Broncos' Jarrett Stidham impresses with TD drive early in AFC title game, but makes costly mistake

Denver Broncos backmost Jarrett Stidham was the team’s lone changeable of getting to the Super Bowl connected Sunday against the New England Patriots, and helium showed helium wasn’t going to backmost down from the challenge.

The journeyman backmost had a dud of a archetypal drive. However, connected the second, helium truly acceptable the signifier for what the Patriots volition person to woody with.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Denver Broncos backmost Jarrett Stidham (8) scrambles against the New England Patriots during the archetypal fractional of the AFC Championship NFL shot game, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, successful Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Stidham and the Broncos faced a 3rd down erstwhile again aboriginal successful the game. But Stidham recovered wide receiver Marvin Mims flying past Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez. Stidham threw a cleanable walk to the wide receiver and got Denver into the reddish zone.

The 52-yard play acceptable up the Broncos’ people 2 plays later. Stidham recovered Courtland Sutton for a 6-yard touchdown walk to springiness the Broncos the pb aboriginal successful the game.

BRONCOS QUARTERBACKS' WIVES SHARE EMOTIONAL SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS AFTER BO NIX'S INJURY CAUSES MAJOR SHAKEUP

The thrust impressed NFL fans who were pursuing the crippled connected societal media.

But the honeymoon would lone past a fewer much minutes earlier a important mistake led to a Patriots score. With 2:58 near successful the archetypal half, Stidham’s hasty propulsion to get the shot retired of his hands alternatively of taking a sack was ruled to beryllium a backward pass.

Denver Broncos backmost Jarrett Stidham is tackled by New England Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones during the archetypal the fractional of the AFC Championship NFL shot game, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, successful Denver. (AP Photo/John Locher)

The Patriots recovered the shot and, 2 plays later, Drake Maye ran the shot into the extremity portion from 6 yards retired and assistance necktie the crippled with conscionable implicit 2 minutes near to play.

He guided the Broncos down the tract earlier halftime but Will Lutz missed a go-ahead tract extremity with 20 seconds to go.

Denver and New England were tied astatine 7-7.

Stidham was 12-of-21 with 123 passing yards, a touchdown walk and 3 sacks.

Denver Broncos backmost Jarrett Stidham warms up earlier the AFC Championship NFL shot crippled betwixt the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, successful Denver.  (AP Photo/John Locher)

Stidham was making his archetypal commencement of the 2025 play and the archetypal commencement of his vocation successful the playoffs. He was a fourth-round prime of the New England Patriots successful 2019 and spent 1 play arsenic Tom Brady’s backup earlier helium moved connected to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

He was with the Patriots until the 2022 play erstwhile the Patriots traded him to the Las Vegas Raiders. He past signed with the Broncos successful 2023.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports sum connected X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.