Perhaps it was wishful thinking.
There was a scenario in which the New England Patriots (or the Los Angeles Chargers) could have hosted the AFC Championship Game next Sunday. But that scenario counted on the Indianapolis Colts showing up in Kansas City against the Chiefs on Saturday.
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Spoiler: They didn't.
The No. 6 seed Colts fell 31-13 to No. 1 seed Kansas City in their AFC Divisional Round matchup Saturday, ensuring the winner of Patriots-Chargers on Sunday will have to visit Arrowhead Stadium next weekend in the Chiefs' first home AFC Championship Game in franchise history.
Indy entered with designs of an upset, having won 10 of its last 11 games and upsetting the No. 3 seed Houston Texans in the AFC Wild Card round.
Instead, quarterback Andrew Luck and the Colts' offense went MIA, failing to score a touchdown until the fourth quarter. Luck completed just 19 of 36 passes for 203 yards and one touchdown for a 78.8 passer rating.
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Indy's loss certainly doesn't help New England's chances of reaching Super Bowl LIII; the Patriots are just 2-3 in road AFC Championship Games under Bill Belichick and haven't won such a game since the 2004 season.
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