When the Denver Broncos take on the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, there will be a familiar face on the opposite sideline. Josh McDaniels, once the head coach of the Broncos, is currently serving as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator.
What if the biggest reason the Broncos come up short of heading to the Super Bowl this year was McDaniels?
Broncos Country would be in shambles. McDaniels was chosen as the man to replace Mike Shanahan in 2009. However, after less than two full seasons on the job, he was fired following a disappointing tenure that was marred by a videotaping scandal that brought the Broncos some very bad publicity.
Though McDaniels has failed as a head coach, he is one of the better offensive coordinators of his era. But where he can specifically hurt the Broncos in this game is his knowledge of the team’s starting quarterback, Jarrett Stidham.
Under most circumstances, teams having to turn to their backup quarterback on short notice can become an advantage, especially when a savvy coach such as Sean Payton is calling the shots. Payton will know what no one in the league has seen Stidham do and he can add wrinkles that no other team would be prepared for.
But if there is one man in the league who might know Stidham better than Payton, it’s McDaniels.
The Broncos could turn this into an advantage against 30 other teams, but against the Patriots, the team that drafted Stidham, that might not be the case.
As a fourth-round pick of the Patriots in 2019, Stidham spent three seasons working with McDaniels. When McDaniels was hired as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022, the team traded for Stidham. This reunited McDaniels with a player with whom he was quite comfortable.
Stidham has discussed how he feels he is a starting quarterback in this league. If he’s capable of being that, McDaniels would agree. He would also know exactly what his strengths and weaknesses are.
Josh McDaniels could play key role in Patriots defeating Broncos
McDaniels will be responsible for having the Patriots’ offense firing on all cylinders in this game, but how much of a role could he potentially play in helping the defense prepare for this game?
Knowing Stidham as well as he does, you can bet that McDaniels has given Mike Vrabel and Patriots acting defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr plenty of tips on how to call this game from a defensive standpoint, setting up potential pitfalls for Stidham and the Broncos.
READ: AFC Championship Game Expert Picks, Predictions: Broncos vs. Patriots
Payton is one of the better coaches the NFL has ever seen, but this adds an additional layer to what was already a big challenge in front of him. It will be the ultimate chess match on Sunday.
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