The Denver Broncos quest to get back to Santa Clara has been filled with adversity and overcoming, and after Sunday’s epic playoff win against the Buffalo Bills, they’ll have to get through another round of adversity.

After Bo Nix suffered a season-ending injury in Saturday’s win, Denver must entrust the offense to Jarrett Stidham.

Jarrett Stidham is capable of leading the Denver Broncos to the Super Bowl

There is a reason Jarrett Stidham ultimately decided to return to the Denver Broncos after his initial contract expired, and that’s because of the foundation Sean Payton has put in place.

It’s the QB braintrust of Payton, Davis Webb, Stidham, and Bo Nix. Sam Ehlinger is the new addition to the room, and even he turned down opportunities to land on other teams’ 53-man rosters because of what Denver is building under Payton.

With Nix sidelined for the remainder of the playoffs, Stidham now steps into the starting job, and Ehlinger will be the backup behind him. The biggest benefit to Stidham stepping into this role at this juncture is his experience in Payton’s system and his expansive knowledge of offense and the chemistry he has with every skillplayer on the team.

“He knows… In fairness to what you’ve seen, which is very limited, he’s ready,” Payton said. “He’s ready. I’ve said this at the beginning of the season, I feel like I have a [No.] 2 [quarterback] that’s capable of starting for a handful of, a number of teams. I know he feels the same way. So watch out. Just watch. He’s experienced, he’s played in games. They’re different-type players to some degree, and yet they’re both… They’re very close friends, as with [QB] Sam [Ehlinger]. It’s a tight room. Sam will be our [No.] 2, and here we go.”

With how Payton structures his practices, every quarterback gets the chance to throw to every receiver, work on mesh points with the rushers, and understand the cadences with the offensive line, whether that comes in individual drills or scout team looks. Payton has built an offensive system that should allow Stidham, with his own personal skill set, to step into the role and operate things at a high level — confidence that’s been demonstrated behind the scenes in practice.

“In our three years watching him day in and day out that you guys don’t get access to,” Payton said. “He will be ready to go and ready for the moment.”

In the preseason, Stidham was on fire. He completed 30-of-38 passes for 376 yards and four touchdowns, showcasing complete command. Granted, it was in the preseason, but it’s not who he went against — it’s the command of the scheme that stands out.

“One of Stiddy’s great strengths is his mental aptitude, his progressions, and understanding plays,” Payton said Sunday. “There’ll be practices where like I’m looking at Vance, getting pissed off because Stiddy’s making our defense look bad. He’s very accurate, he’s got a lot to his ball.”

While the underdog Broncos face another situation where pundits have already written them off after the Bo injury, they’re in the perfect spot to thrive with a home AFC Championship game coming up next Sunday at 1:00 p.m. MT.