FOXBOROUGH – The Patriots understand they can’t take their upcoming AFC Championship matchup with the Denver Broncos lightly – even if they’re about to face a backup quarterback.
Entering Wednesday’s first practice, players say they’re preparing for a tough Broncos offense led by the relatively unknown Jarrett Stidham.
Drafted by the Patriots in 2019, Stidham hasn’t thrown a pass in a regular-season game since Denver drafted Bo Nix. After the Broncos’ starting quarterback suffered a broken ankle last weekend, Stidham will start Sunday’s matchup.
Patriots defense players say they expect a tough matchup – even if they’re not quite too sure what to expect out of the quarterback.
When asked what he knew about Stidham, Patriots defensive tackle Milton Williams gave an honest answer,
“Nothing. I ain’t going to lie. Nothing,” Williams said. “We’re going to watch some tape on him and figure out what he likes to do. They didn’t like him over Bo, so.”
Stidham spent the first three seasons in New England backing up Tom Brady, Cam Newton, and Mac Jones. In 2022, the team traded him to the Las Vegas Raiders, where he started two games, throwing 656 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions.
In 2023, Stidham signed with Denver and started two games that season, throwing 496 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. The quarterback led Denver to his first NFL win over the Los Angeles Chargers that season.
In 2024, the Broncos drafted Nix with the 12th overall pick, and Stidham hasn’t thrown a pass in a regular-season game since his Week 17 start in 2023.
Patriots edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson said he faced Stidham in college, but not in the NFL, and warned that his teammates shouldn’t take this matchup lightly.
“I’m not too familiar. I haven’t played him too many times,” Chaisson said. “I played him in college, but just watching the film on him and seeing how he was during the preseason games, I think he can make any throw he wants obviously with a great pocket. He’s got great mechanics and great release time. He’s got good protection. You’ve got some All-Pro guys on that line of scrimmage.
“I think he can continue to be the driving force of the offense and continue to push it. We won’t take that for granted at all.”
Chaisson noted that the Patriots will prepare for the Broncos offense that was led by Nix, but they also have to be prepared in the event Denver changes this schematically to fit Stidham’s skill set.
The Patriots’ defense beat up on Houston’s C.J. Stroud and Los Angeles’s Justin Herbert to lift this team to Sunday’s AFC Championship game. They know they can’t let up in this matchup.
“He’s still a good quarterback,” cornerback Christian Gonzalez said.” He can make a lot of throws. We’ve seen what he’s done when he’s been in games. He’s in the NFL for a reason.”
“Man, it’s the playoffs,” Williams added. “To be an NFL quarterback, them boys are going to rally around them just like they did around Bo. We still have to be ready for the challenge.”
Story by Mark Daniels, masslive.com