Broncos’ Jarrett Stidham reflects on the one play that ended Denver’s season moments after painful loss to the Patriots
Jarrett Stidham was the ultimate professional after the loss to the Patriots in the AFC Championship.
The snow was coming down in bunches in the second half as the Denver Broncos fell to the New England Patriots 10-7 for a trip to the Super Bowl. The defense stood tall, making life miserable for quarterback Drake Maye and company all game. Ultimately, Denver fell just short.
One of the biggest storylines entering the contest was that of backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham. Heading into Sunday, Stidham was the first quarterback in NFL history to start a conference championship game without throwing a single pass in the regular season. It was always going to be an uphill battle, though head coach Sean Payton had nothing but praise entering the contest.
“Stiddy’s ready. And we’ll be ready,” Payton said after the divisional round win against Buffalo.
Jarrett Stidham opens up on costly turnover
Stidham wasn’t perfect, and one play in particular was especially bad. The pressure was in his face as he was rolling back, scrambling to avoid the sack. He threw away the ball that wound up being a backward pass and gave New England possession at a critical point in the matchup.
“I can’t put our team in a bad position like that,” Stidham said. “I was trying to throw it away to TB (Tyler Badie). He was in the area, and the pressure, he just got up on me real fast, and I was trying to get rid of it. You know, like I said, I can’t put the ball in a position like that. That was completely on me. I thought I had thrown it forward, and then obviously the replay or whatever said differently. Like I said, probably should have just eaten the sack anyway and let Jeremy and the punt team punt it down the field and flip the field. Like I said, I can’t do that.”
After starting 0-3 on the day, Stidham got his feet under him and completed a long bomb to Marvin Mims Jr., which resulted in a touchdown a few plays later for Denver. That was about as much Stidham magic as we got in the contest.
The veteran opened up seconds after the game about the experience. Specifically, on the controversial fourth-down play that took all the momentum out of the team’s sails.
“I felt like the first half, we really moved the ball pretty well at times. We were kind of moving the ball really well on that drive,” Stidham said. “You get an opportunity, fourth and one, convert, and try to go up 14 if you can. I mean, that’s part of it. Just didn’t work out on that one play, that’s just football.”
The snow made life difficult for both teams in the AFC Championship game
It was an emotional day for Stidham, being called up at the last minute, heading into the biggest game of his career. Stidham finished the day going 17-for-31 with 133 yards and a touchdown with an interception. The weather played a factor in his subpar performance.
“I felt good going into the game and everything, just normal routine and business as usual,” Stidham said. “From my standpoint, felt great. I know the team felt great going into the game. Nothing changed from my standpoint.”
Denver rallied around their backup quarterback
Despite his poor performance, the city and the organization rallied behind their quarterback, something that wasn’t lost on Stidham when the game had ended and the smoke had cleared.
“Obviously, it was fun to get back out there with the guys,” Stidham said, “I mean, this is moments like this is why you play the game. Why you grow up playing the game of football, and all the long hours that you put into it. Offseason, in-season, all those things. This is why we do what we do. I was obviously super excited for the opportunity today and just hate that we fell short.”
Nix and Stidham shared a moment after the loss, but the veteran was tight-lipped on what went down between the two.
“He did, we talked in the locker room as soon as I came in,” Stidham said. “Had a good little convo, I’ll keep that private. He was supportive all week. He’s an incredible human, incredible teammate, very lucky to have him here.”
The loss will stay with Stidham for a long time.
He was asked to step in with little notice and lead the Broncos on the biggest stage of his career. One mistake changed everything, and he owned it without hesitation. There were no excuses and no finger-pointing. Just accountability and respect for the moment.
Denver did not reach the Super Bowl, but Stidham showed why his teammates believe in him and why moments like this still matter in the NFL.
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