Patriots players sound alarms about facing Broncos' Jarrett Stidham in AFC Championship

Numerous outsiders have said that the outcome of this coming Sunday's AFC Championship Game between the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos has basically already been decided since Denver will have to start backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham in place of injured QB1 Bo Nix. 

Broncos head coach Sean Payton has warned those doubting Stidham that the 29-year-old is "gonna rip it" with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. On Wednesday, multiple Patriots players suggested they're taking such comments seriously.

Patriots won't take facing Jarrett Stidham "for granted" ahead of AFC title game

"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," Patriots pass-rusher K’Lavon Chaisson said about Stidham, per Mark Daniels of MassLive. "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." 

A previous Patriots regime drafted Stidham in 2019, and he was with the organization through the 2021 season. More recently, he hasn't thrown a regular-season pass since he last made a start during the 2023 campaign. Needless to say, such inactivity has some assuming the moment of this Sunday's matchup will be too big for Stidham.

Patriots players seemingly are trying to avoid such a mindset.

"He’s still a good quarterback," Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez said about Stidham. "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."

Patriots will be ready for a challenge in Denver

As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Patriots as 4.5-point road favorites over the Broncos. According to Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith, Denver would be the biggest home underdog ever in a conference championship game since the NFL moved to the AFC-NFC format in 1970 if the line goes back to five or 5.5 points. 

Like his New England teammates, defensive tackle Milton Williams seems unmoved by such forecasts. 

"Man, it’s the playoffs," Williams said. "To be an NFL quarterback, them boys are going to rally around [Stidham] just like they did around Bo. We still have to be ready for the challenge."