All that stands between the New England Patriots and a trip to the Super Bowl is a backup quarterback who hasn’t thrown a pass in an NFL game since 2023.

But is there a chance that Jarrett Stidham can give the Denver Broncos a chance to win in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game?

The Patriots, of course, are very familiar with Stidham, who was thrust into the starting role after Bo Nix fractured his ankle at the very end of the Broncos’ Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills. New England drafted Stidham in 2019 (fourth round) and for a brief period after Tom Brady’s departure early in 2020, there was talk of the Auburn product taking over as the Patriots’ QB1.

And while Stidham has made just two starts in the last three seasons with Denver (both in 2023), our Patriots Insider Tom E. Curran believes the 29-year-old has the physical tools and the support system to put together a representative performance Sunday in Denver.

“I think a healthy respect for a guy with a good arm who’s been in the league for a while, who’s hungry for an opportunity, who most importantly is playing for Sean Peyton — you’ve got to give him at least a healthy amount of respect,” Curran told co-host Phil Perry on a new Patriots Talk Podcast.

“He does have probably as good an arm as most of the starters in the league,” Curran added. “He throws the ball with velocity, pretty accurate.

“His problem with the Patriots would be, ‘Wow, good throw. Good throw. Good throw. Good throw. Pick, pick, pick.’ That would be in practice. He was having electric practices and then he just go on a jag of bad throws and picks.”

Turnovers have been Stidham’s Achilles’ heel in game action, as well: He’s thrown at least one interception in every game he’s attempted a pass, with eight picks in 16 games from 2019 to 2023. But he is capable of moving the ball down the field (he threw for 365 yards with three touchdown passes in his first NFL start with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022), and if head coach Sean Payton can design an offensive game plan that leans into Stidham’s arm strength while limiting turnover-worthy plays, Denver’s elite defense could make this a close game.

“I think you give him respect in so far as there’s an opportunity there for him to not lose the game for them,” Perry told Curran. “They might be able to win it on defense. I think their defense is that good.

” … So if you’re Jarrett Stidham, you’re just hoping to play the field position game, take what the Patriots give you, keep your hands on 10 and 2, limit the turnovers to maybe one — and if you can do that, then I think you do have a real shot.”

The Patriots are currently 5.5-point betting favorites, and their dominant defense will be expected to bottle up Stidham after flummoxing Justin Herbert and C.J. Stroud earlier in the playoffs. But at this stage of the postseason, all bets are off, and fans shouldn’t be stunned if Stidham keeps things competitive at Empower Field.

Also in this episode:

Where does this one-season improvement rank in NFL history? 

Biggest reasons for Patriots’ historic turnaround?

Should Patriots fans be upset they aren’t 19-0? 

Assessing the Broncos’ defense.