The 2025-26 season is officially over for the Denver Broncos, who lost 7-10 in the freezing AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots. The defense kept it a one-score game, but in the end, a win was not possible. Jarrett Stidham had a strong start but was unable to do much after the touchdown drive. Denver had a good drive after the touchdown but failed to convert on fourth down. They were in field goal range but decided to go for it and missed.
Heading into the game, there were mixed emotions because starting quarterback Bo Nix suffered a season-ending injury in the Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills, and backup Jarrett Stidham had to start the conference championship game without throwing a single pass in a non-preseason game since 2023.
Broncos' backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham had a massive completion to Marvin Mims early in the game, followed by a touchdown to Courtland Sutton, giving Denver a 7-0 lead, but then the game went downhill for him, leading to a Patriots touchdown after losing a fumble in the second quarter.
Jarrett Stidham speaks on the costly fumble in the AFC title game
It was a third down and four for Denver on their own side of the field. There was pressure on Stidham, and instead of taking a sack, he lost the football. New England recovered, and then the Patriots scored the game-tying touchdown.
Following the game, Jarrett Stidham spoke to the media, explained what happened in that key moment of the game, giving his reaction to it. Here is what he said after the game:
"Obviously I can’t put our team in a bad situation like that…I can’t put the ball in a position like that…I thought I had thrown it forwards…probably should’ve just eaten the sack."Broncos QB Jarrett Stidham
Clearly, Stidham took the blame for that fumble. He could have just thrown the ball away once pressure was coming or taken the sack, but it is what it is; the play resulted in a fumble, and the Patriots scored, taking advantage of Jarrett's mistake.
At the end of the day, you cannot blame Jarrett Stidham for the loss at all, despite him taking full responsibility for the fumble, like offensive lineman Mike McGlinchey said. The game could have had a different result if this play had not happened, but in the end, it was his first start since 2023, and in-game rhythm is different from practice. 'Stiddy' did everything he could to put the Broncos in a good position to win the game, but in the end, they felt short. Also, the weather did not help at all in the second half of the game.
In the end, it was a very positive season for the Denver Broncos. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for this young and hungry team.