As the Broncos prepare to play the Patriots on Sunday, quarterback Jarrett Stidham is getting set to make his first start — and throw his first in-game passes — since 2023.
Denver offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi told reporters on Thursday that Stidham should be ready for the moment given the way he’s prepared for it.
“I thought if you watched training camp, if you watched certainly the preseason games, he was outstanding. He had one of the better training camps of any quarterback,” Lombardi said, via transcript from the team. “If you’re watching it, I’m not sure he had a bad day. Just seeing him perform very well, and you wish you had a couple of warm-up games that he wasn’t coming off of running the practice squad, but he’s a vet, he’s a professional and he’s right.
“The way he does prepare, which is hard to do for 18 straight weeks, 18 straight games when you’re the backup, but when he’s running plays, calling our plays in a walkthrough period, every week there’s never hesitation. He knows it cold, so no concerns there. I’m excited to watch him play.”
How Stidham plays will be one of the biggest sources of intrigue on Sunday as the Broncos and Patriots match up for the right to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LX.
