Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - BELIEVE: Denver Broncos, Jarrett Stidham Will HOST Patriots in AFC Championship

Episode Date: January 19, 2026

The Denver Broncos will host the AFC Championship this week against the New England Patriots, as Jarrett Stidham steps up to lead Denver’s offense after Bo Nix’s devastating season-ending injury. ...Can the Broncos rally behind Stidham and stun New England as underdogs to punch their ticket to Super Bowl 60 in Santa Clara, ten years after their last appearance? Cody Roark breaks down the fallout from the overtime victory against the Buffalo Bills, the critical role of Denver’s opportunistic defense, and Sean Payton’s potential adjustments for Stidham. Key storylines include J.K. Dobbins’ possible return, the evolving run game with RJ Harvey and Jaleel McLaughlin, and injury updates on Pat Bryant and Troy Franklin. With Denver once again the underdogs, Roark explores whether this resilient roster can defy the odds. Will Stidham replicate Nick Foles’ legendary playoff run and rewrite Broncos history? Cody Roark is a credentialed beat reporter for Mile High Sports and covers the Broncos daily in person. Sayre Bedinger is the site expert for Predominantly Orange. Both bring Broncos Country the most in-depth and objective coverage of the Denver Broncos. WANT MORE DAILY DENVER BRONCOS CONTENT?For all of the latest Denver Broncos news today -- Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOBroncos?sid=YouTube Locked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNFL Follow on Twitter: @CodyRoarkNFL and @SayreBedingerFollow the show on Twitter: @LockedOnBroncos Everydayer Club  If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans.Click here to join -- https://lockedonbroncos.supercast.com/ Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!TurboTaxFor a limited time, you can have your taxes done by a local TurboTax expert for just $150 — all in, if a TurboTax expert didn’t file for you last year. Just file by February 28.  Visit http://TurboTax.com/local to book your appointment today.DripDropRight now, DripDrop is offering podcast listeners 20% off your first order. Go to http://dripdrop.com and use promo code lockedonnfl. Ultimate QBUltimate QB is totally free to play, has no ads, and works 100% offline — perfect for when you want to sneak in a quick game or two on the go. Just head over to http://ULTIMATE-QB.COM. FanDuelToday's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. FanDuel is officially in Playoff Mode. Every game day during the NFL playoffs, FanDuel is giving customers even more ways to get in on the action. Visit Fanduel.com to get started. PrizePicksDownload the PrizePicks app today and use code LOCKEDONNFL to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup.Click Here: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFL GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime. RobinhoodTrade Every Play with Robinhood. Now available across the U.S. Download the Robinhood app now to begin.Futures and cleared swaps trading involves significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. Event contracts are offered by Robinhood Derivatives, LLC., a registered futures commission merchant and swap firm IndeedListeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/lockedonnfl. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 The AFC championship game is set next Sunday in the Mile High City as the Denver Broncos host the New England Patriots in a matchup that will determine who goes to Super Bowl 60. You are locked on Broncos. Your daily Denver Broncos podcast. Part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. It all comes down to this. A trip to the Super Bowl hinges on the Denver Broncos matchup on Sunday of next week in the AFC championship game against the New England Patriots. Welcome into another episode, Lockdown Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, the number one sports podcast network in the country. That's thanks to all of you every dayers out there in Broncos country. Thanks for tuning in making us your first listen, however you choose to do. So we've got a lot to break down here as the Broncos now know who they will host in the AFC championship game next week.
Starting point is 00:00:55 We'll talk about Jared Stidham and why he gets the chance to lead the way now going forward after Bo Nix's season ending injury against the Buffalo Bills against the New England Patriots. to look at some of those early on storylines here. Plus, where can Jarrett Stidham help out the Broncos offense? There are a handful of different things that we saw in the preseason that will give us a little bit of an idea as to what he can do well here, stepping in for Bo Nix. And on top of that, could the Broncos get J.K. Dobbins back this week after he was on the side field last week.
Starting point is 00:01:23 We'll go through that and some other injury updates on today's episode of the show brought to you by our friends over there at Fandu. And Fandu is officially in playoff mode. Every game day during the NFL playoffs, Fandu, they are giving customers even more ways to get in on the action. Visit Fanduil.com to get started. I'm Cody Rourke, credential Broncos reporter for Mile High Sports in Broncos country. What a weekend it has been.
Starting point is 00:01:44 An emotional roller coaster from the highs of the Denver Broncos beating the Buffalo bills in the AFC division around in overtime to the lows of just finding out hours after the game ended that Bo Nicks, his season would be over after suffering a fractured bone in his ankle. that he is now set to get surgery on here on Tuesday. So now what does this mean for the Broncos as they now at the one seed get to host the AFC championship against the New England Patriots who took care of business in Foxborough on Sunday
Starting point is 00:02:16 against the Houston Texans? It is a matchup 10 years after the fact. The last time we saw Peyton Manning versus Tom Brady, the last time the Debra Rancos hosted an AFC championship game that was 10 years ago in the Mile High City with the winner of that game getting to punch their ticket to Santa Clara for Super Bowl 50. 10 years later, the same storyline reveals itself a win in this matchup on Sunday for Denver punches their ticket back to Santa Clara 10 years after the fact to the same exact venue
Starting point is 00:02:47 that they won it 10 years ago before Peyton Manning rode off into the sunset. We were all anticipating a Bo Nix versus Drake May AFC championship game, and we were moments away from being able to get that until Bo suffered this season. entering injury in the game against the Buffalo Bills. But now it will be Jared Stidham against the New England Patriots. Their stingy defense that they have and the Broncos defense against Drake May and the explosive offense that certainly they have here. And there's so much that will break down all throughout the entire week here on lockdown Broncos
Starting point is 00:03:18 about that matchup. But let's talk about the biggest storyline here. And that is Jared Stidham getting the chance to get the start here for the Broncos the rest of the way. And we talked about it. The New England Patriots defense, are tough. They have tough level players. You have Jonah Ellis's brother who plays on the other side, Christian Ellis. He plays linebacker for the Patriots defense. They're very disciplined from a coverage standpoint. And once again, you're getting another defense that will balance up the sky's looks
Starting point is 00:03:45 with zone pressure, with zone coverage, and occasionally they'll match up man to man from time to time. The Broncos' offense, they're going to need their best effort here going forward. And I think for everybody right now coming into this week, everyone thinking in the next, national media. They're thinking that Denver doesn't have a chance in this. There are Broncos fans who are commenting on our show saying, oh, Denver is done. I think not having Bo Nix, yes, we can sit here and we can acknowledge this is a massive blow to the Broncos because Bo Nix has been so important and so instrumental in Denver getting to this point here in an AFC championship game. Go back to the playoff game that
Starting point is 00:04:24 we saw on Saturday. Denver down 27, 23. Bo Nix had a legacy drive against John. Ash Allen and the Buffalo Bills to give them the lead there. And then ultimately Denver wins this game in overtime. And it's crazy that we don't get to see that. Yes, Denver, the optics of them, a lot of people are saying, well, Denver doesn't have a chance. And the fans that are saying that Denver doesn't have a chance, here's my one thing that I'll say to you, don't even watch the game next week.
Starting point is 00:04:47 If you were going to have that stance, I think you can be skeptical and saying, I don't know how Denver's going to stack up against New England without Beau. I think it's fair to have those questions. But to say that they don't have a chance, we've seen some stranger things happen. in the NFL and it's not like it's this unworldly chance. We're not talking about the Broncos relying on Chad Kelly of all people to lead them to the Super Bowl. Here's the thing about Jared Stidham.
Starting point is 00:05:10 He's experienced in Sean Payton's system. And one thing that Sean told us was that Stidham is ready. He'll be ready for the moment because he's been in the system for three years and Denver is going to put together a game plan. I think when you look at Sean Payton historically, when Drew Breeds has gone down with injury, other quarterbacks in New Orleans have gone down. What have we seen? happen. We've seen guys like Teddy Bridgewater, Taysam Hill step up, and the Saints' offense still find ways to win games. We've seen James Winston step in and the Saints still find ways to win games here. Yes, it is a big blow that Bo is not going to be available. I can't overstate that enough here. But to act like Denver doesn't have a chance. I think that's wrong. I think when we're going to dive into it, obviously, here on today's show what Stidham can do to help the offense. We can look at his skill set, his strengths, his weaknesses. But the Broncos are going to put together a game plan here.
Starting point is 00:06:00 Now that you know who your opponent is, you don't have ambiguity going into this week. The Broncos, they've kind of been a step ahead of this year. They're going to have a nice little game plan here for New England and their defense that's stingy and aggressive. And so much of this week I think is going to be not only Stidham being able to hit the throws that you need to hit, but on top of that, I think it's an effort to get the run game established here, which has not been the case here for the Broncos offense consistently all season long with R.J. Harvey, Jule McLaughlin.
Starting point is 00:06:29 You go back to the Buffalo game here on Saturday. Those guys had 10 total carries on offense and the rushing game combined in the game against the Buffalo Bills. That cannot be the formula. You can't win playing that type of football here. And certainly you don't want to have Jared Stittam have to drop back and throw the ball 42 to 45 times in a game. I'd even say 35 times in a game is far too much. There has to be good balance here, especially with Denver's defense. Yes, they struggled to get stops consistently against the bubble.
Starting point is 00:06:59 Buffalo bills. They gave up a lot of yards and they almost choked away that game, but the defense forced five takeaways. And you look at the New England Patriots, you look at what we just saw from them against the Houston Texans. Granted another very good defense. I would say Houston had the best defense remaining in the NFL playoffs until they got eliminated here. But now you have a matchup against this Broncos defense that now has some momentum, has some rhythm to them. They're healthy defensively and they're able to generate takeaways, which has now been a theme for them in the last two games. games that they have played. Sean Payton has emphasized how important it is to win the turnover margin. And that's what the defense has gone out there and done. So, yes, all eyes are going to be on Jared Stidham. For people in the national media, if you're trying to put together your media and marketing packages, it doesn't seem as sexy to say, hey, Jared Stidham versus Drake May in the AFC championship game. It doesn't matter. The Broncos once again open up this week as underdogs at home against the New Union Patriots. And you know what? This is a position that this Broncos team thrives in. They don't mind being the underdogs.
Starting point is 00:07:59 They're confident in one another. This is a close locker room. It's a mature locker room. And Stidham, as much of a veteran presence, he has been, he's been waiting for this opportunity if it ever had to arise, and he's stayed ready. So now the keys get handed over to Jared Stidham, who has a chance here with one win on Sunday.
Starting point is 00:08:17 If he can find a way to lead the Broncos to a victory against New England, Denver is going back to the Super Bowl in Santa Clara. It's a nice storyline that writes itself maybe a Nick Foles-like Renaissance. here for the Broncos in 2026. We'll take a look at all that. Obviously, as we continue throughout the week here on lockdown Broncos, but coming up next, we're going to dive deeper to where Jared Stidham can help out the Broncos offense, what we saw in the preseason that gives us a little bit of confidence
Starting point is 00:08:43 and him stepping up and obviously playing well against New England. You're going to get all that here on today's episode, Locked on Broncos. Broncos Country, today's episode shows brought to you by our friends over there, the ultimate quarterback. The graph pick positioning is set around most of the national football league and many teams are looking to find their next franchise quarterback. If you ever wish to become a pro quarterback getting drafted first overall by whatever your favorite team may be, well, guess what?
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Starting point is 00:11:02 And if they went on Sunday, they're heading back to Santa Clara for Super Bowl 60, where they have a chance to win a Super Bowl championship here. There's a lot of storylines that will obviously lead us up to the AFC championship game. And hopefully we'll be talking about a Super Bowl run here for the Denver Broncos. But you get that here daily in Lockdown Broncos. If you want more exclusive content, we encourage you to become an everyday or all-access member here today. And here's what you're going to get. There's all 22 film breakdowns that are going up here of Jarrett Stidham,
Starting point is 00:11:29 what he did in the preseason and how it could translate well here for the Broncos against the New England Patriots. All 22 film breakdowns of that. Post-game locker room interviews coming out of Saturday's playoff win against the Buffalo Bills are in there. You get an ad-free version of the show. You get access to our Discord where we're building a community for members in Broncos country, one-on-one texting with Sarah and I, a newsletter version of the show that goes out every day. And so much more so becoming every day or all.
Starting point is 00:11:54 All access member today. Make sure you go to the show notes down below or go to lockdown Broncos. At supercast.com here. Let's get into where Jared Stidham can help out the Broncos offense this week against the New England Patriots. Now, I think one of the things that we have to highlight and emphasize here is going to be ball security. Jarrett Stidham, for the most part, does a really good job of protecting the football.
Starting point is 00:12:15 And look, there's a limited amount of sample size and regular season games for Stidham. He's balled out. He's played well in the preseason. This past preseason. He put on his best display yet in just two games of action here for the Broncos, where he completed 30 of 36 passes in two games, 376 yards, four touchdowns, had a near perfect passer rating all throughout the preseason. But in those, and you'll see it in the film breakdowns for the Everyday All Access Club here,
Starting point is 00:12:43 but you see with Stidham, he is confident in where he's going. He knows where his first read is. He knows where to identify coverages. He makes the right decision. I'd say the one thing that maybe Jared does not. have, and there are a couple of things, but the main thing that Jared does not have that Bo Nix has that certainly helps him succeed in the offense, he doesn't necessarily have Bo Nix's mobility, right? We talk about Bo's ability to avoid sacks. That's one of the more elite reasons
Starting point is 00:13:10 that Sean Peyton drafted him because Bo is very good in this category. He's the least sack quarterback in the NFL this season, and obviously was not sacked in Saturday's game against the Buffalo Bills. That ability to understand the pocket around you combined with with his athleticism, mobility, that made it difficult. He could throw the ball away. He could evade and maybe rush forward for yards. But here's the thing about Stidham. Stidham is not afraid to use his legs.
Starting point is 00:13:35 He may not be as fast as Bo Nix, but he knows how to take good angles. If he has to fight for positive yards, there was even one play in the preseason. It was like third, I think in 15, and he had an 18-yard scramble play to pick up a first down. So he is smart. He knows where to go. He's decisive with the football. But it is going to change a little bit. Yes, he played well in the preseason.
Starting point is 00:13:55 This New England Patriots defense is going to be a tough test, but I think that they're going to have a good game plan in place. And one of the best things that can help Stidham is the mix balance between what I think is going to be under center looks for him this week versus being in the shotgun. And yes, with Bo Nix, there's times where they were under center the last handful of weeks. I think you will see more of an emphasis from Jarrett Stidham under center more so than we saw from Bo Nix. But I think there are a lot of different things that can open up there. defenses know that Jarrett is not as mobile as Bo, but Jarrett is smart. Jarrett makes the right decision.
Starting point is 00:14:28 He protects the football. But the run game, I think Jarrett operating under Centerwell opens up things in play action. Now, Sean Payton and the Broncos offense can learn to commit to the run game and stick with it versus just giving Jalil and R.J. Harvey 10 total carries combined. There is going to be a really awesome chance that the Broncos can beat the New England Patriots and the offense can play well enough to win against a very stingy New England Patriots. defense going into next week. I think we have to highlight that here. But I think one of the bigger questions here when we talk about this is it's the confidence here that maybe Broncos fans have or don't have and Jarrett Stittam. It's very much apparent that Sean Peyton, Davis Webb, these two guys. We talk about the quarterback brain trust of this team, Davis Webb,
Starting point is 00:15:13 Sean Payton, Bow Nicks, and the other quarterbacks in that room, they have such a monumental role here. And while Bo is going to be out and Bo is not going necessarily be around this week, he's having surgery on Tuesday. Jarrett has been in that meeting room all season long. And here's the thing. I think a lot of fans are wondering whether or not he gets first team reps throughout the season and practice. That's not the case.
Starting point is 00:15:33 Bo Nix gets all the first team reps throughout the regular season and practice. And the reason Sean Payton highlighted that is if we have a team period with 10 plays and I'm giving Bo six plays and I'm giving Stidham four, if you're splitting reps in the regular season, usually it's an indicator that you might be playing two quarterbacks. He says that's not the case for us. Bow is our guy. But now Jarrett Stidim is going to get all of those reps here this week at practice. But one thing that Jarrett has done well all season long that doesn't get discussed,
Starting point is 00:16:01 we don't always get to see he has commanded the scout team offense. So when the Broncos are preparing for an opponent, Jarrett is running scout team quarterback with running the same stuff that the Broncos opposing defense is going to be facing that week. And there have been times where even Sean Payton himself admitted in a conference call with us on Sunday morning that there are times with Stidim that he's got such strong mental aptitude. He's smart. He's accurate. He's decisive with the football. There's times in practice when he's running the scout team where he's making the Broncos starting defense look bad.
Starting point is 00:16:33 And so for Sean, he says, I'm looking at Van Joseph and I'm like getting pissed because Stidham is making our defense look bad at times. That is where you want things to be. And I'll say this as well. You look at the Broncos. This is something that fans don't normally get to see. But when we get to go in there, the Broncos always highlight every week. They're game balls after a victory. They don't do it if there's a loss, but there's been a lot of wins this year for Denver. So on the wall,
Starting point is 00:16:57 they have game balls for the guys who played in the games, but they also have a subsection for game balls for guys who are scout team or special guys that in the practice squad players of the week, so to speak. So Jarrett Stidim has certainly earned that because of how he's operated the scout team. And then you've got other practice squad guys that are filling in here. But I also think, too, with a connection. If we go back to the preseason, Jared Stidham had a really good connection with not only Troy Franklin,
Starting point is 00:17:23 but with Pat Bryant, with guys like Michael Bandy. I know Trent Shurfield was on the roster at one point. Evan Ingram was the benefactor of one of his biggest catch and runs that he's had all year, and that came in the preseason. Granted, it's preseason. We understand that here. But the thing that you want to evaluate when you're watching Jared, if you go back and decide to look at his preseason tape is, okay, how does he command the huddle?
Starting point is 00:17:45 How does he command the offensive scheme? Does he operate it with comfort? I'm looking at these things, and I see that here with Jared Stidham. I even remember, too, there were times in the preseason. We had some debates from fans of lockdown Broncos in our comment section or on social media that were saying, ah, Jarrett Stidham should be the starting quarterback, not Bo Nix, which in my opinion was always silly. But once again, Jared's experience and the fact that he has been in the system for three years, I think there's a lot of value to be had in that.
Starting point is 00:18:14 I don't think that can be discounted. This is different than, you know, Tuatungo Viloa going out with the Nizrian. All of a sudden, now the Miami Dolphins are relying on Quinn Uers. This is a different scenario. Yes, Quinn Ure is in the same system, so to speak, in his season in Miami, but Jared Stidham has years of experience here. He understands the new layers that have been out of there. And of course, Davis Webb is going to be working very closely with him.
Starting point is 00:18:37 So now it's going to be Stidham as the starter. You're going to have Sam Ellinger as the backup. And now Ben Dinochie will be that practice squad, third string emergency quarterback because of his familiarity being inside the system in this room with Davis Webb. And obviously having that familiarity of being there with Sean Payton in 2023 when Sean first came throughout the entire summer, the preseason. But ultimately, the Broncos had to make space on their roster. So they did end up cutting him for that there. So for me, I think that Stidham's experience, I think his mental aptitude as Sean would say, I'd say his ability to process, recognize coverages,
Starting point is 00:19:13 make good decisions. I also think his arm is underrated. Is it as strong as Bo Nix's? No, but it doesn't have to be. Jarrett can make the necessary throws possible to help the Broncos get to Super Bowl 60 here. And he's going to have that opportunity to do it against his former team, the New England Patriots and Josh McDaniels, who obviously knows him a little bit. I'm sure that he's going to try to share some intel with the Patriots defensive coordinator here.
Starting point is 00:19:36 But for Jarrett's did him a chance to also write his own story this week for the Denver Broncos as they look to advance to the Super Bowl once again here. And as this is the only game remaining right now that is guaranteed for the Broncos, what does the early indication look like for the injury report this week? And could J.K. Dobbins return to the mix. We'll discuss that more here on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. Today's episode, the show is brought to you by friends over there at Fandduo and the AFC and NFC Championship games are here for the NFL playoffs.
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Starting point is 00:21:20 you once again for tuning in making us your first listen, however you choose to do so. Broncos country, regardless of the roller coaster, regardless of Bonix being out for the remainder of the playoffs, that's a huge bummer. But you know what? Your Broncos football team that you root for every Sunday, they're going to the AFC championship game. They have a chance to go to the Super Bowl. So let's enjoy the moment. Let's enjoyed where we're at right now before we get into the as to what does it look like if the Broncos don't make. We're not diving into that. We're not even entertaining the thought of that.
Starting point is 00:21:48 This is the Broncos week. And they're going to be ready for that moment. I have a strong feeling about that. And so much can be based on how obviously the guy we talked about on today's show, Jared Stidham, how he plays. But a lot of Broncos fans want to know is J.K. Dobbins, or could he return this week against the New England Patriots? I think that there is a chance that he could.
Starting point is 00:22:07 But here's why I'm saying right now it's at 0%. Until J.K. moves from the. sidefield, which he was on the side field for the first time since having that surgery on his LISFrank injury that he suffered in week 10 against the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday night football. This was his first time last week being on the side field. That is generally what we consider a ramp up process. That's a good sign being on the side field is great.
Starting point is 00:22:33 Sean Payton himself before he even appeared on the side field said that JK, he's close. Or as he's closer than maybe most people think, does that mean AFC chance? championship game this week. Here's why I say it's 0% right now. Wednesday will be the first time that the Broncos practice this week. If JK is on the side field, that's a great indicator that, hey, you know what? He's doing well in terms of his on field progress. But I'm not considering him even remotely playing until we see him on the actual practice field. So if this week when we go out there, he's doing team stretch, he's doing individual period here with the Broncos. then I'll say, okay, you know what, he's got a real legitimate shot to return. And I know a couple of weeks ago, Tony Romo said when they talked to Sean Payton in their meeting,
Starting point is 00:23:16 they said, and maybe he could be back for the AFC championship game. Certainly a possibility. But as I say it right now, it's 0% until he's actually on the practice field itself, folks. The side field, it doesn't necessarily give you a lot of leeway that doesn't activate him. It's when he steps foot on the actual practice field with his team and goes through team stretch or individual period where his 21-day window officially opens. So if that happens on Wednesday or Thursday, maybe we can see an outside shot here. But I also think we need to be realistic about this, folks.
Starting point is 00:23:48 Yes, JK has been the Broncos most productive running back this season. And I think if he hadn't had that freak injury happened to him, I think he would have surpassed well over 1,500 yards rushing on the season. It was a terrific year for JK. And I know people are mad about the injury history of the sleigh's injury. that's out of his control. But here's why I would say, let's pump the brakes on raising our expectations, even if JK does hypothetically play on Sunday.
Starting point is 00:24:15 JK hasn't played football since week 10. He hasn't had the grind, the wear and tear, the on-field contact running in between the tackles or having that moment where, hey, you're trying to run through the A or the B gap and an offensive or defensive lineman steps on your foot. How does he handle that? Like there has to be this ramp up period here for JK from a physical standpoint. that we have to see. And even if he plays, it isn't going to be the full workload.
Starting point is 00:24:41 It's not JK, you're getting every single touch. You're going to get 20 carries a game. I don't even think if he comes back, I don't even think he's going to be the guy who gets to start here because R.J. Harvey has gotten that role since obviously, JK has been sidelined with the injury. And it's not to say that, you know, JK can't do it. JK, as I mentioned, folks, I feel like he was the best productive rusher there. I think when fully healthy, no limitations, I would start J.K. Dobbins right now over RJ Harvey,
Starting point is 00:25:09 just as RJ continues to get ingrained in the process, learn the offense more, and handle that workload. The dynamic between Dobbins and Harvey, honestly, when you look back at it, is a big reason why the Broncos, I think, were winning early on and they were having success because now defense are saying, hey, when RJ Harvey's in the game, they don't like respect his ability to run in between. the tackles, right? If it's inside runs, they believe that they're going to get a stop, they're going to get yards, you know, tackle for a loss behind the line of scrimmage. And then they believe that ideally for Harvey when he's in that, hey, it's an outside run with him because he's an out, like he's the outside zone guy that the Broncos feel like he's got the speed to get up the sideline. However, it has not worked out well for Denver consistently enough this year. Now, you see RJ sometimes struggle inside where he gets stopped and the defenses
Starting point is 00:26:02 plug the A gap and they fill their linebackers. They, you know, or they slant inside and take away those inside run lanes. And it's just big on big at that point. And linebackers are coming in because there's contact. There's no holes for him to hit and actually get north-south with. That's an execution thing here. And JK, I think, was better at being patient behind that. But once again, RJ is a rookie who's had to accelerate his learning process and how much
Starting point is 00:26:28 he can actually handle because of that injury, because Denver has had to rely on that. They drafted him with Premier Capital. RJ is going to be just fine, folks. And it's crazy, though. But then he makes a play where he can catch it out in the flat, make three or four defenders miss and then suddenly get 12 to 15 yards there. His contact balance is insane.
Starting point is 00:26:47 His ability to run through contact is very valuable. But the Broncos have to diversify their run looks here. I think for RJ to really get in rhythm and get going. And I have a feeling they will try that here, regardless if JK plays or not. But you need JLill and you need J.K. I mean, not JK, you need JL and RJ to certainly have more than 10 carries combined between the two. So we will monitor the J.K. Dobbin situation all throughout the week here at practice.
Starting point is 00:27:14 Pat Bryant, I believe we'll be ready to go next Sunday against the New England Patriots. We'll have to see. He put out some social media posts right after the game saying that he'll be back spinning, that he's good to go. But that's out of the Broncos hand. He has to clear some of the things. obviously in the NFL's concussion protocol that is set by an independent neurologist. So our hope is that Pat will be okay.
Starting point is 00:27:36 We'll be ready to rock and roll on Sunday. Troy Franklin's going to be a little more tricky because he suffered that hamstring injury on Frank Crum's touchdown catch and he immediately went to the locker room. He did not return. We didn't see him after the game in the locker room and you know how hamstrings, how tricky they are. I would not put out as the expectation that Troy Franklin is going to be ready to go this week. We'll just have to monitor that.
Starting point is 00:27:58 Wednesday we'll give us a little bit of. than idea. But what does that mean for the Broncos wide receiver depth here? Don't be surprised if Marvin Mims pops up on the injury report this week with a back injury because on his touchdown catch, he ran back first essentially into a camera lens. And obviously that isn't an inanimate object. It's foreign. When you hit a camera lens, that's pretty big. That's going to hurt, especially at the speed in which Marvin was moving. So I wouldn't be surprised he pops up with back soreness there. but I think he'll be ready to rock and roll next week against New England, obviously. So what does this mean about Denver's wide receiver room and maybe positions that,
Starting point is 00:28:35 you know, or roster moves that they can certainly make here. Elijah Moore, I think that maybe this would be the expectation he was activated this week, but was inactive. I think that was to reward him for what he's been able to do on the scout team here for Denver. He might get his first actual activity as a Denver Bronco in Sunday's game against the Patriots and got some familiarity against New England because he was a member of the Buffalo builds early on this season. So that is something to factor into the equation there.
Starting point is 00:29:02 But with Denver's depth, it would not shock me, especially if you're a little eerie about the status of Pat Bryan or Troy Franklin, which I don't think Troy's going to play, as I've mentioned. But with all things considered, you need insurance at this position. So Elijah Moore could be active. A.T. Perry has been on the practice squad all year and continues to develop from what I'm told from someone inside the Broncos building. they like where A.T. Perry is at. He's one of those developmental guys as Sean Payton is highlighted as someone who can help us down the road. That trajectory might have to be sped up if injuries continue to persist at wide receiver. And then Denver also has Michael Bandy, who Jared Stidham has a lot of familiarity with going back through training camp, considering the connection that connection that connection that connection that connection that connection that connection that is going to thrive in the various periods working together in the preseason. But once again, if Pat Bryant can play, I think that Jared Stidham to that Pat Bryant connection, I think that is going to thrive because we're
Starting point is 00:29:53 We saw it thrive in the preseason. I saw it thrive personally at training camp. And then maybe things open up here for this Broncos offense, even for a guy like Evan Ingram as well, who had that 58-yard catch and run in the preseason off of Stidham, off the play action there. So maybe we'll see that. But maybe we'll even monitor as well whether or not Denver brings in a wide receiver here.
Starting point is 00:30:13 And we'll see what other roster moves they have along the way here. But with that said, Broncos country, that will wrap up today's episode of the show. Just a reminder, make sure if you haven't done so already, we encourage you. give the Everydayer All Access Tier a try here today as part of the Everydayer Club where you get exclusive content. All 22 film breakdowns. You got PJ Locks Interception up.
Starting point is 00:30:32 You've got Jayquam Macmillan's interception up in terms of an all 22 breakdown. This week you're going to get the Bow Nix Legacy Drive broken down on all 22 plus an in-depth look at Jared Stidham and how he operated this offense. All on the Everyday Air Club, all access tier. You get that. So check it out. And then tomorrow, Sarah and I, we're going to jump in. We're going to talk about some of the key. storylines heading into Sundays, AFC championship game between Denver and the New England
Starting point is 00:30:57 Patriots, and we'll give you a little bit of an early preview. You get all that on tomorrow's episode of the show, Broncos country. We'll see you then.

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