Jarrett Stidham’s wife, Kennedy, shared a folded hands emoji on Instagram after the Broncos announced that star quarterback Bo Nix will miss the remainder of the postseason with a fractured right ankle, forcing her husband — Denver’s backup — into the spotlight and starting role ahead of the AFC Championship game.
Kennedy, a former Baylor soccer player, has been married to the 29-year-old Stidham since 2019, celebrating milestones such as his first career NFL win with him while watching him shift from the Patriots to the Raiders and ultimately to the Broncos, and now she’ll have a chance to watch her husband start just his fifth NFL game with a Super Bowl appearance at stake.
The crushing injury news for Nix emerged after the Broncos won a 33-30 thriller in overtime against the Bills in the divisional round.
Head coach Sean Payton, after already addressing reporters, returned to the press conference room with some “not good news” that revealed Nix — Denver’s emerging signal-caller in his second season — sustained the ankle injury three plays before the game-winning field goal in the extra frame.
After a designed quarterback run on a first-and-10 on the Broncos’ second overtime drive, Nix popped up off the ground with a noticeable limp, but he didn’t need to do much following that snap — with a pass interference penalty and kneel-down setting up Will Lutz for his 23-yard field goal.
Nix went 26-for-46 with 279 yards, three touchdowns and an interception while picking up the first postseason win of his career.
But if the Broncos return to the Super Bowl, it’ll have to be because of Stidham, who has been with Denver since Payton took over ahead of the 2023 season and even started a pair of games that year when Russell Wilson was benched.
Since Nix arrived, Stidham has made just four cameos and hasn’t attempted a regular-season pass.
Throughout his career, which began in 2019 when the Patriots drafted him in the fourth round, Stidham has gone 117-for-197 for 1,422 yards, eight touchdowns and eight interceptions.
“Stiddy is ready to go,” Payton told reporters. “… He’s ready, he’s ready. I feel like I’ve got a two who’s capable of starting for a number of teams, and I know he feels the same way. Watch out, just watch.”
Denver next Sunday will host the winner of the No. 2-seeded Patriots and No. 5-seeded Texans, who play Sunday afternoon.