Former New Orleans Saints head coach, Sean Payton, has led the Denver Broncos to the AFC Championship game in just his third year at the helm. It's only Bo Nix's second year as a pro. Unfortunately, Nix suffered a fractured ankle that ended his season last year. Payton isn't overly concerned, and his experience replacing Drew Brees is the reason why.
Payton spent 15 years in New Orleans, and he's always been a confident guy. It should come as no surprise that Payton's confidence remains strong in the face stacked odds. The Broncos will have to replace Nix with Jarrett Stidham, who hasn't thrown a pass since 2023.
Payton's confidence isn't based in hubris but rather experience. In 2019, Brees went down with an injury, and Teddy Bridgewater replaced him. He went 5-0 in that time span. Obviously, the stakes are different, but Payton is clearly drawing from that experience ahead of the championship game.
Sean Payton is putting the pressure on the other players
When your starting quarterback goes down with an injury, especially at a time as important as an AFC Championship Game, you'd think all of the pressure would be on the backup quarterback. Payton didn't directly say he's taking the pressure off of Stidham, but the story sounded like that was the approach.
Payton told his players, "I'm not worried about Bridgewater. I'm worried about everyone else in this room, making sure that their level is up to speed."
It sounds unconventional to say, but it's not too different than how we typically think about a starter going down. There's an understanding of "next man up," but we also look at the stars around the backup to step up.
You should expect a dip in play after losing the starter. It's natural, and asking the starters around Stidham to make his job easier is the more feasible route.
Luckily for Stidham, the Broncos have the most sacks in the NFL and allowed the second least yards this season. They have a defense that can win a championship on the back of their defense, and it puts Stidham in a much easier position. The Texans just played the Patriots close with a dominant defense and bad quarterback play. There's reason to believe Stidham just needs to protect the ball, and the Broncos could win this game.