New England, which boasts MVP candidate Drake Maye, takes aim at Denver backup and former teammate Jarrett Stidham, playing Sunday in place of injured Bo Nix.<\/b>
\nIf any opponent is familiar with Denver Broncos fill-in quarterback Jarrett Stidham, it\u2019s the New England Patriots, who drafted him in 2019 to serve as Tom Brady\u2019s backup.
When Josh McDaniels took the Las Vegas Raiders\u2019 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\u2019s No. 2, then as Bo Nix\u2019s 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 Nix recovering from surgery after breaking his right ankle on Denver\u2019s game-winning drive in overtime against Buffalo last weekend, Stidham steps in Sunday when the Broncos (15-3) host Drake Maye and the Patriots (16-3) in the AFC championship game.
Although Nix was integral to Denver\u2019s success this season \u2013 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 \u2013 his coaches and teammates insist they\u2019re equally confident Stidham can lead them to the Super Bowl.
\u201cWe\u2019re lucky to have him,\u201d right tackle Mike McGlinchey said, \u201cbecause not everybody has a quarterback waiting in the wings as talented as Jarrett.\u201d
Although the Patriots brass knows Stidham well, defensive tackle Milton Williams didn\u2019t mince words when asked what he knew about the sixth-year QB who hasn\u2019t thrown a pass in two years.
\u201cNothing. I ain\u2019t going to lie,\u201d he said. \u201cNothing. We\u2019re going to watch the tape on him and figure out what he likes to do. But they didn\u2019t like him over Bo, so.\u201d
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 r\u00e9sum\u00e9 of Nix, but he\u2019s no slouch, said Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
\u201cHe\u2019s in the NFL for a reason,\u201d Gonzalez said. \u201cThey believe in him, they brought him up, so we\u2019ve got to prepare and be ready for him. They\u2019re in this game for a reason, too. They\u2019ve got a lot of weapons on the offensive side.\u201d
Stidham won\u2019t 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\u2019 tutelage. But he\u2019s 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.
\u201cReally impressive,\u201d Payton said. \u201cHe\u2019s 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.\u201d
Denver\u2019s 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.
\u201cI\u2019m very appreciative of New England for giving me a shot in this league, drafting me,\u201d said Stidham, whose only play-callers in his NFL career have been McDaniels and Payton.
But it wasn\u2019t a hard choice last spring when he re-signed with Denver for $12 million over two years. He said he believes in Payton \u2013 \u201cIt\u2019s pretty obvious that he has the train rolling in the right direction\u201d \u2013 QBs coach Davis Webb and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, and that he really enjoys working with Nix.
\u201cI felt like over the last two years that I was here that I got a lot better,\u201d said Stidham, who gets the chance to show it this weekend.
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.
\u201cEverybody\u2019s been doubting us\u201d all along, McGlinchey said. \u201cWe won 14 games and people are saying we\u2019re the worst 1 seed in the history of the playoffs. So, that\u2019s nothing new. \u2026 Certainly we are a team that\u2019s been battle-tested. We\u2019ve handled adversity every step of the way and we\u2019re incredibly confident moving forward in our team.\u201d
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.
\u201cIt\u2019s a huge blessing for our family,\u201d Christian said. \u201cOne of us is going to the Super Bowl one way or the other. So we\u2019re very excited. For me, it\u2019s a little bit of smack talking \u2026 and we\u2019ll have a little side bet, and the loser will be reminded forever.\u201d
Who: New England Patriots (16-6) at Denver Broncos (15-3)
When: Noon PT Sunday
Where: Empower Field at Mile High, Denver
TV: CBS (Ch. 2), Paramount+
BetMGM NFL odds: Patriots by 5<\/p>\n