In the battle toward the AFC final between the New England Patriots, who will visit the Denver Broncos’ home to determine the first invitee to Super Bowl LX, everything goes in the psychological game. With kickoff approaching, pressure tactics are fair play to rattle young quarterback Drake Maye and ensure he understands he will not face an easy outing this Sunday, January 25, 2026.
It bears remembering that the Broncos will be without their starting signal-caller. Bo Nix suffered a broken ankle, ending his postseason and, should Denver advance, ruling him out of the Super Bowl as well. The injury forced a sudden pivot at the most critical moment of the season.
Against that backdrop, Denver will turn to Jarrett Stidham in hopes of steering the team’s efforts in the right direction. One detail stands out even more, because coincidences sometimes matter: Stidham previously played for the Patriots, the very franchise he will now oppose while wearing Broncos colors. Familiarity, in this case, cuts both ways and adds intrigue to the matchup.
A fiery statement from DE John Franklin about teammate Jarrett Stidham
With the AFC Championship looming, defensive end John Franklin delivered remarks intended to provide an extra jolt of motivation to the backup quarterback tasked with taking control of the offense, Jarrett Stidham, while simultaneously minimizing a rival who has enjoyed a dream season, fellow quarterback Drake Maye.
In his comments, Franklin projected confidence and optimism about his signal-caller and threw a verbal punch he hopes lands with the opponent, aiming to chip away at confidence starting now rather than on game day.
The thing about Stiddy (Stidham), there was a few times that, you know, man he just does such a good job.” … “He knows what he’s doing. He understand why the coach is calling a certain call. And that’s what makes him so good.
Franklin-Myers said, then added to make his point unmistakably clear.
Sometimes, you get out there, you play football, you run what’s called. You’re not understanding where you want the ball to go, how fast, when, and everything, he’s running scout-team plays and he’s running the mfg better than their quarter. He’s a good player for us and we’re excited for real.
Jarrett Stidham’s stint with the New England Patriots
Quarterback Jarrett Stidham was selected by the New England Patriots with the 133rd pick in the 2019 draft. He spent three seasons with the franchise before departing for Las Vegas to join the Raiders.
In 2023, he changed cities again to arrive in Denver and suit up for the Broncos. To date, he has appeared in seven games, compiling 496 passing yards and two touchdowns. Now charged with guiding his team forward, the spotlight will be firmly fixed on him.
It depends on him to deliver a spectacular performance, rise to the occasion, and perhaps transform himself into the next Nick Foles or Jeff Hostetler.
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