Peyton Manning Tom Brady Broncos Patriots AFC Championship DENVER, CO – JANUARY 24: Peyton Manning #18 of the Denver Broncos and Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots speak after the AFC Championship game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on January 24, 2016 in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos defeated the Patriots 20-18. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

A year ago today, on January 24, 2016, the New England Patriots faced the Denver Broncos in the AFC championship game for the right to advance to the Super Bowl. Plenty of people thought that game was going to be over before it even started, though, as these pre-game takes illustrate:

About Andrew Bucholtz

Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.