The AFC’s prime two seeds meet within the AFC Championship Game on Sunday when the No. 2 New England Patriots go to the No. 1 Denver Broncos.
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The matchup marks the third time the franchises have met with a Super Bowl berth at stake, and Denver has gained 4 of the 5 postseason conferences.
The Broncos are beginning backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham after Bo Nix fractured his ankle within the divisional spherical. Stidham is the second quarterback in NFL historical past to make his first begin of the season within the convention championship or later, in response to ESPN Research. On the opposite facet, Drake Maye enters with 16 wins on the season, tied for probably the most by a first- or second-year quarterback.
It’s the primary playoff matchup between the 2 franchises because the 2015 AFC Championship Game, which pitted Tom Brady and Peyton Manning towards one another for the ultimate time. Brady had 310 passing yards, one landing and two interceptions, whereas Manning threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns. The Patriots had an opportunity to ship the sport to additional time, however Broncos cornerback Bradley Roby intercepted Brady on the 2-point conversion try to safe the 20-18 victory in Denver.
Before Denver and New England meet once more within the AFC title recreation, this is a glance again at sports activities and popular culture developments the last time they met with a spot within the Super Bowl at stake: Jan. 24, 2016.
Justin Bieber headlines Billboard Hot 100
Justin Bieber’s November 2015 pop album “Purpose” bought greater than 1,000,000 copies and went triple platinum. It additionally included three No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, together with one which reached the highest on Jan. 23, 2016: “Sorry.”
The monitor was slotted at No. 2 the week prior and spent 42 whole weeks on the Hot 100, one among his profession’s longest-charted tracks. Bieber had two different songs within the prime 10 that week with “Love Yourself” at No. 3 and “What Do You Mean?” at No. 8.
Other songs on the Billboard Hot 100 included Adele’s “Hello” at No. 2, Drake’s “Hotline Bling” at No. 4 and Twenty One Pilots’ “Stressed Out” at No. 5.
NBA season filled with memorable storylines
In 2015-16, The Golden State Warriors set the file for probably the most video games gained in the course of the NBA common season. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
The 2015-16 NBA season was headlined by the Golden State Warriors going 73-9, surpassing the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ 72-10 mark for the most effective in league historical past.
The Warriors started the season with 24 consecutive wins, the most effective begin to an NBA marketing campaign ever. They held a 40-4 file whereas the Broncos and Patriots confronted off and had been within the midst of an 11-game profitable streak. Golden State would go all the way in which to the 2016 NBA Finals however misplaced in seven video games to the Cleveland Cavaliers, turning into the primary workforce to lose the Finals after holding a 3-1 collection lead.
On the opposite facet of the NBA standings, the Los Angeles Lakers had been the worst workforce within the Western Conference as franchise legend Kobe Bryant concluded the ultimate season of his taking part in profession. Bryant struggled all through the season, averaging 17.6 factors, 3.7 rebounds and a couple of.6 assists.
However, Bryant dropped 60 factors within the remaining recreation of his profession on April 13, 2016, in one among his most exceptional performances.
DiCaprio approaching first Oscar
Released in December 2015, “The Revenant” was the second-highest-grossing movie the subsequent month, behind “Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens.” Most notably, it included a consequential efficiency from star Leonardo DiCaprio.
Across his profession to that time, DiCaprio had been nominated for greatest actor 4 instances on the Oscars, however had by no means taken house the glory. That modified with “The Revenant,” a efficiency that DiCaprio known as the toughest of his profession.
It ended up paying dividends, as he acquired a standing ovation when he gained greatest actor on the 88th Academy Awards.
UConn ladies in midst of historic stretch
UConn gained a file 111 straight video games from 2014 to 2017. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
After profitable 90 consecutive video games from 2008 to ’11, UConn ladies’s basketball topped itself with 111 straight victories from 2014-2017. No different ladies’s basketball program has ever come near the Huskies’ mark, which spanned 867 days and included 108 double-digit wins.
UConn was victorious on Jan. 23, 2016, defeating SMU 90-37 for its fifty fifth straight win. The roster included eight future WNBA professionals: Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Moriah Jefferson, Morgan Tuck, Katie Lou Samuelson, Kia Nurse, Gabby Williams and Saniya Chong.
‘Hamilton’ taking on Broadway
The legendary musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda debuted on Broadway in July 2015 and took the stage by storm.
Miranda blended hip-hop, R&B and conventional Broadway sounds to inform the story of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. It grossed $3.3 million in a single November 2016 week, probably the most cash ever made in a single week by a Broadway present, in response to The New York Times. The efficiency additionally turned the primary Broadway manufacturing to gross greater than $3 million throughout an eight-performance week.
A month after the Broncos beat the Patriots, “Hamilton” gained a Grammy Award for greatest musical theater album. In April 2016, Miranda acquired the Pulitzer Prize for drama. “Hamilton” additionally turned the musical manufacturing with probably the most Tony nominations with 16, profitable 11 of them.
Serena surprised at Australian Open
With an opportunity to match Steffi Graf’s file of twenty-two main wins, Serena Williams was defeated by No. 7 seeded Angelique Kerber 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 for her first main title.
Williams struggled with 46 unforced errors in her first loss in a serious remaining because the US Open in 2011. She had dropped simply 26 whole video games en path to the ultimate, the fewest of her Grand Slam profession. Williams later rebounded towards Kerber, nevertheless, defeating her within the 2016 Wimbledon remaining to match Graf’s file.
