The New England Patriots visit the Denver Broncos on Sunday for the 2014 AFC Championship game. Kickoff is at 3:00 p.m. ET. Watch the free live stream or listen to the radio broadcast via the links provided below.
Few predicted at the beginning of the season New England would be in their third straight AFC Championship game. The Patriots overcame the losses of Wes Welker, Aaron Hernandez and, for most of the season, Rob Gronkowski en route to a 12-4 season and their fifth straight AFC East title.
"I'm sure no one's going to pick us to win this week," Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said, via ESPN. "We've had our backs against the wall for a while. Really, the whole season we've lost players, and teams have really counted us out."
Brady found ways to win this season without a loaded receiving corps. Receiver Julian Edelman became Brady's favorite target, catching 105 passes for 1,056 yards and six touchdowns. The Patriots also relied heavily on their running game with four halfbacks - Stevan Ridley, LeGarrette Blount, Shane Vereen and Brandon Bolden - combining for more than 2,000 yards on the ground.
Opposite of Brady will be Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, who's enjoying one of his greatest NFL seasons. The 37-year-old shattered single-season records with 5,477 passing yards and 55 touchdowns, helping Denver to a 13-3 record.
Unlike Brady, Manning reaped the rewards of having a myriad of options to throw to on offense. In addition to receivers DeMaryius Thomas, Eric Decker and Wes Welker, Manning benefitted from the emergence of tight end Julius Thomas, who averaged 12.1 yards per catch for 788 yards and 12 touchdowns.
"Excellent player - size, speed, he's a good vertical receiver, he gets down the field on seams and flags and over routes and wheel routes, like he caught last week and things like that," said Patriots coach Bill Belichick. "He's also good on catch-and-run plays."
Watch the live stream HERE, or listen to the live radio broadcast HERE (NE) and HERE (DEN).
