Broncos.
"You can rest in Cancun too at the end of the day," he said, firing back at Payton's bold pregame message to fans.
Cancun, a popular travel destination, has become a popular joke people make about players getting to go on vacation when their team either doesn't make the playoffs or gets eliminated from them.
After the Chicago Bears lost to the Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers star Micah Parsons shared a Cancun message to the Bears, featuring a funny image of Caleb Williams to celebrate that Chicago was now vacationing in Cancun, too.
Boutte was the team’s leading receiver, tallying 75 yards and a touchdown on three receptions in New England’s 28-16 win over the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional Round. However, many believe Denver could take away the Patriots' passing game with their defense.
As it stands, the Patriots enter the AFC Championship Game as the road team and the favorite. Many sportsbooks list a point spread of 4.5 points in favor of New England. The back-and-forth barbs provide a bit of pregame fun, with some tame trash-talking between the player and head coach on behalf of their teams.
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