HC Sean Payton knows QB Jarrett Stidham will be 'ready for the moment' as Broncos look to AFC Champi

Описание: ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos aren't backing down.
A day after Denver lost starting quarterback Bo Nix to a season-ending ankle injury, Head Coach Sean Payton reemphasized his belief in Jarrett Stidham to lead the Broncos in the AFC Championship Game.

"It's our three years here and our three years watching him day in and day out that you guys don't have access to," Payton said of the team's belief in Stidham. "He will be ready to go and ready for the moment."

While practice reps for Stidham with the first-team offense have been limited — as they are for backup quarterbacks across the league — Stidham has impressed his coaches working against the Broncos' third-ranked scoring defense.

"One of Stiddy's great strengths is his mental aptitude and his progression and understanding plays," Payton said. "There would be practices where I'm looking at [Defensive Coordinator] Vance [Joseph] getting [mad], because Stiddy's making our defense look bad. He's very accurate. He's got a lot to his ball."

Stidham completed 30-of-38 passes for 376 yards, four touchdowns and a 143.0 quarterback rating in the preseason, and he's in his third season in Payton's offense.

And while some may write off the Broncos without their starting quarterback, Payton and the Broncos aren't buying into that narrative. Payton pointed to several examples of teams winning world championships without their starting quarterback, including the 1990 Giants and the 2017 Eagles. In 2019, Teddy Bridgewater led the Saints to a 5-0 mark as Drew Brees missed time with an injury. This year's iteration of the Houston Texans, meanwhile, went 3-0 with reserve quarterback Davis Mills leading the way.

"Historically speaking, all bets weren't off with [Giants QB Jeff] Hostetler, they weren't off in Philly [with QB Nick Foles or] when we lost [Drew] Brees at midseason against the Rams and [Teddy] Bridgewater won five in a row. All bets can be off. They weren't off for Houston this year when Mills came in. I don't know if he lost a game."

Payton said the plan for Stidham and the Broncos' offense will soon begin in earnest, as the Broncos will learn their opponent Sunday afternoon for next week's championship matchup.

"I think the plan's always got to be built around the type and the skill set of the players you're playing with," Payton said. "Are there certain things that Bo does differently than Stiddy? Absolutely. That's where the work begins tonight."

MIMS' BIG DAY

Wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. posted season highs in receptions and receiving yards, and there was no bigger play than his 26-yard touchdown reception.

The Broncos ran that same play during their bye week practices, and Mims beat reigning Defensive Player of the Year Pat Surtain II so badly that Payton knew he needed to add the play to the game plan.

"It was a play we had run actually in our joint practice against the defense Friday and Saturday," Payton said. "He ran that same route on Surtain, and when I say beat him… . It was a double move. We just hadn't called that play in a while, and it looked so good in our joint practice, I'm like, 'Man, that's got to go to the call sheet.'"

On Friday night before the Broncos' Divisional Round win, the Broncos put that practice play up again — and Payton told Mims what was coming in the game.

"I put the practice clip up, I was like, 'You're beating the No. 1 corner in the world. I don't care who they put over there in the game tomorrow, we're running this play,'" Payton said. "There's a few times [where] I'll say to the guys in the booth, 'Guys, we can't finish this game and me not having called that play.' And that was one of those plays. We cannot finish this game with me not having called that play."

The Broncos indeed called the play — and it was a critical moment in Saturday's win.





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