Backup QB Gets His Shot Two Years After Last NFL Pass

After sitting on the bench for an entire season, Jarrett Stidham is suddenly one win away from the Super Bowl.

The Denver Broncos backup quarterback will face the New England Patriots this Sunday in the AFC Championship game, replacing starter Bo Nix who broke his ankle in their playoff victory over Buffalo. It's a remarkable turn for a player who hasn't thrown a pass in a regular game since 2023.

Stidham's path to this moment has been anything but straightforward. The Patriots drafted him in 2019, two months after their last Super Bowl win, seeing him as a potential successor to Tom Brady. Instead, he spent years bouncing between teams, making just four starts across seven NFL seasons.

But coaches kept believing in him. Josh McDaniels brought Stidham from New England to Las Vegas when he became the Raiders' head coach. Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, who worked with Stidham years ago, recently praised his decision making and athleticism.

Now at 29, Stidham faces an opponent that knows him well. The Patriots drafted him, considered re-signing him this past offseason, and will start Drake Maye, the quarterback who eventually filled the role New England once envisioned for Stidham.

Why This Inspires

Stidham becomes the first quarterback since Roger Staubach in 1972 to make his first start of the season in a Conference Championship game. While losing a starting quarterback usually ends championship dreams, 12 backup quarterbacks have led their teams to Super Bowls, including Brady himself in 2001.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton isn't worried. He's watched Stidham practice for three years and plans to design plays around his strengths. The team's strong defense and running game can support him, and Payton's reputation as an offensive genius gives Denver hope.

Payton reminded reporters that backup quarterbacks have defied expectations before. He's already proven his creative play calling this season, including a trick play where an offensive tackle caught his first career touchdown pass.

Stidham's teammates call him "Stiddy" and say he's been preparing like a starter all season. After 117 completions, eight touchdowns, and years of patience, he finally gets his moment on football's biggest stage.

One game stands between Jarrett Stidham and a Super Bowl appearance that seemed impossible just days ago.