Maurice Jones-Drew just put a massive stamp on the Denver Broncos’ biggest question heading into the AFC Championship: can Jarrett Stidham really win a Super Bowl ticket game after barely playing real football for two seasons?
In NFL.com’s “bold predictions” package for Championship Sunday, Jones-Drew predicted Stidham will outduel New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, throwing for 300 yards and three touchdowns to send Denver to the Super Bowl.
Key details to know
- Game: Patriots at Broncos, AFC Championship
- When/where: Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026 at 3 p.m. ET, Empower Field at Mile High (Denver)
- TV: CBS
- The hook: Jones-Drew notes Stidham hasn’t thrown a pass in a real game since Week 18 of the 2023 season.
NFL.com’s Maurice Jones-Drew Makes a Jarrett Stidham Call Nobody Saw Coming
Jones-Drew’s prediction is basically the loudest possible swing at the narrative around Denver’s quarterback situation.
He frames Stidham as the “Bo Nix replacement” who rises to the moment, specifically by beating Maye in a head-to-head duel and lighting up the scoreboard. The numbers he put on it were eye-popping: 300 passing yards and three TDs in a championship game setting.
That’s why the prediction is so sticky. It’s not “Stidham manages the game” or “the Broncos defense saves the day.” It’s: Stidham wins it with his arm, against a Patriots team led by an MVP candidate QB.
What It Means for the Broncos if Stidham Actually Plays Like That
If Stidham were to come anywhere close to that kind of production, it changes the entire feel of the matchup.
First, it gives Sean Payton a version of the offense that can attack instead of hiding, especially in a game where New England is built to punish mistakes. The Broncos have turned to Stidham, which is a major quarterback change and that the pressure is squarely on Stidham’s readiness in a Super Bowl-or-bust spot.
Second, it would be a gut-punch to one of the biggest assumptions going into Sunday: that Denver’s path has to be “defense + survive.” Jones-Drew is flat-out predicting more than survival.
The Other NFL.com Prediction Makes This Even More Brutal
NFL.com also included a completely different bold prediction from analyst David Carr: the Patriots defense blanks Payton’s offense and New England posts a road shutout.
So the spectrum here is wild:
- On one end, Stidham is throwing for 300 and three scores to win the AFC.
- On the other, Denver can’t score at all.
The Broncos have proven to have an elite defense all season long, so the question quickly becomes how does Stidham’s version of the Broncos offense look when the stakes are the highest he’s ever dealt with in his career? The backup quarterback will be tested against by a stout Patriots defense.
That clash is exactly why this game has turned into such a pressure cooker. Stidham is the swing variable, and NFL.com essentially laid out both extremes in the same preview package.
One way or another, Sunday is going to answer the question fast: is Stidham just a placeholder in a nightmare spot… or the guy who can actually author a January shocker?
Broncos Get a Wild Super Bowl Prediction With Backup QB Thrown Into the Fire