By Sunday’s finish, a champion of the AFC will likely be topped and have their ticket punched for Super Bowl LX. The New England Patriots and Denver Broncos will sq. off for that proper to advance to Santa Clara to play for the prospect to hoist the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday at Mile High.
As we do each week all through the season, CBS Sports and SportsLine have compiled our consultants’ best picks in a single place that method you will get picks in opposition to the unfold whereas additionally testing further characteristic content material for every sport, together with performs from high SportsLine consultants and the SportsLine Projection Model, best bets from our workers, and extra.
Stick with CBS Sports via the NFL playoffs as we break down each sport and storyline via probably the most intriguing a part of the season.
Seahawks vs. Rams: NFC Championship expert picks, odds, NFL playoffs best bets, where to watch, TV, stream
Tyler Sullivan
All NFL odds by way of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Which picks are you able to make with confidence throughout Championship Sunday? And which contenders go down onerous? Visit SportsLine, as its unbelievable mannequin simulates each NFL sport 10,000 occasions and is up effectively over $7,000 for $100 gamers on top-rated NFL picks since its inception.
New England Patriots at Denver Broncos
Sunday, 3 p.m. ET (CBS | Paramount+)
Pete Prisco’s Patriots vs. Broncos decide
Broncos +5.5: “The New England defense can be stingy, especially against the run, which can put more pressure on Payton to scheme up things to make it easier for Jarrett Stidham. I think Sean Payton is one of the best play callers in the league, so I think he will.
“On the opposite facet, Drake Maye will likely be making his first street playoff begin for the Patriots. That may be daunting, particularly in opposition to an excellent Denver protection. But Maye has been good on the street this season. Then once more, that is the playoffs.
“The Bills ran on the Broncos final week, so I count on the Patriots to attempt to do the identical. New England is averaging 156.1 dashing yards per sport over the past seven video games, however I feel Denver will likely be higher this time in opposition to the run.
“It would be easy to pick the Pats here based on Stidham playing. But I think the Denver players will elevate their games around him and Payton will have a big day calling the game for him. I think Denver’s defense will get the best of the Pats offense. Denver goes to the Super Bowl.” Pick: Broncos 23, Patriots 21
SportsLine’s Bruce Marshall’s Patriots vs. Broncos decide
Look no additional than Marshall to enable you to make your decide for the AFC Championship. The SportsLine expert has been on a tear along with his NFL picks, proudly owning a 58-38-2 document (+1589) over his final 98 NFL performs. Now, he is turned his consideration to this playoff matchup between New England and Denver. We can let you know Marshall is leaning Over the 42.5 level whole, however to see his official ATS decide, you will want to go to SportsLine.
Tyler Sullivan’s Patriots vs. Broncos decide
Patriots -5.5: “Will Stidham rise to the occasion and pull off what would be a historic upset? I doubt it. One of the underrated developments of these playoffs has been the rise of New England’s defense. Once thought to live and die by the performance of Drake Maye, the Patriots have won back-to-back playoff matchups even as their MVP-contending quarterback hasn’t played his best wire to wire. That’s largely been due to the defense, which is coming off a dominating win over Houston, where it accounted for five turnovers. If the Patriots’ defense makes Stidham’s head spin even half as much as they C.J. Stroud’s, they should punch their ticket to the Super Bowl rather convincingly. Oh, and if you are concerned about New England going on the road, let’s factor this in: the Patriots were the only team in the NFL to boast a perfect 8-0 record on the road this season and were also 7-1 ATS in those contests.” Pick: Patriots 24, Broncos 17
John Breech’s Patriots vs. Broncos decide
Broncos +5.5: “Drake Maye struggled against one of the best defenses in the NFL, and now, he has to once again play one of the best defenses in the NFL, except this time, he has to go on the road. Maye has taken a beating this postseason (he’s been sacked 10 times in two games) and it could get worse this week. He took the fourth-most sacks in the NFL this year and he’s facing a defense that recorded the FIFTH-MOST sacks in a single season in NFL history. I have no idea how the Patriots offensive line is going to stop the Broncos’ pass-rush.
“When Maye begins taking hits, he tends to fumble the ball. He’s fumbled SIX occasions in his two playoff video games and the Patriots have misplaced three of these fumbles. The Broncos are 9-1 this season once they power at the least one turnover, so one thing so simple as recovering a fumble might be the important thing to pulling off the upset right here.
“Jarrett Stidham might only throw for 103 yards in this game, but if he plays mistake-free football and doesn’t turn the ball over, Denver will have a chance to win.” Pick: Patriots 20, Broncos 17
Mike McClure’s high DFS for Championship Sunday
If you need to add some DFS lineups to your Championship Sunday, Mike McClure is the expert you will need to observe. McClure is a legendary skilled DFS participant with greater than $2 million in profession winnings. In 2023, he gained the DraftKings Millionaire Maker twice and the FanDuel Million as soon as. Now, he is eyeing these convention championships and increase rosters to money in. For this AFC Championship, one to McClure’s high DFS picks is Stefon Diggs. To see the remainder of his high performs and lineups, click on over to SportsLine.
Jared Dubin’s Patriots vs. Broncos decide
Patriots -5.5: “This one is pretty simple: the Broncos will not have their starting quarterback for this game. It’s really hard to see them putting together a representative offensive performance with Jarrett Stidham at the helm — especially given how well the New England defense has played so far during the playoffs in holding down offenses piloted by Justin Herbert and C.J. Stroud. New England’s offense hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire in either of its games against elite defenses, and the Broncos present another one for them to go up against, but I have far more trust in Drake Maye going against a Denver unit that has actually shown some leaks since its bye week, than I do in Stidham and Co. against the Pats.” Pick: Patriots 21, Broncos 10
Jordan Dajani’s Patriots vs. Broncos decide
Patriots -5.5: “Jarrett Stidham is the seventh quarterback to make his first start of the season in the playoffs, and only one of the previous six actually won their game. He is 1-3 as an NFL starter, and it will be interesting to see how Sean Payton alters his game plan with Bo Nix out. Regardless of Stidham’s role on Sunday, there are two things that must happen if the Broncos want this upset: The run game has to reappear and the defense has to dominate. Since J.K. Dobbins was injured in Week 10, the Broncos rank bottom 10 in rushing yards per game and yards per rush. Dobbins has a chance to return this week, but I’m not banking on him to be an X factor. This Denver defense ranks top three in points allowed per game (18.3), yards allowed per game (278.2) and third-down percentage (33.8%) as well. Vance Joseph’s unit can definitely contain Drake Maye, but the Patriots are the only team with a perfect against-the-spread record (8-0) on the road this season. I believe this will be a close game until New England finally covers in the fourth quarter.” Pick: Patriots 20, Broncos 13
