The Denver Broncos were in the midst of their best season in a decade. They beat the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, which paved the way for them to face a New England Patriots team that went 4-13 last season.
Unfortunately, after the game, head coach Sean Payton revealed that starting quarterback Bo Nix broke his ankle. He’s out for the rest of the season, so even if Denver gets past the Patriots and makes it to the Super Bowl, they’ll be relying on backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham.
Former Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr had to go through a similar thing in 2016. The team started 12-3 and headed to their first playoff game in over a decade. Carr was a bona fide MVP candidate, but broke his leg in Week 16 against the Indianapolis Colts.
Instead of winning the MVP and going on a Super Bowl run, Carr was out for months. Carr has a lot of empathy for Nix.
“My heart … absolutely just broke because I know that feeling,” Carr said on the “Home Grown” podcast. “Literally. ‘Hey, guess what? You got to this point, we have 12 wins, we have one more game left and you’re hitting the playoffs,’ and it’s over. All that work, all that excitement, all those passes, all the hits, it doesn’t matter. It’s over. For you.”
David and Derek react to Bo Nix’s season-ending injury, and discuss Denver’s outlook with Jarrett Stidham stepping up
Josh McDaniels Talks Stidham
This is going to be a massive moment for Stidham. He hasn’t thrown a pass since 2023 and has four career starts, so he’s not very seasoned.
Carr was actually replaced by Stidham during his final season with the Raiders. New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was the head coach of the Raiders at the time. He also spent time coaching Stidham when they were on the Patriots.
Though the Patriots have a huge quarterback advantage, McDaniels knows that Stidham is still dangerous.
“Smart, accurate, great human being,” McDaniels said during a Thursday press conference. “Worked hard, great teammate. Just hadn’t had an opportunity, based on the situations and those kinds of things. But, just enjoyed working with him, enjoyed my time with him.
“He’ll be ready to go this week, for sure.”
Can Broncos Win Super Bowl With Backup QB?
There are examples of backup quarterbacks being able to lead a team to the Super Bowl. They are few and far between, but it has happened.
The good news for the Broncos is that their team isn’t quarterback-dependent. They have a stacked defense and good pieces on the offense.
If Stidham can not turn the ball over and make a couple of big plays, the Broncos have a chance to beat the Patriots and reach the Super Bowl. However, it’s very difficult to see how they can beat the Los Angeles Rams or Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl.
Those teams are also stacked and have very good quarterbacks. It would take a Herculean effort from Stidham to give the Broncos a chance. Nothing is impossible, but Denver’s chances of winning the Super Bowl likely died when Nix got hurt.
Derek Carr Has Strong Words for Bo Nix Before Broncos Game