With a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, the New England Patriots are gearing up for the AFC Championship against the Denver Broncos.
After Broncos quarterback Bo Nix suffered a season-ending ankle injury, the Patriots will be up against a familiar face – backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham.
“I feel bad for Bo, but Jarrett Stidham, the backup, he’s pretty good, he’s pretty sharp, so I think we don’t lose a whole lot,” said Scott Nelson, a Broncos fan.
Stidham will have something to prove on Sunday. He was first drafted by the Patriots in 2019 and was traded after three seasons. Stidham spent a year with the Las Vegas Raiders and has been in Denver ever since.
“I think in his advantage, he’s got a great defense, he’s got a great offensive-minded head coach, he’s been in the system for a few years and he’s at home. The crowd’s going to be in his favor,” said former Patriots center David Andrews, who played on the team with Stidham.
Not to mention, Stidham has the advantage of knowing he’ll be playing on Sunday and has all week to prepare.
“He’s a good player. And I would say the one thing when I look at Jarrett, he’s been coached by two of the best offensive coaches that you could ever ask for by Josh McDaniels and by Sean Payton,” said former Patriots backup quarterback Brian Hoyer. “He’ll be prepared to go.”
Hoyer served as a backup quarterback alongside Stidham during the Tom Brady era. They’re still friends, and Hoyer said Stidham shouldn’t be underestimated.
“I don’t think that Patriot fans should just assume that this is going to be an easy win out there in Denver,” Hoyer added. “They have a really good team, and Jarrett’s a good player.”
The Patriots have struggled in Denver in the past, and Andrews hopes this young Patriots team can rewrite the story.
“There’s a lot of history with us not doing well in Denver in these types of games, so I think it’s a huge opportunity to kind of right some wrongs,” Andrews said.
Playing at higher altitude in Denver is literally a game changer, as explained by Dr. Adam Tenforde.
“You’re going to see kickoffs, and maybe even field goal attempts, that will be longer than typical, at sea level, just because there’s less air resistance,” said Tenforde, a physician with Mass General Brigham Sports Medicine.
He said the sidelines may look different with supplemental oxygen and more hydration stations, since there’s less moisture in the air and players are more likely to get dehydrated. With the change in environment, the Patriots will have to prepare both physically and mentally if they want to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl.
“It’s probably going to change a little bit of the strategy for how long players stay in for plays and try to take recovery in-between plays so they can maximize performance,” Tenforde added.
