The Denver Broncos are in historic times. With Bo Nix out for the season, the team is going to have to embark on this journey with Jarrett Stidham as the starting quarterback. Denver needs just two more wins to win the Super Bowl this year, and the final home game of the season is the AFC title game against the New England Patriots.
This is going to be more of a team lift without Nix in the lineup. Stidham is capable, but he's not Bo Nix, and he's a backup for a reason. If the Broncos hope to shock the NFL world and win this one, a few players are going to need to step up a bit more than the others.
Let's talk about those three players here.
If the Broncos hope to keep playing, these three players have to play well
Nik Bonitto
In the Divisional Round, Nik Bonitto had two forced fumbles, one sack, and one tackle for loss. The Broncos highly-paid pass-rusher came through at the perfect time for Denver, as his forced fumbles could not be more well timed. Well, Bonitto is probably licking his chops, as the New England Patriots come to town this weekend, and the left side of the Pats' offensive line is not a strong part of the team. Rookie LT Will Campbell has put a lot of good play on film this year, but he's honestly played poorly in the playoffs.
Drake Maye has been sacked a whopping 10 times in two games. Campbell does have shorter arms to be an NFL left tackle, and this could be the perfect matchup for Bonitto. The Broncos will have to force multiple turnovers if they hope to advance to Super Bowl LX, and Bonitto might have the best chance at doing that.
Jarrett Stidham
It's time for Jarrett Stidham to step up to the challenge. With Bo Nix now out for the rest of the season with a broken ankle, Stidham is going to take the Broncos the rest of the way, and while Stidham isn't close to the athlete that Nix is, he should be able to operate the offense well. He's been in this system for three years now and has been thought of as good enough to start for a handful of teams.
Ever since Stidham was thrust into the starting lineup, all we've heard is really how solid he's going to play in the AFC title game. The Broncos aren't going to ask him to drop back 40 times, but he will have to make some big-time throws if Denver hopes to advance.
Courtland Sutton
Courtland Sutton has been one of the league's best wide receivers on third down these past few seasons. Sutton did have a few pretty awful drops in the Divisional Round, and this is something that plagues the receiver from time to time.
One game, he looks unstoppable and catches everything, and the next, he kind of disappears. What the Broncos need from Sutton in the AFC title game is one of those games where he's constantly winning his matchups and his finding the soft spots in any zone coverage the Patriots are in.
Sutton is going to be the first read on many plays in the AFC title game, and he has to be ready to come through for Jarrett Stidham. The Broncos cannot have multiple drops as they did in the Divisional Round.