Jarrett Stidham Steps In as Broncos Turn to Veteran Backup for AFC Championship After Bo Nix Injury

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. Jarrett Stidham will make the most unexpected start of his NFL career Sunday, taking over at quarterback for the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game after rookie standout Bo Nix suffered a season ending right ankle fracture in last week’s divisional round victory.

Stidham, 29, becomes the centerpiece of a sudden postseason pivot for head coach Sean Payton and the top seeded Broncos, who host the New England Patriots at Empower Field at Mile High with a Super Bowl berth on the line. The breaking update marks one of the rarest quarterback situations in modern playoff history, as Stidham enters a conference championship game without having attempted a regular season pass this year.

Nix, the 2024 first round pick, had started all seventeen regular season games and guided Denver to a fourteen and three record and the number one seed in the AFC before suffering the injury late in the Broncos’ thirty three to thirty overtime win over the Buffalo Bills. The injury forced Nix out of the game and ended a season that saw him emerge as one of the league’s most productive rookie quarterbacks.

Stidham, who signed a two year, twelve million dollar contract extension last offseason, now takes the reins after serving as Denver’s primary backup for two seasons. He last appeared in a regular season game in Week eight, playing four snaps without a pass attempt during a forty four to twenty four win over Dallas. His most recent meaningful action came at the end of the 2023 season, when he replaced Russell Wilson for the final two games.

According to ESPN Research, Stidham becomes only the second quarterback since nineteen fifty to make a playoff start after recording zero passing yards during the regular season, joining Joe Webb in twenty twelve. The closest historical parallel came in nineteen seventy two, when Roger Staubach made his first start of that season in the NFC Championship Game for Dallas.

Despite the unprecedented nature of the moment, Payton and the Broncos have expressed unwavering confidence in Stidham’s preparation, leadership, and command of the offense. Payton pursued Stidham aggressively during free agency in twenty twenty three, believing his experience, football intelligence, and aggressiveness fit Denver’s offensive identity.

Stidham’s journey includes four seasons with New England, one year with the Las Vegas Raiders, and two with Denver. Over his career, he has appeared in twenty games, totaling one thousand four hundred twenty two passing yards, eight touchdowns, and eight interceptions. His most notable NFL performance came in Week seventeen of the twenty twenty two season, when he threw for three hundred sixty five yards and three touchdowns in an overtime loss to the San Francisco 49ers, who finished that season as the league’s top scoring defense.

Teammates consistently describe Stidham as one of the most prepared players in the locker room, often functioning as a second quarterbacks coach. Defensive tackle Zach Allen and cornerback Pat Surtain II both cited his calm demeanor, leadership, and competitiveness as critical traits entering the biggest game of the season.

Stidham has also played a major role in Nix’s development, serving as a mentor throughout the rookie’s rapid rise. The two quarterbacks share a close relationship, and Stidham was among the first teammates to console Nix after doctors confirmed his injury would end his season. Nix’s growth into an immediate franchise cornerstone has been credited in part to Stidham’s steady presence in meeting rooms and on the practice field.

From a tactical standpoint, the Broncos offense may lean more heavily on its running game and play action concepts, particularly behind an offensive line ranked eighth in the league in pass block win rate. Denver’s sack avoidance has been elite this season, and maintaining that protection standard will be critical for Stidham, who has absorbed thirteen sacks in his four career starts.

Denver enters the AFC Championship riding a seven game winning streak and has gone twelve and one at home over the past two seasons. The Broncos split their regular season series with New England, losing twenty one to nineteen in November before earning a thirty eight to thirty seven overtime victory in Week sixteen. This latest timeline sets up a third and decisive meeting with a Super Bowl berth at stake.

The broader impact extends beyond this weekend. With Nix entrenched as the franchise quarterback and Stidham under contract through twenty twenty six, Denver retains valuable stability at the position. The organization views this moment as both a test of roster depth and a reflection of Payton’s emphasis on preparation across the entire depth chart.

What this means for Sunday is simple but significant. The Broncos must rely on experience, discipline, and situational execution rather than explosive production. For Stidham, the opportunity represents the culmination of a career spent preparing for a moment few quarterbacks ever receive.

“I am still a vibe guy,” Stidham said. “We are one of the last four teams standing. What is not fun about that.”

The outlook now centers on whether preparation and poise can overcome circumstance. Next steps begin Sunday afternoon, with Denver one win away from its first Super Bowl appearance since the Peyton Manning era.