Broncos defense must carry team again as journeyman backup QB Stidham set to start AFC championship

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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Denver’s defense carried Peyton Manning across the finish line in Super Bowl 50 and Vance Joseph's bunch will almost certainly have to lead the way for the Broncos to get back to Levi's Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area for Super Bowl 60.

The Broncos (15-3) host the New England Patriots (16-3) in the AFC championship game Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High with a journeyman backup QB making his first start in more than two years, a tattered receiving corps and no ground game to speak of unless J.K. Dobbins somehow returns from a mid-November foot operation.

A person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that the Broncos are opening the practice window for Dobbins, whose injury was originally suspected to be season-ending, giving the Broncos a chance to get him back Sunday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team didn't announce the move.

Bo Nix broke his right ankle on Denver's game-winning drive in overtime as the Broncos wrestled their biggest win in a decade from Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills with a 33-30 thriller that sent both tears and barbs flowing in the Bills locker room.

Jarrett Stidham, who has appeared in 20 games in six NFL seasons, starting four and winning one, will step in for Nix, who's undergoing surgery Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama. Save for the preseason, Stidham hasn't started a game — or even thrown a pass — in more than two years.

“He will be ready to go and ready for the moment,” coach Sean Payton said.

Stidham almost certainly won't have two of the Broncos' best receivers after Troy Franklin pulled a hamstring and Pat Bryant suffered his second concussion in a month during the Broncos' first playoff victory since Super Bowl 50.

In their absence, Marvin Mims Jr. caught all eight passes thrown his way for 93 yards, with the biggest grab a 26-yard over-the-shoulder touchdown catch from Nix with 55 seconds left in regulation.

Denver’s defense heeded Payton's edict ahead of the playoffs to produce more takeaways after the Broncos were minus-3 in turnover differential during the season despite an NFL-leading and franchise-record 68 sacks. They forced the Bills into five turnovers, including four by Allen, who hadn't turned the ball over in his previous six playoff games, and finished the game plus-4.

The Broncos' ground game was almost nonexistent against the Bills with Nix leading the way with 29 yards on a dozen carries. Jaleel McLaughlin had 21 yards on four rushes and rookie R.J. Harvey had 20 yards on six handoffs. Harvey also had five catches for 46 yards, including a key 24-yarder on the game-winning drive in overtime.

OLB Nik Bonitto had a strip sack and forced both of Allen's fumbles. He became just the third Denver defender to force multiple fumbles in a playoff game, joining LB Tom Jackson and OLB Von Miller. Safety and All-Pro special teams ace Devon Key recovered James Cooks' fumble, P.J. Locke saved a touchdown with an interception and Ja'Quan McMillian's interception when he wrested the ball from Brandin Cooks in overtime set up the Broncos' game-winning drive that ended with Wil Lutz's chip-shot field goal. Talanoa Hufanga and Malcolm Roach recovered Allen's fumbles that were forced by Bonitto.

Denver's rushing attack.

Bryant suffered his second concussion in a month. His first came in the closing minutes of Denver's only home loss in a year and a half, to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Dec. 21. Bryant had three catches for 32 yards on Denver's opening drive Saturday before leaving the game with the head injury. Franklin pulled a hamstring early in the game and had no targets.

— 4 field goals by Lutz in four chances, tied for second-most by a Broncos kicker in the team’s playoff history, behind only Brandon McManus’ five field goals against Pittsburgh following the 2015 season. Lutz also made all three of his extra points.

— 3 TD passes from Nix against the league's No. 1 pass defense tied John Elway and Manning for most touchdown throws in a Broncos playoff game. Elway did it three times and Manning did it against Baltimore following the 2012 season.

The Broncos host the Patriots (16-3), who have lost all four of their playoff games in Denver, for the right to play either the Seattle Seahawks (15-3) or Los Angeles Rams (14-5) in the Super Bowl on Feb. 8. The Broncos and Patriots tied for the best record in the AFC but Denver got the No. 1 seed and lone first-round bye by virtue of a 6-0 record against common opponents. The Pats were 5-1 with that one loss coming to Las Vegas in the season opener.

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