AFC Championship preview: Patriots and Broncos prepare for different QB duel

DENVER — If any opponent is familiar with Denver Broncos fill-in quarterback Jarrett Stidham, it’s the New England Patriots, who drafted him in 2019 to serve as Tom Brady’s backup.

When Josh McDaniels took the Las Vegas Raiders’ 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’s No. 2, then as Bo Nix’s 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’s 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’s success this season – 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 – his coaches and teammates insist they’re equally confident Stidham can lead them to the Super Bowl.

“We’re lucky to have him,” right tackle Mike McGlinchey said, “because not everybody has a quarterback waiting in the wings as talented as Jarrett.”

Although the Patriots brass knows Stidham well, defensive tackle Milton Williams didn’t mince words when asked what he knew about the sixth-year QB who hasn’t thrown a pass in two years.

“Nothing. I ain’t going to lie,” he said. “Nothing. We’re going to watch the tape on him and figure out what he likes to do. But they didn’t like him over Bo, so.”

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 résumé of Nix, but he’s no slouch, said Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez.

“He’s in the NFL for a reason,” Gonzalez said. “They believe in him, they brought him up, so we’ve got to prepare and be ready for him. They’re in this game for a reason, too. They’ve got a lot of weapons on the offensive side.”

Stidham won’t 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’ tutelage. But he’s 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.

“Really impressive,” Payton said. “He’s 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.”

Denver’s 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.

“I’m very appreciative of New England for giving me a shot in this league, drafting me,” said Stidham, whose only play-callers in his NFL career have been McDaniels and Payton.

But it wasn’t a hard choice last spring when he re-signed with Denver for $12 million over two years. He said he believes in Payton – “It’s pretty obvious that he has the train rolling in the right direction” – QBs coach Davis Webb and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, and that he really enjoys working with Nix.

“I felt like over the last two years that I was here that I got a lot better,” said Stidham, who gets the chance to show it this weekend.

Biggest home underdog

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.

“Everybody’s been doubting us” all along, McGlinchey said. “We won 14 games and people are saying we’re the worst 1 seed in the history of the playoffs. So, that’s nothing new. … Certainly we are a team that’s been battle-tested. We’ve handled adversity every step of the way and we’re incredibly confident moving forward in our team.”

Family ties

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.

“It’s a huge blessing for our family,” Christian said. “One of us is going to the Super Bowl one way or the other. So we’re very excited. For me, it’s a little bit of smack talking … and we’ll have a little side bet, and the loser will be reminded forever.”

AFC Championship

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