New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos: How to watch the AFC Championship game today, kickoff time, TV channel and more

After 20 weeks, it’s come to this: the final two teams in the AFC will meet for the championship game. After a crazy comeback season, the New England Patriots will visit the Denver Broncos for a shot at the conference title. While the Broncos are the No. 1 seed heading into the game, they’ll be without Bo Nix who broke his ankle in last Saturday’s win over the Buffalo Bills and will miss the rest of the Broncos’ post-season. Jarrett Stidham, who has started in just four previous NFL games, will replace Nix in what is probably the most important game of his career. No pressure.

The Patriots vs. Broncos game will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+. Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch this game, and learn how to watch the NFC Championship game between the L.A. Rams and the Seattle Seahawks, too.

How to watch the New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos AFC Championship game:

Date: Sunday, Jan. 25

Time: 3:00 p.m. ET

TV channel: CBS

Streaming: Paramount+, DirecTV, NFL+ and more

New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos game time:

The Patriots vs. Broncos AFC Championship game kicks off at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026.

New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos game channel:

The AFC Championship game between the Patriots and Broncos will air on CBS, which means it’ll also stream live on Paramount+. You can also tune in on mobile devices with NFL+.

How to watch the New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos game without cable:

NFL Conference Championship schedule:

All times Eastern.

Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026

AFC Championship: New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos, 3:00 p.m.(CBS)
NFC Championship: Los Angeles Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks, 6:30 p.m. (FOX)

How to watch NFL games in 2026:

Many NFL games are broadcast on local channels, so if you’re looking to catch an in-market game, it may be as simple as turning on your TV (or setting up a digital TV antenna) or finding a live TV streaming service that carries the correct RSN (Regional Sports Network). If you want to watch out-of-market games, a $7 monthly subscription to NFL+ will let you watch every out-of-market-game local and primetime game in the season on your phone — but only a select few regular season games on your TV. You could also spring for the uber-expensive NFL Sunday Ticket package to get every out-of-market Sunday game of the season.

When it comes to nationally broadcast games, NFL games typically air across ESPN, NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC and NFL Network. Thursday Night Football games stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, select football games will stream exclusively on Peacock, games on CBS will stream live on Paramount+, and Monday Night Football games will air on ESPN or ABC and stream on the newly revamped ESPN+ this season. That’s six channels and four streaming platforms to keep up with this season — and that’s not counting your local RSN’s for in-market games and an NFL+ or NFL Sunday Ticket subscription for out-of-market games. Plus, Netflix is once again hosting at least two Christmas Day matches, so add that subscription into the mix. And we can’t forget about Fox One, Fox’s first streaming service, a place where you can also stream games airing on FOX (if you don’t already have access to it).

Confused? You’re not alone. Here’s a breakdown of the platforms we recommend checking out ahead of the 2025 NFL season, so that come game time, tuning into your favorite team’s games will be as easy as simply turning on the TV.

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