DENVER (AP) 鈥� If any opponent is familiar with Denver Broncos fill-in quarterback , it’s the New England Patriots, who drafted him in 2019 to serve as Tom Brady’s backup.
When Josh McDaniels took the Las Vegas Raiders’ head coaching job, he traded for Stidham, who backed up Derek Carr for two years before signing with Denver, where he served as Russell Wilson’s No. 2, then as Bo Nix’s right-hand man.
After McDaniels returned to New England for his third stint as offensive coordinator last offseason, the Patriots were interested in a reunion with Stidham, but he chose to stay in Denver.
With after breaking his right ankle on Denver’s in overtime against Buffalo last weekend, Stidham steps in Sunday when the Broncos (15-3) host (16-3) in the AFC championship game.
Although Nix was integral to Denver’s success this season 鈥� he engineered six comebacks in the fourth quarter or overtime and and led Denver to an NFL-best 12-2 record in one-score games 鈥� his coaches and teammates insist they’re equally confident Stidham can lead them to the Super Bowl.
鈥淲e鈥檙e lucky to have him,鈥� right tackle Mike McGlinchey said, 鈥渂ecause not everybody has a quarterback waiting in the wings as talented as Jarrett.鈥�
Although the Patriots brass knows Stidham well, defensive tackle Milton Williams didn’t mince words when asked what he knew about the sixth-year QB who hasn’t thrown a pass in two years.
鈥淣othing. I ain鈥檛 going to lie,” he said. “Nothing. We鈥檙e going to watch the tape on him and figure out what he likes to do. But they didn鈥檛 like him over Bo, so.鈥�
Of course, no team likes their backup QB more than their starter, but Broncos coach Sean Payton insists Stidham could start for any number of other NFL teams.
Stidham may not have quite the resume of Nix, but he’s no slouch, said Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
鈥淗e鈥檚 in the NFL for a reason,” Gonzalez said. “They believe in him, they brought him up, so we鈥檝e got to prepare and be ready for him. They鈥檙e in this game for a reason, too. They鈥檝e got a lot of weapons on the offensive side.鈥�
Stidham won’t have running back J.K. Dobbins alongside him, however. The Broncos ruled Dobbins out after he returned to practice for the first time since undergoing foot surgery in November.
Maye had an MVP-caliber season in his second year in the league and first under McDaniels’ tutelage. But he’s had an puzzling postseason, getting sacked 10 times, throwing two interceptions, fumbling six times and losing half of them but still beating the Chargers and Texans handily.
鈥淩eally impressive,鈥� Payton said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 extremely fast and those come from obviously pocket scrambles, but he can run. We had that challenge a week ago. It seems like every third week you have that challenge of someone that you have to make sure your pocket rushes are on point.鈥�
Denver’s defense led the league in sacks with 68 but it had a dearth of takeaways until collecting five against the Bills last week.
That defense and a good ground game could make a world of difference for Stidham as he faces his former team in the biggest game of a career that features just four starts and one victory, on Dec. 31, 2023, against the Chargers.
鈥淚’m very appreciative of New England for giving me a shot in this league, drafting me,鈥� said Stidham, whose only play-callers in his NFL career have been McDaniels and Payton.
But it wasn’t a hard choice last spring when he re-signed with Denver for $12 million over two years. He said he believes in Payton 鈥� 鈥淚t’s pretty obvious that he has the train rolling in the right direction鈥� 鈥� QBs coach Davis Webb and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, and that he really enjoys working with Nix.
鈥淚 felt like over the last two years that I was here that I got a lot better,鈥� said Stidham, who gets the chance to show it this weekend.
Biggest home underdog
The Broncos without Nix are the biggest home underdog ever in a conference championship game. Oddsmakers installed the Patriots, who went 8-0 on the road, as five-point favorites.
鈥淓verybody鈥檚 been doubting us鈥� all along, McGlinchey said. 鈥淲e won 14 games and people are saying we鈥檙e the worst 1 seed in the history of the playoffs. So, that鈥檚 nothing new. … Certainly we are a team that鈥檚 been battle-tested. We鈥檝e handled adversity every step of the way and we鈥檙e incredibly confident moving forward in our team.鈥�
Family ties
Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss will face one of his brothers for the second time this season with Broncos linebacker Jonah Elliss on the opposing sideline.
Christian faced their brother Kaden, who plays for the Atlanta Falcons, on Nov. 2. This will be the first meeting between Christian and Jonah, and the sixth time Elliss brothers have played against each other.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge blessing for our family,鈥� Christian said. 鈥淥ne of us is going to the Super Bowl one way or the other. So we鈥檙e very excited. For me, it鈥檚 a little bit of smack talking … and we鈥檒l have a little side bet, and the loser will be reminded forever.鈥�
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AP Sports Writer Kyle Hightower contributed from Foxborough, Massachusetts.
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