Jarrett Stidham vs. Nick Foles: How Broncos backup QB situation compares to 2017 Eagles Super Bowl run

Daniel Mader

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Jarrett Stidham vs. Nick Foles: How Broncos backup QB situation compares to 2017 Eagles Super Bowl run image

When a star quarterback goes down, oftentimes, virtually all hope is lost for a team's title chances.

High-end quarterbacks are typically what determines a team's potential to make a Super Bowl run, with the position being so critical to success that it's near-impossible to hoist a Lombardi Trophy without elite play from a passer. But that isn't to say a team has never overcome a quarterback injury to finish as the NFL's champions.

The 2025-26 Denver Broncos were put in a fascinating position in the aftermath of their divisional round win over the Buffalo Bills, as the AFC No. 1's seed was happily onto the AFC Championship Game, but rising star quarterback Bo Nix sustained a season-ending injury. Head coach Sean Payton wasted no time announcing that it would be Jarrett Stidham under-center moving forward as the Broncos pursued two more wins for a Super Bowl.

Eight years prior, the NFL provided a modern template for the Broncos to follow. When their MVP candidate quarterback, Carson Wentz, had a season-ending injury toward the end of the regular season, the 2017-18 Philadelphia Eagles turned to backup Nick Foles, then secured a Lombardi Trophy by taking down a dynastic opponent in the Super Bowl.

Can Stidham's 2026 situation be compared to Foles' in 2018? Here's a breakdown of the similarities and differences between the challenge for this year's Broncos squad vs. The Eagles' first-ever Super Bowl team.

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Jarrett Stidham vs. Nick Foles

Similarities

The most glaring similarity between Stidham in 2026 and Foles in 2017 is the most obvious one: they were both backup quarterbacks forced into a Super Bowl contender's starting role after QB1 went down with an injury. 

Stidham is replacing Nix, while Foles replaced Wentz. And for the most part, there are some other reasons to connect the roster construction of this year's Denver team and the 2017 Eagles; both teams lost just three regular-season games, won their division, faced the Patriots in the playoffs and were built around imposing, run-stopping defenses.

Philadelphia ranked fourth in the NFL with 306.5 yards allowed per game and first with 79.2 rushing yards allowed per game in the 2017 regular season. In 2025, Denver ranked second in the league with 278.2 yards allowed per game and with its 91.1 rushing yards allowed per game. The Broncos' pass rush is more dynamic than the Eagles' was, also leading the NFL with 68 sacks in the regular season.

Neither team had an especially elite group of offensive weapons, either. The 2017 Eagles didn't have any 1,000-yard receivers or rushers. Tight end Zach Ertz's 824 receiving yards led in the regular season, with Alshon Jeffrey (789) and Nelson Agholor (768) not far behind, while LaGarrette Blount's 766 rushing yards paced the team. As for Denver in 2025, Courtland Sutton barely snuck over the 1,000-yard receiving mark (1,017), with Troy Franklin (709) and Evan Engram (409) following him. The Broncos also didn't have a 1,000-yard rusher, with J.K. Dobbins putting up 772 yards before a long-term injury.

All of that is to say: the 2017 Eagles and 2025 Broncos were both defense-first squads that offensively, prioritized moving the ball around to a variety of names. For Philadelphia, that made it a bit easier to sub in a new quarterback, especially one already owning a gun-slinger reputation and able to distribute the football to Ertz, Jeffrey and more. Now, the Broncos are hoping Stidham is well-versed in their system enough to make a seamless transition in the postseason.

Differences

Foles' miraculous 2018 playoff run was one of the first things that came to NFL fans' minds when Nix's season-ending injury was announced. In fact, the former Eagles quarterback himself even shared a message to Broncos fans ahead of the AFC Championship Game, telling them that the Patriots "struggle against backup QBs in championship-type games."

However, despite the potential for Stidham to become a new-age Foles, there are some massive differences in the quarterbacks' background coming into their newfound starting role, and the timing of the original starter's injury.

For one, Foles could already be considered one of the most proven backups in the NFL by 2017. He had begun his career with the Eagles, becoming the team's starter in 2012 and holding onto that role through 2014 before stints in St. Louis as a starter and Kansas City as a backup. In fact, long before he became the Super Bowl hero in 2017, Foles already held one of Philadelphia's greatest quarterback seasons ever, with 2,891 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and two interceptions in 2013, including a game against the Raiders in which he tied an NFL record with seven touchdown passes.

When Foles decided to return to Philadelphia in the 2017 offseason as a backup to Wentz, he was well-known by Eagles fans, familiar with the franchise and had a proven history as a starter, if needed. None of that can be said of Stidham in 2026 — the Broncos quarterback is being thrust into the playoff fire with just four career starts, two of which were with Denver, and not a single pass thrown in the two seasons prior to filling in for Nix.

2026 Stidham is way more of a question mark than 2017 Foles. It's surely still possible he can lead Denver on a title run, but he would be doing so as much more of an obscure backup than Foles was. 

The other main difference in the situations is the timing of the backup stepping in. Foles had plenty of time to prepare for the postseason with the 2017 Eagles — Wentz's injury came in Week 14 against the Rams, and Foles came into that game and helped Philadelphia win 42-35. Foles then proceeded to start for the next three games, recording 101 pass attempts for 537 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions in the regular season as a whole.

When the Eagles came into the playoffs, starting their run in the divisional round, they knew Foles was their quarterback, and he had plenty of time to get adjusted in the offense, iron out chemistry with his receivers, etc. That helped result in his outstanding playoff run, including the Super Bowl MVP.

Stidham's scenario is drastically different. Nix's injury didn't come until after the Broncos' first playoff win, meaning not only did Stidham not get a single real rep in the regular season, but he also didn't even come in-relief of Nix in Denver's 33-30 overtime win over Buffalo. The first meaningful snaps of Stidham's run will be coming in the Broncos' most important game yet, the AFC Championship against the Patriots. 

Foles had weeks to prepare for his Super Bowl run. Stidham hasn't even thrown one pass this season before making a playoff start. With that context, it's easy to argue that Stidham's situation is far more challenging than Foles' was; the Broncos' QB2 is tasked with adjusting to life as the starting quarterback in the span of a week before playing in the AFC Championship Game, and potentially the Super Bowl.

Regardless, a backup quarterback finding success in the playoffs is rare for a reason — it's difficult to win with a QB2. But Foles proved it can happen. Now, we'll see if Stidham can join the exclusive list of backup quarterbacks to win a Lombardi Trophy.

MORE: Patriots vs. Broncos picks, predictions for AFC title game

What happened to Bo Nix?

Stidham became the Broncos' new QB1 in the aftermath of the 2026 AFC divisional round, where Denver faced Josh Allen and the Bills at home. In the overtime win, Nix suffered a season-ending fracture in his ankle.

Nix hadn't missed a single snap in Denver's win, so the news was even more shocking when Sean Payton shared it postgame. Payton said the injury happened on second-to-last play of the game, referring to a play where Nix was tackled at the ankles by Cole Bishop.

MORE BO NIX NEWS:

What happened to Carson Wentz with Eagles in 2017?

Foles replaced Carson Wentz as the quarterback of the 2017 Eagles in Week 14, when Wentz, then one of the NFL's leading MVP candidates, suffered a torn ACL against the Los Angeles Rams.

Wentz had 291 passing yards, four touchdowns and an interception in the eventual Eagles win, but on a dive into the end zone in the third quarter, he took a shot to his legs. The quarterback proceeded to stay in the game for a 4th & Goal play, throwing a touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffrey despite his torn ACL, barely moving on the play.

Wentz would be ruled out for the season, finishing with 3,296 passing yards, 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions over 13 games, as Foles stepped in and eventually led the Eagles to a Super Bowl win over the Patriots.

MORE: Full Carson Wentz teams timeline, from Eagles to Vikings

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