It's always an interesting day when the Patriots host a snowy playoff game, especially during a season that wasn't expected to include much winning. Instead, they're headed to the AFC Championship Game against the Broncos in Denver as the No. 2 seed, and are currently favored to steal the win on their way to Super Bowl LX.
Although they didn't have their best offensive performance against the second-ranked defense on Sunday, their defense stepped up and made many double-checks, which was considered among the best in the league.
Their win prompted a lot of reactions, too, some not so exciting, with the worst of all coming from a ghost of the Patriots' past, which many fans would rather forget, even if they managed to win another Super Bowl after their brutal meeting.
Nick Foles immediately rains on the Patriots' parade after beating the Texans
Former Eagles' backup quarterback and Super Bowl LIII winner Nick Foles enjoys reminding everyone of his past fortunes as often as he can, particularly when the Patriots are involved.
He did it, again, after their win on Sunday, once it became official that they would be facing the Broncos, and not-so-subtly reminded everyone that New England has an unkind history against backup quarterbacks, since they will be facing a Denver offense without Bo Nix in the lineup.
Note for the Broncos and their fans: I know it has been an emotional 24 hours. I feel for Bo and the team, and I'm sending prayers for a strong recovery.
— Nick Foles (@NickFoles) January 18, 2026
A positive note going into the game versus the Patriots is that they struggle against backup QBs in championship-type games.
He might not be wrong, given that they lost to an Eagles offense led by him despite Tom Brady breaking nearly every quarterback record with his performance, but he really didn't need to say this within minutes of their win.
Regardless, the Patriots might be in a better situation this time around simply because of their familiarity with Nix's backup, Jarrett Stidham.
Not only was he drafted by New England in 2019 and spent three seasons in Foxboro, but he also followed Josh McDaniels to Las Vegas when he became the Raiders' head coach in 2022, before signing with the Broncos the following year.
McDaniels knows better than nearly anyone else what kind of quarterback Stidham is, whether he's coaching him or coaching against him. That should come in handy over the next week as they prepare for the Broncos and will, hopefully, have them in a better spot in the championship game than going in blind against someone like Foles.
No matter what, it will help the defense in some way, and then we'll just need to have the offense perform better than they did this week.