Even after Jarrett Stidham led the Broncos to a 16-9 win over the Chargers on Sunday afternoon, the question about whether the fourth-year quarterback could provide the offensive spark that head coach Sean Payton has been searching for remained unanswered.
Still, Payton stands firm in his decision to make Stidham the starter.
Payton said on Monday that the team will stick with Stidham, who threw for 224 yards and a touchdown, as the starter. Russell Wilson will be the No. 2 option for Sunday’s matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.
“First off, letap do this without any assumptions. The depth at that position going into the game coming up will be the same with Jarrett as the starter and Russ as the No. 2,” Payton said. “… I thought Jarrett did a good job with his decisions, the ball security and all those things you want to see from that position.”
When Payton decided to bench Wilson last week, he did it to shake up an offense that had been struggling.
“That was a long stretch of 15 weeks where we’d seen a very similar pattern,” Payton said. “I think that’ll change. I made the decision with the hope that it (would) help bring change. There’s no guarantee that it does, but in the meantime, itap something that I felt was necessary.”
Sure, Payton admired Stidham’s poise and decision-making. But overall, the offense looked very similar to what the Broncos have showcased throughout the season. Denver had issues pre-snap, burning a timeout on its third play of the game, while offensive linemen Garett Bolles and Quinn Meinerz were flagged for a false start on back-to-back plays in the fourth quarter.
The Broncos averaged 3.1 rushing yards per carry. They didn’t score a touchdown on two red zone attempts. Wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey’s 54-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter was the only time the Broncos reached the end zone, as they settled for three field goals on four attempts.
Denver, however, was more aggressive in the passing game in the first two quarters, with Stidham totaling 165 passing yards before halftime. But that production didn’t continue in the second half, where he threw for 59 yards while the Broncos scored only three points against one of the league’s worst passing defenses.
“There were some things I was really encouraged about yesterday,” Payton said. “If we’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, but we were safe with the football. Certainly, we look forward to this next game.”
Denver’s victory over Los Angeles proved that it will be a process to decide whether Stidham has the juice to ignite the Broncos’ offense to fit Payton’s vision. For Stidham, the Broncos’ matchup against the Raiders — his former team — serves as an opportunity to create value for himself moving forward.
“We are constantly evaluating how they play, and then it would definitely carry over to how we feel about next year, relative to their role,” Payton said. “I think these are important snaps and games for him.”
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