Jan. 26, 2026, 12:26 p.m. MT
After losing starting quarterback Bo Nix to a season-ending ankle injury in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, the Denver Broncos turned to Jarrett Stidham for the AFC Championship game.
Stidham started Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots well, helping Denver take an early 7-0 lead, but his fumble in the second quarter led to New England’s only touchdown of the game.
“I just felt like whenever I gave them the short field, really hard for me to swallow that one because I just put [our defense] in a terrible spot,” Stidham said after a 10-7 loss. “Hats off to them. They played outstanding, played good enough to win.”
Stidham later threw an interception on the Broncos’ final drive of the game, ending the team’s comeback chances. He ended the game 17-of-31 passing for 133 yards with one touchdown and two turnovers. Stidham also rushed four times for 23 yards.
“I thought he fought hard in tough conditions,” coach Sean Payton said after the loss. “I think we’re going to look at the film. I know this. I’m going to look at it and be critical of myself, and I think there were a number of things that we just had to do better. We didn’t finish some runs, and we dropped some passes. Again, felt like that was a problem all year. Early when we had the momentum, we didn’t it felt like… Let’s just say, most of the first half and we didn’t come away with enough. Having had that momentum and that field position.”
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Payton seemingly deflected blame to himself and Stidham’s supporting cast. The 29-year-old quarterback, signed through next season, will return to serving as the team’s QB2 behind Nix in 2026.
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