The Denver Broncos should have been riding high after what was one of the most impressive wins in the last decade for the franchise. Hosting the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the Buffalo Bills, they were able to march down the field twice, in the fourth quarter and in overtime, to secure a victory.
Making their way back to the conference championship game, the euphoria in the Mile High City was short-lived as fans were hit with the devastating news about their quarterback. As head coach Sean Payton announced after the game, a broken bone in his ankle was ending Bo Nix’s season immediately. Now, they will have to rely on their backups to somehow keep their season alive.
Broncos Quarterback Depth Chart Behind Bo Nix
Tom Pelissero was quick to point out that the two other quarterbacks on the Denver roster were Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger. Neither is a proven commodity in the NFL, particularly on a stage as grand as the AFC Championship game.
However, that was what the team would have to rely on, as the year came to a sudden and heartbreaking end for Nix. Pelissero provided more details about the injury and the next steps for the sophomore QB.
“Bo Nix will undergo surgery Tuesday for the broken bone in his ankle, which occurred on the second-to-last play of overtime — before he completed a pass to Marvin Mims.” However, he also mentioned the Broncos’ plan for the upcoming game.
“Sean Payton says Jarrett Stidham will start the AFC Championship Game. Sam Ehlinger will be the No. 2.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the men who will try to hold down the fort under center next week.
Jarrett Stidham
With 20 total career games and four starts, Stidham is far from a well-versed quarterback in this league. A fourth-round pick back in 2019, he has served the majority of his career playing backup to the likes of Tom Brady, Cam Newton, and Mac Jones.
After he was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders, he occupied a similar role behind Derek Carr before getting the starting job for the final two games of the year. However, he lasted only one season in Sin City before moving on to the Denver Broncos.
Serving as a backup to Russell Wilson, he signed an extension to sit behind Bo Nix on the depth chart over the last two seasons. Now, he’ll be starting his first game since the 2023 season, when he stands under center in the AFC Championship Game.
Sam Ehlinger
A dual-threat quarterback with a storied career for the Texas Longhorns, Sam Ehlinger did not convince NFL scouts of a career in the pros. As a result, he was taken in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts.
Spending the majority of his career in a backup role, he got just three starts in his career, all of which came in the 2022 season. Since then, he’s remained behind the starters in Indianapolis, barely getting any burn on the field.
This season, he signed with the Broncos. Despite filtering in and out of the 53-man roster and the practice squad, he stuck with the team till the end of the season before officially being called up in the final week of the year for their postseason run.
The Broncos also signed quarterback Ben DiNucci to their practice squad after Nix’s injury. However, he will be inactive against the Patriots, and Stidham along with Ehlinger are the available options for Denver.
Preview for Broncos vs. Patriots AFC Championship Game
PFSN Analytics: Patriots: 67.9% win rate, Broncos: 32.1% win rate
Power Ranking
- NE: 7th (77.3)
- DEN: 3rd (79.2)
Offense
NE: 2nd (86.6; B) in PFSN’s Offense Impact (OFFi)
- Drake Maye: 2nd (91.1; A-) in PFSN’s Quarterback Impact (QBi)
- Offensive Line: 12th (74.5; C) in PFSN’s Offensive Line Impact (OLi)
DEN: 15th (75.9; C) in PFSN’s Defense Impact (DEFi)
- Stidham: Four qualified QBi games in his career. Best score: 81.4 (B-) with the Raiders vs the 49ers in 2022. His lowest score was a 72.7 (C-) in 2022.
- Offensive Line: 5th (80.9 B-)
Defense
- NE: 12th (78.2 C+)
- DEN: 1st (90.1 A-)
Special Teams
- NE: 20th (73.9 C)
- DEN: 22nd (70.9 C-)
Preview Notes
- Drake Maye has six fumbles, including three lost, in two postseason games after having eight with three lost in 17 regular-season games.
- The Broncos and Patriots have met in the postseason five times, with the home team winning each time. This will be the fifth time they play in Denver.
- Denver’s defense allowed an NFL-best 2.1 yards per play in the red zone. In contrast, New England’s red zone offense averaged 2.9 yards per play, ranking last in the league.
- On offense, the Broncos averaged 3.4 yards per red-zone play, ranking third in the NFL. Defensively, the Patriots allowed an average of 3.8 yards per red-zone play, ranking last.
- Denver’s fourth-quarter point differential was +64, second-best in the NFL for the regular season. The Patriots’ fourth-quarter point differential was -12, putting them at 19th overall.
- New England would be the ninth team to make a Super Bowl the year after losing at least ten games.
- New England is 9-4 in AFC Championship Games since the 2001 season.
A win gives the Patriots their 40th all-time postseason win, breaking a tie with the San Francisco 49ers. - Denver is 8-2 all-time in AFC Championship games, including 6-1 at home.
- A win would clinch Denver’s ninth Super Bowl appearance, breaking a tie with the Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, and San Francisco 49ers for the second most. New England’s 11 is the most in NFL history.
