Sean Payton: Jarrett Stidham ‘did a good job,’ will start vs. Raiders

Broncos coach Sean Payton confirmed that Stidham will stay in the starting-quarterback role when the Broncos close their campaign at Las Vegas on Jan. 7 — and that Russell Wilson will remain the backup.

“The depth (chart) at that position going into this game coming up will be the same,” Payton said.

That means Wilson will remain one play away from entering the game, despite the Broncos’ earlier discussions with Wilson about waiving the injury guarantee or suggesting that they would bench him. Nothing came of that until last week, of course.

“I thought Jarrett did a good job after seeing the tape with his decisions, the ball security, all those things that you want to see from that position,” Payton said. “The big play to ‘LJ’ (wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey), it was a heck of a play by ‘LJ.’ The protection was good. So, a lot of positives to build off of.”

Sean Payton on Jarrett Stidham: “I thought Jarrett did a good job after seeing the tape with his decisions, the ball security, all those things that you want to see from that position … A lot of positives to build off of.” pic.twitter.com/ZSbJ53zlUV

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) January 1, 2024

SO, WHAT IS THE OUTLOOK FOR JARRETT STIDHAM?

And can Jarrett Stidham alter the potential arc of his future in Denver based on what he does next Sunday in Las Vegas?

“Well, I think that’s the case with every player, right?” Payton said. “I mean, we’re constantly evaluating how they play, and then it would definitely carry over to how we feel about next year relative to their role.

“But the answer would be, ‘Yes.’ I mean, I think these are important snaps and games for him.”

Although the route concepts emphasized Sunday against the Chargers were different — more slants and crossing routes, for example — the ultimate result for the Broncos was similar to their form over the previous 10 games since the team throttled back its attack.

The Broncos ended up with just 16 points — its lowest tally since Week 6.

“Certainly, if you’re going to measure it week by week, you’d say, ‘Man, we scored under 20 points; that wasn’t enough. We missed out on opportunities in the red zone,” Payton said. “But we were safe with the football.”

When evaluating the season-long form, the Broncos on Sunday exceeded their per-game passing-yardage average by 24.4 yards and their per-game total-yardage figure by 14.8 yards.

“That was a long stretch of 15 weeks where we’d seen a very similar pattern. I think that’ll change,” Payton said. “I made the decision with the hopes that that’s going to help bring change.

“There’s no guarantee that that does, but in the meantime, it’s something that I felt was necessary.”

What the Broncos got Sunday was a different path to a similar place. With a second chance for Jarrett Stidham in Las Vegas, they hope that for something more — and perhaps enough to make them think headed into the offseason.

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