Broncos players rally behind backup QB Jarrett Stidham, confident he's prepared to lead Denver to AFC Championship glory after starter's injury.
There isn’t as much optimism as you’d expect from the fanbase of a team playing in the AFC Championship for fans of the Denver Broncos, but they’re under unique circumstances this week. All of the luck and good fortune that helped the Broncos to the No. 1 seed in the AFC has gone out the window after quarterback Bo Nix broke his ankle in the final moments of the divisional round win against the Buffalo Bills.
With Nix out, backup Jarrett Stidham will be under center on Sunday as Denver takes on the New England Patriots. It’s not ideal by any stretch of the imagination, but success in such a situation has been achieved several times before.
Nick Foles was the most recent success story to lead his team to a Super Bowl after stepping in for the injured starter. He won multiple playoff games for the Philadelphia Eagles and ended up winning Super Bowl LII.
The greatest quarterback of all time, Tom Brady, also got his first shot in the NFL after replacing starter Drew Bledsoe in 2001. He went on to lead the Patriots to a great regular season record and all the way to the Super Bowl, where he also earned a win.
Not that Stidham is going to be the next Brady by any means, but just because Denver is relying on their backup doesn’t mean Sunday’s outcome has already been decided. The Broncos’ players have their full confidence in Stidham, who has been in Denver under head coach Sean Payton’s system for three years now. Defensive edge Zach Allen has full confidence in the 29-year-old.
“He's the first guy in the building every day, and he prepares like a starter, so we're really excited to see what he does,” Allen said on Monday. “And obviously, he goes against the defense in practice all the time, and he's great. He's definitely a really good quarterback in this league. So excited to see what he does this week."
Right tackle Mike McGlinchey is also confident in Stidham’s ability heading into the biggest game of his career.
“He's been ready for his opportunity, whenever that may come,” he told reporters. “He stays in his routine every single day for three years straight, not knowing when that opportunity is going to come around. I know that our team and our staff and everybody has got the utmost confidence in Jarrett to play well and lead our team forward."
The Broncos will be hoping for an early return from running back J.K. Dobbins, who has had his 21-day activation window opened. If Stidham can lead Denver to a win this week, Dobbin’s possible return for the Super Bowl would be a huge bonus to a squad without its starting quarterback.
Focusing on this Sunday, however, Stidham is the type of backup you’d hope for in this situation. Though his play style is a bit different from Nix’s, he’s very familiar with how Payton operates and what he expects from his quarterback. All the eyes of the football world will be on Stidham and the Broncos this weekend, waiting to see if Stidham can become the next backup QB to lead his team to glory.