Broncos QB Jarrett Stidham discusses bouncing back after AFC title game

Denver Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham feels like he is in a better place than he was in January.

After quarterback Bo Nix went down with a fractured ankle before the AFC Championship game, Stidham was thrust into an impossible situation, with only one week of preparation to get ready for the New England Patriots. The Broncos would eventually lose to the Patriots, beginning their offseason earlier than expected. “It wasn’t just a disappointment for (Stidham), I was disappointed in myself,” coach Sean Payton said of the early playoff exit.

“Obviously things didn’t go our way in the championship game, but you know that’s football,” Stidham said, reflecting on the game after Friday’s preseason opener. “There’s got to be a winner and there’s got to be a loser, and you know if you get knocked down, you got to get right back up and get right back to work, and that’s what it was the entire offseason.”

In recent weeks, Stidham has been in a fight for the backup quarterback slot with Sam Ehlinger, with each man taking turns going with the second-string offense. However, in his first live game action since New England, Stidham delivered a strong return performance. Stidham went 9-of-15 for 131 yards and one touchdown, leading three scoring drives in a preseason win over the Atlanta Falcons. “I feel like one of the things I try to hang my hat on is just kind of putting my nose down and just working,” Stidham said after Friday’s win.

Payton was also impressed with the bounce-back from Stidham against Atlanta. “When you lose a game like (the AFC Championship) and you go back and look at it closely, and the margins in that game — one of his strengths is his resiliency,” Payton said of Stidham. “I think he’s got a little bit of the ‘it’ factor that he can come in with. He’s really good with the operation and quick with the play. With his experience and his comfort level with how we’re calling it, I thought he handled it well.”

Stidham may have just given himself a leg up in the backup race, but he and the Broncos still have more work to do. The team is once again back in session with another training camp practice on Wednesday.

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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Broncos QB Jarrett Stidham discusses bouncing back after AFC title game