Jarrett Stidham assigns blame after brutal mistake in Broncos' AFC Championship loss to Patriots

Last week, Hall of Fame quarterback and current NFL analyst Steve Young warned Denver Broncos temporary starting quarterback Jarrett Stidham that Stidham needed to be "very careful that he’s not the reason" the Broncos lost to the New England Patriots in Sunday's AFC Championship Game. 

Stidham then made a brutal error that essentially gifted New England seven points when he turned what would have been a drive-ending sack in the contest's second quarter into a fumble that the visitors recovered deep in Broncos territory. Following Denver's 10-7 defeat, Stidham accepted blame for that mistake. 

Jarrett Stidham knows he "should have just eaten the sack" on key play

"Obviously, I can't put our team in a bad position like that," Stidham acknowledged, per Nick Shook of the NFL's website. "I was trying to throw it away to T.B. (Broncos running back Tyler Badie). He was in the area. He just got up on me real fast, and I was trying to get rid of it. Like I said, I can't put the ball in a position like that. That was completely on me. I thought I had thrown it forward. Obviously, the replay said differently. Probably should have just eaten the sack, anyway."

Initially, the officials mistakenly ruled Stidham's action as an incomplete forward pass and an intentional grounding penalty. However, the call was eventually corrected to give New England possession. While the Patriots were robbed of a touchdown in that moment, they scored two plays later via a short run completed by quarterback Drake Maye.