Former New England Patriots backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham is going to take center stage next weekend for the Denver Broncos. Stidham will be starting in the AFC Championship thanks to a season-ending injury suffered by Bo Nix in overtime of Denver's win over the Buffalo Bills on Saturday.

Nix led the Broncos to the No. 1 seed in the AFC thanks to a tiebreaker over the Patriots as both teams finished the regular season with a record of 14-3.

Bo Nix injury

On Saturday, Nix finished with 279 passing yards and three touchdowns. But on a play where he was running to his left, Nix fractured a bone in his right ankle. The quarterback finished the last several plays as Denver got into position for the game-winning field goal.

After the game, head coach Sean Payton announced the news that it will be Stidham trying to lead Denver to the Super Bowl.

"He's ready. He's ready. I said this at the beginning of the season, I feel like I've got two that can start for a number of teams and I know he feels the same way," Payton said. "So watch out. Just watch."

Who is Jarrett Stidham?

The Patriots selected Stidham No. 133 overall in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Auburn. He was expected to develop behind Tom Brady and veteran backup Brian Hoyer, potentially developing into Brady's replacement.

Brady would leave England a year later, and early reports were that the Patriots loved what they had in Stidham. But that didn't last long. By the end of the 2020 season, Bill Belichick and the Patriots had reportedly soured on him after Stidham lost the starting job to Cam Newton in training camp.

In May 2022, New England traded Stidham to the Las Vegas Raiders for a late-round swap of draft picks.

Stidham played one season in Las Vegas, starting the final two games of the season and passing for around 131 yards per game and four touchdowns.

In 2023, Stidham joined Denver. He started two games that year, averaging 165 yards per contest with two touchdowns and one interception.

Stidham hasn't started a game since, but suddenly will be thrust into a position where he can send his team to the Super Bowl. And there's a possibility that chance will come against his former team. If New England beats Houston on Sunday, Stidham and the Broncos will host the Patriots in the AFC title game.