A pair of franchises were locked into the race for the No. 1 seed in the AFC all year: the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos.
It came down to Week 18 for the Broncos to clinch home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. It paid off as Denver will host New England to decide who will represent the conference in Super Bowl 60.
Both of these teams are led by second-year quarterbacks. The Patriots selected Drake Maye with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft; the Broncos took Bo Nix at No. 12 overall.
But they won’t get the chance to go head-to-head for the first time in their careers. Nix suffered a season-ending injury in the Broncos’ win over the Bills in the divisional round.
After the Patriots’ win over the Houston Texans, Maye spoke highly of Nix.
‘The news is heartbreaking for the player he is, the guy he is,’ he said. ‘Just know that, pray for Bo. I know he’s going to bounce back, he’s a great player in this league and [I] look forward to matching up with him.’
The two passers got to know each other by matching up in college. Maye’s North Carolina Tar Heels played Nix’s Oregon Ducks in the 2022 Holiday Bowl. Nix and the Ducks won 28-27 on a go-ahead touchdown with 19 seconds left.
They reunited more than a year later during the pre-draft process leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft.
‘I trained with Bo before the draft and got to know him well, him and his family and his wife,’ May said. ‘They’re just great people, great Christians… joy to be around.’
So long as Nix heals up in time for next season, they’ll have a chance to square off. The Broncos will face every team in the AFC East – including Maye’s Patriots – during the regular season.