The AFC Championship Game was shaping up to be a wild offensive contest before Bo Nix went down with a season-ending injury. With him sidelined, the matchup now looks more like the New England Patriots offense versus the Denver Broncos defense. Former Bronco Aqib Talib expects the same, and he believes Denver will be the side to come out victorious this Sunday.
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It’s hard to deny that Nix’s injury throws a massive wrinkle into the Championship game. Jarrett Stidham will be stepping in at QB for the Broncos, and he’s started in just 4 games over a 6-year career. And as a result, the Denver defense will be relied upon heavily to help them win and advance to the Super Bowl.
Still, Talib believes his former team is up to the challenge.
“I think our D-line and our defense do come out and take over this game. I think we stop the run… We’ve got the turnover train rolling… Whether it’s sacks, fumbles, tipped balls, or pressure to create errant throws to lead to interceptions,” Talib began during a segment on The Arena.
The Broncos’ defense is, without a doubt, the best in the AFC. They led the league in sacks and pressures while allowing just 18.3 points per contest. It’s an elite unit led by Patrick Surtain, Nik Bonitto, and Zach Allen.
Talib also talked about Denver’s running game, pointing out that the offensive line will be healthy for the first time in weeks.
“This is the first time we’ll have those 5 guys on the O-line since Week 10. So, I see our run game getting back to where it was because we’ve got all our guys healthy,” Talib predicted.
This all led the former Bronco and fan of the team to his final score prediction.
“We will win this game 20-16 because our defense is going to come out and dominate,” Talib said, before talking about Drake Maye. “He’s going to have 3 turnovers. I don’t know if it’s going to be picks or fumbles, but we’re going to create 3 turnovers, for sure.”
It’s quite the prediction from the former five-time Pro Bowler. But he’s obviously supposed to be confident in his team’s defense, and he isn’t afraid to boast about it. He’s also right to do so, as one could argue it’s the best defensive unit the Broncos have had since Talib was on the team back in 2015, when they won a Super Bowl.
At the end of the day, though, it’s going to be a tough battle for Denver. Their defense can only do so much, and they’re going to need Stidham to step up and make some plays on offense to put points on the board. He could turn the ball over and leave the defense with a short field to defend. He could also tire them out if he doesn’t keep the chains moving, forcing the defense back onto the field more often than usual.
So, there are other factors at play beyond what Talib mentioned. Perhaps the biggest one is that an MVP frontrunner will be playing in Maye. Players like him can completely change the dynamic of a game and render even an elite defense ineffective. If the Broncos want to have any shot at winning, they’ll need to shut him down from the start.
We’re going to play it safe here and predict that the Pats win this one 24-20. Talib brings up a lot of good points, but without Nix, Denver is likely to struggle to move the ball. This Pats defense is underrated and should force some turnovers of its own, which could lead to plenty of scoring opportunities for Maye.
