When Gus Malzahn got the news Saturday night that Jarrett Stidham will replace an injured Bo Nix at quarterback for the Broncos in the playoffs, his mind flashed back to 2017.

Malzahn that season was Auburn’s head coach and Stidham led the Tigers to two wins in a three-week span over No. 1 Georgia and No. 1 Alabama. Malzahn later coached Nix at Auburn from 2019-20.

“The moment is not going to be too big for (Stidham),’’ Malzahn, now offensive coordinator at Florida State, told The Denver Gazette on Sunday. “You’re talking about a guy who beat back-to-back No. 1s in college. I don’t know how many people have done that. I think he’s played his best when there’s a lot of pressure on him.”

Stidham was thrust into the spotlight after Nix suffered a broken right ankle late in overtime in Denver’s 33-30 win over Buffalo on Saturday in an AFC divisional playoff game at Empower Field at Mile High. The win advanced the Broncos, the No. 1 seed, into next Sunday’s AFC Championship Game at home against No. 2 New England, which defeated No. 5 Houston 28-16 on Sunday.

Stidham will start against the Patriots, for whom he played from 2019-21. The seven-year NFL veteran has been with the Broncos for three seasons but hasn’t thrown a pass since he started the final two games of the regular season in 2023 after Russell Wilson was benched. He’s had four career regular-season starts.

“It’s our three years here (that the Broncos have evaluated Stidham),’’ Broncos coach Sean Payton said Sunday. “He will be ready to go and ready for the moment. … (Stidham’s) great strengths is his mental aptitude and his progressions in understanding plays. … He’s very accurate. He has a lot to his ball.”

There are a number of backup quarterbacks who have led teams to Super Bowl wins, most recently Nick Foles leading Philadelphia to a 41-33 win over New England in Super Bowl LII in the 2017 season. Payton on Sunday brought up Foles as well as Jeff Hostetler, who led the New York Giants to a 20-19 win over the Bills in Super Bowl XXV in the 1990 season.

“Historically speaking, all bets weren’t off with Hostetler (and) they weren’t off in Philly (with Foles),’’ Payton said about moving forward with Stidham.

Hostetler took over for an injured Phil Simms and started the final two regular-season games and then all three of the Giants’ playoff games. Foles took over for an injured Carson Wentz and started the final three regular-season games and all three Eagles playoff games.

Stidham, meanwhile, will be thrust into action after he played in just three games in 2024 and just one in 2025, all in a mop-up role without throwing a pass. He will become just the second quarterback to start a conference championship game without a previous start during the season, following Roger Staubach getting the call in the 1972 NFC title game for Dallas. But Staubach was a star who had led the Cowboys to a Super Bowl win the year before until he was injured in 1972.

“To me, it’s an unprecedented situation,’’ former star quarterback and longtime NFL analyst Joe Theismann, who led Washington to a Super Bowl win in the 1982 season, told The Denver Gazette. “(Stidham) hasn’t started a football game in two years. He’s started a total of four games, and you’re going to be in the AFC Championship Game. It’s challenging for the Broncos.”

Theismann made note of what a “tough guy” Nix is by remaining in the game after he hurt his ankle. The second-year man was injured on a play that began with 6:04 left in overtime when he was tackled by Cole Bishop for a 2-yard loss on a designed running play that left the ball at the Buffalo 38.

Nix remained in the game for two more plays. The first was a pass to Marvin Mims Jr. in which Tre-Davious White was called for pass interference, moving the ball to the Bills’ 8. He then had a kneeldown before Wil Lutz kicked the winning 23-yard field goal with 4:44 left in overtime.

“He comes over (and) I kind of chest bump him, jab him (with excitement), and he’s like, ‘Careful,’’’ Payton said Sunday about how he first learned that Nix was hurt when he came off the field before Lutz’s winning kick. “I’m like, ‘You all right?’ He said, ‘Yes, but it’s hurting.’ I said, ‘What do you got?’ He said, ‘My ankle.’ I said, ‘All right, you’ll be fine,’ and I jabbed him in the chest again. I said, ‘Just enjoy this field goal.’’’

After the win, Payton held a press conference. He then went back to his office.

“(Vice president of player health and Performance) Beau (Lowery), our medical trainer, (general manager) George (Paton), there was a group in my office and I knew,’’ Payton said. “They didn’t say anything, but I knew there was something. … They (then) said, ‘Look, there’s a fracture.’ (They) showed me the X-ray.”

Payton then sought out Nix.

“Immediately, I walked down the hall,” Payton said. “Bo was kind of sitting outside the locker room, leaning up against the wall. His wife, his parents, family there, I think (Stidham), a few others (were there). I just asked him how he was doing, ‘Are you hanging in there?’ … This is a strong-minded individual. Obviously it was disappointing right at that moment to get to this point.”

Payton then held a second press conference to announce the news. He reiterated that he wasn’t going to meet again with players until Monday morning, and he didn’t want them to perhaps hear the news from a media report before he had anything to say about Nix’s injury.

“At least then the players are going to hear that from me on the podium,’’ Payton said.

There was plenty of euphoria after the Broncos locked up their first trip to the AFC Championship Game in 10 years. Among notable former players on hand who celebrated after the win were Peyton Manning, Terrell Davis, Shannon Sharpe, DeMarcus Ware, Rod Smith, Mark Schlereth and Aqib Talib.

Smith, a star Denver receiver from 1995-2006, heard about Nix’s injury in a group chat while in a car sitting in a traffic jam leaving the stadium. He didn’t deny that it took something away from Denver’s dramatic win.

“Honestly, there’s no replacing Bo Nix this year, with the way he has played in the clutch,’’ Smith said. “But you got to build around what’s best for Jarrett and (call) the best plays for him, not the best plays for Bo.”

Smith saw enough from Stidham in the final two games of 2023 and in preseason games to have confidence that, coupled with Denver’s elite defense and with players stepping up, he could lead them to a Super Bowl win. Stidham went 1-1 to close 2023, completing 60.6% of his passes while throwing for 496 yards with two touchdowns with one interception.

“It’s good to have a backup quarterback who has been there for three years,’’ Smith said. “His job is to be there in case of an emergency and we have an emergency. But I think we can come out of this thing looking amazing.”

Stidham had an impressive 2025 preseason for the Broncos although he faced reserves in the two games he played. In games at San Francisco and at home to Arizona, he completed 30 of 38 passes (78.9%) for 376 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions.

Payton said he long has liked Stidham, a fourth-round pick by the Patriots in 2019. He said he was a “target for us in the draft” when Payton was then coaching the New Orleans Saints.

“(Stidham) doesn’t move as well as Bo, but he can make plays with his legs,’’ Theismann said. “The Broncos are going to do everything they can to support (Stidham). The first 3 to 5 minutes of the (AFC Championship Game) will be critical. I wouldn’t be surprised if Sean starts him out with a pass right away to let him dip his toe in the water. … I think this game is going to be won or lost by the play of Denver’s offensive line (in protecting Stidham).”

Malzahn, after watching Saturday’s game on television, will keep a close eye on the AFC Championship Game. He has maintained a close relationship with both Nix and Stidham since he coached them at Auburn. He has sent Nix a text wishing him the best and plans to soon reach out to Stidham.

“It was so unfortunate for Bo because what a great season he’s had,’’ said Malzahn, who coached Nix in his first two years at Auburn before he played one more season for the Eagles and two at Oregon before joining the Broncos in 2024. “I’m just so disappointed for him.”

Malzahn, though, said Nix and Stidham are “really close” and that could pay dividends as Stidham moves in as his understudy. Malzahn was Stidham’s coach at Auburn throughout his 2017-18 tenure.

“(Stidham’s) a veteran guy,’’ Malzahn said. “He’s been in the NFL for seven years, and so he understands the pro game and he’s been in the system for two years with Bo, so I know that’s got to help him. And this is a guy (who) is used to pressure. There’s a lot of pressure on an Auburn quarterback going into the Iron Bowl.”

Stidham lived up to that pressure in 2017. He threw for 214 yards and three touchdowns when Auburn stunned No. 1 Georgia 40-17 that season. Two weeks later, he threw for 237 yards and ran for 51 in a 26-14 win over No. 1 Alabama in the Iron Bowl.