Denver Broncos fans, I feel for you. Your team won their biggest game in a decade, and you hardly got 20 minutes to celebrate before the news of Bo Nix’s injury. Now, Jarrett Stidham, who has four career starts to his name, will take over as QB1 with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.

As a New Orleans Saints fan, I know what it’s like to seemingly have your chance at winning a Super Bowl ripped away from you because of things completely out of your control. But I think there are plenty of reasons for you to still be optimistic heading into the AFC Championship.

Denver’s defense is still elite

One reason to feel optimistic is because of Denver’s defense. They have been one of the best units in the league this season, finishing the regular season fourth in scoring (18.9 points per game), ninth against the pass (191.6 passing yards per game) and fourth against the run (96.2 rushing yards per game). And we haven’t even talked about their biggest strength: their pass rush.

The Broncos have one of the best pass rushes we’ve ever seen. They have logged 68 sacks this season, which ranks fifth all-time, and is the second-most since 2000. The only team that has more sacks than the 2025 Broncos this century is the 2022 Philadelphia Eagles, who finished the regular season with 70.

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This defense is going to put pressure on Drake Maye on Sunday, and Pat Surtain and Co. should be able to lock down some of the Patriots’ weapons. It’ll take a massive effort from them to win this game, but they’ve shown us all season long that they’re capable of carrying this team to a win.

The Patriots have looked beatable this postseason

The New England Patriots haven’t looked like juggernauts this postseason. Their defense has been great, but it hasn’t really been challenged. The Los Angeles Chargers didn’t have an offensive line, and C.J. Stroud might be one of the worst quarterbacks in football. Denver’s offense isn’t incredibly special or anything, but I believe there will be opportunities for them to score some points.

Also, I don’t think Drake Maye has looked all that great either. He’s completing just 58.9 percent of his throws (down from 72.0 percent in the regular season) for 447 yards, four touchdowns and two picks. He’s also put the ball on the ground six times and has been sacked five times in each of their playoff games. I’ll cut him some slack because the weather hasn’t been great, but he hasn’t quite looked like his MVP self from the regular season.

The Patriots also struggled to get their run game going this past weekend. As a team, the Pats averaged just 3.3 yards per carry against Houston, whose run defense gives up just four fewer yards per game and 0.1 fewer yards per attempt than Denver’s.

The Patriots are a very good football team, don’t get me wrong, but they haven’t looked unbeatable.

Sean Payton can make it work with anybody

Another reason to feel optimistic is because of Sean Payton. Yes, he had Drew Brees for most of his career, but he’s made it work with a less-than-ideal quarterback situation in the past.

In 2019, Brees was injured, and Payton turned the ball over to Teddy Bridgewater for five games. He went 5-0 during that stretch, and helped Bridgewater throw for 1,370 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions while completing nearly 68 percent of his throws. That performance alone earned him a three-year, $63 million deal the next offseason.

Then, in 2021, after Brees retired, Jameis Winston took over as the Saints’ starter. Everyone loves Jameis, but if you take out his time with Payton, he has a career TD:INT ratio of 136-102, which is not good at all. In the seven games Winston started for the Saints before tearing his ACL, he threw for 1,170 yards, 14 touchdowns and three interceptions. He turned one of the most turnover-prone quarterbacks in the league into a ball security guru.

Payton also went 7-2 with Taysom Hill as his starting quarterback in 2020 and 2021. Across those nine starts, Hill threw for 1,756 yards, eight touchdowns and six interceptions (four in one game) while rushing for 479 yards and six scores. Hill is a great football player, but I don’t think many coaches would’ve gone 7-2 with him as their starting quarterback.

Payton went 19-4 with Bridgewater, Winston and Hill as his starters from 2019-2021. That’s pretty incredible, and his defense wasn’t as good as Denver’s is.

Jarrett Stidham is a baller

Jarrett Stidham was the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback and the No. 13 overall recruit coming out of high school for a reason. This kid can ball, and Sean Payton seems to have a ton of confidence in him, so I do as well.

His career stats aren’t anything special. He’s started four games, appearing in 20 (mostly in garbage time), and has thrown for 1,422 yards and eight touchdowns with eight interceptions. Those numbers might not blow you away, but he’s flashed, particularly in Vegas in 2022 when he threw for 365 yards and three touchdowns and put up 34 points against the 49ers, who had the No. 1 scoring defense that year. He hasn’t been amazing in his other three starts, throwing for a combined 715 yards, three touchdowns and two picks, but he’s never had a negative TD:INT ratio in a game.

I’m not here to tell you he’s going to throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns against the Patriots, but he’s capable of leading an offense and scoring some points. And if Denver’s defense does its part, he might only need 20 to win this game. That’s still a pretty big ask against a defense like New England’s, but if I’m a Broncos fan, I’m not giving up hope just yet.