The New England Patriots are set to face the Houston Texans this Sunday, but a victory could mean they will have a new opponent in the AFC Championship game. The outcome of the Divisional Round games has already determined the next challenge for the Patriots.

On Saturday, the Buffalo Bills and the Denver Broncos faced off in the first game of the Divisional Round, and it was a thrilling match that went into overtime. Neither team wanted their season to end, but only one team could advance. That team turned out to be the Denver Broncos.

With the Broncos securing the win, the AFC Championship game will now take place at Empower Field at Mile High. The game is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on CBS. Fans and analysts alike were quick to react to the results of the game.

Twitter was abuzz with reactions to the Broncos-Bills matchup:

• “Can’t believe the Bills missed out on this window with the AFC this wide open,” wrote Alexandra Francisco, a reporter for Patriots.com.
• “Such a great game. I hate that it came down to two PI calls late in the game when they’ve let the guys play all game. I would have liked both to be non calls!,” shared Jason McCourty.
• “The officiating in OT has been absolutely atrocious again,” noted Dan Orlovsky. “53 yards in penalties on an OT drive in the playoffs. That’s just bad officiating.”
• “That is one of the most stunningly anticlimactic finishes to an all-time great game you will ever see,” said Mike Greenberg.
• “The Broncos are 12-2 in one-score games this year. And now, they’re a win away from the Super Bowl,” stated Dianna Russini.
• “WE’RE HEADED TO THE AFC CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!!!,” the Denver Broncos posted on social media.
• “Wow. What a game. One thing to keep an eye on. It looked like Bo Nix got hurt at the end of the game. Possibly his knee. Something to watch,” commented CBS’ Tracy Wolfson.
• “All of our heads are spinning so it’s hard to put together concise thoughts. Here’s where I’m at. The Cooks play was nonsense and I have no idea how it wasn’t more thoroughly reviewed. But they lost because of the turnovers. The offense (led by Allen) made way too many mistakes,” said Bills reporter Matthew Bove.
• “Lamar, Joe or Patrick and STILL couldn’t make it to the Super Bowl. It’ll be interesting to see what happens next for the Bills… is McDermott officially gone?,” wrote one fan.
• “Being a Bills fan must be torture. Buffalo is just good enough to seriously contend each year, yet just bad enough to come up a little bit short in new and excruciating ways,” another person pointed out.

Road teams are now 1-98 all-time in the playoffs with a turnover margin of -3 or worse, according to ESPN insights. The lone win was by the 1977 Raiders at Baltimore in the Divisional Round.

Patriots History Does Not Favor Them At Mile High Stadium

The Patriots have never won a game in Denver at Mile High Stadium. With Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, New England had to travel and face the Broncos three times in the postseason, and they lost each time. First, it was a loss to Jake Plummer in 2006, followed by falling to Peyton Manning in 2014 and 2016.

So, could Drake Maye change history?

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This article was originally published on sportifySports.