Drake Maye aims to do what Tom Brady couldn't with the Patriots: win a playoff game in Denver

"The Patriots have never won a playoff game in Denver losing all four tries, with Brady going 0-3. Just the AFC championship, the chance to go to the Super Bowl. That'd be huge, Maye said. Another road environment that's had success in the past. I know it would be a big-time win. The Patriots advanced to their 14th AFC championship game in the last 25 years on Sunday when they beat the Houston Texans 28-16 in Foxborough. Denver beat Buffalo 33-30 to reach the conference title game."

"New England and Denver both finished 14-3 in the regular season, but the Broncos won the tiebreaker for home-field advantage because they had a better record against common opponents: Denver beat the Raiders twice this season but the Patriots lost to them. That loss to the worst team in the NFL in the first game of the Mike Vrabel era sent New England into one of the most inhospitable environments in the league. In addition to the high-energy crowd, the Patriots will also have to contend with a low-oxygen environment that they won't have a chance to acclimate to."

"Kind of what we've been doing on the road all season long, said Maye, who has guided the Patriots to an 8-0 road record this season. They've got a great team, so we're going to have a tough challenge. But I'm looking forward to getting out there. And getting a chance to possibly celebrate on an away field would be pretty special. The last team to go undefeated on the road with a new head coach was the San Francisco 49ers under George Seifert in 1989; they won the Super Bowl."

Drake Maye can secure a trip to the Super Bowl by beating the Broncos in the AFC championship game in Denver, a venue where the Patriots have never won a playoff game. New England reached the conference title by defeating the Houston Texans 28-16, while Denver advanced with a 33-30 victory over Buffalo. Both teams finished 14-3, but Denver earned home-field advantage via a common-opponent tiebreaker after sweeping the Raiders while the Patriots lost to them. The Patriots must face a raucous crowd and high altitude, but they enter the game with an 8-0 road record under their current coach.

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