The Denver Broncos are preparing for the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots with quarterback Jarrett Stidham set to lead the team following Bo Nix’s season-ending injury.
Tackle Mike McGlinchey and defensive lineman Zach Allen acknowledged the significance of losing their starting quarterback but voiced strong support for Stidham. “I wouldn’t say it’s just another test,” McGlinchey said Monday. “You don’t ever say that about guys getting hurt, especially when it’s the leader and the quarterback of your team. Obviously, there’s a little bit more of a nuance to that.”
Despite calling Nix’s injury “incredibly heartbreaking,” both players emphasized their trust in Stidham’s readiness and ability to step up. “I also am going to hammer home the confidence that [Head Coach] Sean [Payton] portrayed out there,” McGlinchey said. “Being around ‘Stiddy’ for the last three years now, one, he’s one of my best friends, and two, the guy just loves football. He’s been absorbing everything that we’ve been doing. He’s [been] ready for his opportunity, whenever that may come. He stays in his routine every single day for three years straight, not knowing when that opportunity’s going to come around.
“I know that our team and our staff and everybody has the utmost confidence in Jarrett to play well and lead our team forward.”
Allen highlighted Stidham’s consistent approach even while not starting since 2023. “He’s the first guy in the building every day, and he prepares like a starter,” Allen said. “So, we’re really excited to see what he does. Obviously, he goes against [our] defense in practice all the time. … [I’m] excited to see what he does this week.”
According to Allen, Stidham brings valuable on-field intelligence: “On top of it, too, he can make every single throw,” Allen said. “You’ve seen in the games he’s played, for us and back with the Raiders, he’s made some really incredible throws. We’re really lucky to have him, and it’ll be good on Sunday.”
Stidham has shown effectiveness in previous appearances: In his last home start with Denver at the end of 2023, he completed 20-of-32 passes for 224 yards with a touchdown and a 93.7 quarterback rating during a win over the Chargers; with Las Vegas in 2022 against San Francisco he threw for 365 yards and three touchdowns; during Denver’s 2025 preseason slate across two games he posted four touchdowns without an interception.
“He’s been waiting for this moment for the entirety of his career,” McGlinchey said. “He’s more prepared than anybody would be in this situation, and he can ball. He flat out can play quarterback. We’ve seen it every single day at practice. We’ve seen it in training camp. We’ve seen it in the preseason. I have no doubts that he’s going to go out there and play his butt off.
“I think our team is in a perfect position with ‘Stiddy’ moving forward. We’re lucky to have him, and we’re lucky our team and our coaching staff and our front office invests in every situation that can possibly come up on a football field, because not everybody has a quarterback waiting in the wings as talented as Jarrett.”
McGlinchey added that Denver has responded well throughout challenges this season: “Certainly, we are a team that’s been battle-tested,” McGlinchey said. “We’ve handled adversity every step of the way that we’ve come across it, and [I’m] incredibly confident moving forward in our team.”
