The New England Patriots are moving on, with Drake Maye and company getting the best of the Houston Texans during the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs this past weekend.
With the Patriots getting the win after battling the elements and a tough Texans defense at Gillette Stadium, New England has advanced to the AFC Championship Game, where they’ll take on the Denver Broncos on the road at Empower Field at Mile High.
Mack Hollins’ Playing Status Remains Uncertain
Every team is banged up at this point in the postseason, especially the Broncos, who will have to play without star quarterback Bo Nix due to a season-ending injury suffered against the Buffalo Bills, but the Patriots are hoping to get a key piece back on offense for the AFC Championship Game on the road on Sunday in Denver.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel spoke to the media on Monday and was asked about the status of wide receiver Mack Hollins, via Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald.
Patriots HC Mike Vrabel when asked if he anticipates Mack Hollins practicing this week:
“I can’t be certain right now. Still working through everything with some of those guys that could be back.”
“I can’t be certain right now,” Vrabel said of Hollins’ status. “Still working through everything with some of those guys that could be back.”
Although Hollins isn’t Stefon Diggs in terms of impact in the passing game, his return to the field will help Maye and the offense against a solid Broncos defense.
In 15 games during the 2025 NFL season, Hollins caught 46 passes for 550 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Mike Vrabel on Facing Jarrett Stidham in AFC Championship Game
In a shocking twist after the Broncos took down the Bills, head coach Sean Payton announced that Nix would be out for the rest of the season with a broken ankle.
With Nix’s season ending, Denver will lean on veteran quarterback Jarrett Stidham to shoulder the load under center, which obviously changes the Patriots’ approach. Vrabel addressed this during Monday’s presser.
“Just going back to when Josh [McDaniels] had him, I think he sees things really well and I think he’s athletic enough to extend like we talk about a lot of quarterbacks,” Vrabel said of Stidham. “He’s really decisive in the games that we went back and watched, this is even going back to when I was in Tennessee as well.”
During an appearance on The Greg Hill Show, Vrabel also talked about facing the former Patriots quarterback on Sunday.
“He hasn’t thrown a pass since 2023, so we’ll have to kind of figure out,” Vrabel said. “I like Jarrett, we did a lot of work on him in the offseason here in free agency. Josh has coached him, he’s probably ready to go. Obviously he’s preparing as a starter each and every week. Really early in the preparation, not sure how much things will change based on the quarterback that’s in there and what they’re asking him to do.”
It’ll be interesting to see how things change for the Broncos heading into this game with Stidham rather than Nix. New England is currently favored (-5.5) to win on the road and advance to the Super Bowl, which isn’t all that surprising given the situation heading into this matchup.
