Jarrett Stidham wasn’t supposed to be the guy. Not this season.
Not in this moment. But here we are - with the Denver Broncos one win away from the Super Bowl, and Stidham suddenly at the center of it all.
Just days ago, Bo Nix was the story in Denver. The second-year quarterback had been turning heads with his poise and playmaking, and his latest performance - a 33-30 overtime thriller over the Buffalo Bills - had the Broncos riding high into the AFC Championship Game. Then came the gut punch: a broken ankle, confirmed by head coach Sean Payton in a press conference that shifted the entire narrative.
Now, it’s Stidham’s show. And it’s not just any game - it’s the AFC title game, at Mile High, with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.
This will be Stidham’s first start of the season, and if that sounds rare, that’s because it is. Only one other quarterback in NFL history has made his season debut in a conference championship game: Roger Staubach, way back in 1972. That day didn’t go well for Staubach - his Cowboys were blown out by Washington, 26-3.
But Stidham has a chance to do something even rarer. Since 1950, only one quarterback has won a playoff game while making his first start of the season: Frank Reich, in that legendary 1992 Wild Card comeback when the Bills erased a 32-point deficit to beat the Houston Oilers. That’s the kind of historical company Stidham is stepping into.
To be clear, Stidham’s no stranger to the field. This will be his fifth career start - two came with the Raiders in 2022, and two more with the Broncos last season.
But stepping into a championship game cold? That’s a different beast entirely.
The Broncos, to their credit, have rallied around adversity all season. And while Stidham might not have Bo Nix’s recent resume, he does have a strong arm, a solid understanding of Payton’s system, and now, the weight of Denver’s Super Bowl hopes on his shoulders.
The road to the Super Bowl is rarely smooth. For the Broncos, it just took an unexpected turn - and Jarrett Stidham is now in the driver’s seat.