ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Even without Bo Nix, the Denver Broncos are radiating plenty of swagger heading into the frigid AFC championship game against the New England Patriots behind backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham.
“No, I don’t think the vibe’s any different,” right tackle Mike McGlinchey said after Friday's workout, part of which was outdoors in 20-degree temperatures and icy wind. “Obviously, it was a tough situation. You don't want to see a guy that's your leader and the life of your team go down, especially in such a big moment.
“But Stiddy's done an unbelievable job this week stepping in and commanding the huddle, commanding the team. He's ready for it and the rest of the team is, too.”
Stidham exudes a quiet confidence that long ago secured him the nickname “Steady Stiddy” and belies the fact that he'll throw his first pass in a game in more than two years Sunday.
That tranquility has apparently rebuffed any possible angst over the loss of Nix, who underwent surgery on his broken right ankle this week in Alabama. Nix showed support for his backup, posting on Instagram, “I couldn't be more confident in Jarrett. And I couldn't be more excited for what's next.”
Which, he trusts, is a trip to the Super Bowl.
Coach Sean Payton set the tone for the week shortly after his stunning announcement of Nix's injury after Denver's 33-30 overtime win against Buffalo last weekend. Of Stidham, Payton said, “He's ready. I said this at the beginning of the season: I feel like we have a (backup quarterback) who is capable of starting for a number of teams. I know who feels the same way. Watch out. Just watch.”
Even before this opportunity, Stidham has long been the one setting the tone and the tunes in the Broncos' locker room, and he's never been shy about ribbing Denver's defenders after burning them on the scout team.
“Jarrett's got a little swag to him,” wide receiver Lil'Jordan Humphrey said. “He's a little swaggier than you'd probably expect him to be.”
There's no telling what sort of drop-off, if any, there will be Sunday with Stidham leading the Broncos (15-3) in place of Nix, who engineered winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime of six games this season.
His coaches and teammates haven't shown a hint of doubt that Stidham can lead them past the Patriots (16-3) at Empower Field at Mile High, where it's forecast to be 23 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-5 Celsius) and windy at kickoff.
One teammate he won't have alongside him, however, is running back J.K. Dobbins, who returned to practice this week after having foot surgery in November. He was ruled out Friday along with Nix, who's recovering from surgery but won't go on injured reserve until the weekend.
All-Pro defensive lineman Zach Allen said Stidham has always been first to arrive at team headquarters and prepared as if he were the starter: “So, we’re really excited to see what he does. And obviously he goes against the defense in practice all the time.”
And holds his own, too.
“He's really, really smart,” Allen said. “He’s like a second quarterback coach out there and on top of it he can make every single throw.”
Edge rusher Nik Bonitto said Stidham isn't shy to trash-talk defenders.
“He’s actually funny because he’ll be in there, you know, he’ll be throwing dots, like throwing no-look passes in practice, and then he’ll let us know about it too, man, talking trash to whoever,” Bonitto said.
“So he has ultimate, you know, confidence in himself, and you got to have that playing that position, and that’s why I’m really excited for him to go out. You know, he’s earned this opportunity to go out and show off his talents, and I can’t wait to see him.”
Payton said he's not fretting over Stidham as his starter.
“I say this respectfully and I told the team, 'I’m not worried about Stiddy in this game. I'm worried about everyone else, all right, and how we play,'” Payton said. “And that really is the truth.”
The Broncos were a loose bunch all week as they embraced being the largest home underdog (five points) in conference championship history.
Cornerback Riley Moss was asked if he thought Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and second-year quarterback Drake Maye would target him like many teams do to avoid Pat Surtain II on the other side.
“Yeah, no doubt,” Riley replied. “And you know the entire world knows that, I know that, you guys know that. It's going to be exciting. I'm excited for it. It's going to be a good challenge. It's going to be sweet, and yeah, I look forward to it.”
Over the last two months, Moss has largely avoided the pass-inference calls that dogged him early in the season.
“He responded well, man. He’s battle-tested,” Surtain said. “His confidence level never wavers. People always say he’s getting targeted but I say try him at your own risk because he’s going to eventually come back to bite you. He’s going to make a play.”
NOTES: Rookie WR Pat Bryant, who sustained a concussion against Buffalo, was a full participant in practice Thursday and Friday and is ready to go. “He was asymptomatic the very next day,” Payton said. WR Troy Franklin (hamstring) is questionable.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Denver Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham warms up before an NFL divisional round playoff football game against the Buffalo Bills, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
MILAN (AP) — At the Milan Cortina Olympic Games, winning medals isn’t the only thing making hearts swell. From the ice rinks to the snowy hills, love is in the frozen air.
Some competitions already seem to have Cupid in attendance.
Dutch skater Jutta Leerdam set an Olympic record in the 1000-meter race, then turned to find her fiancé Jake Paul in the stands; both visibly weeping, they made heart signs to one another with their hands. And downhill skiing champion Breezy Johnson ’s longtime boyfriend proposed to her near the finish line Thursday while surrounded by members of the U.S. Ski Team.
Valentine's Day for athletes and attendees at the Games doesn't usually mean grand gestures, but it's no less special.
Valentine’s Day is the finals for the women’s skeleton event. That means that Kim Meylemans of Belgium and Nicole Rocha Silveira of Brazil — an international couple who play for their separate national teams — will be too busy for a romantic dinner. They told The Associated Press they didn’t even bring gifts to exchange.
But since they are together all the time, “It’s always a bit of a Valentine's Day," Meylemans said. “It is part of our sport every day, our love.”
The two feel fortunate their national Olympic committees arranged for them to bunk together at Cortina's Olympic village, since typically only teammates share housing. Half their room is decorated for Belgium, the other half Brazil.
Rocha Silveira was new to the sport in 2019 when Meylemans was already competing in World Cup races. They fell in love during the pandemic while sharing short-term rentals, since many hotels closed.
Fast forward to 2024, and they unknowingly bought identical engagement rings and planned proposals for the same boat trip in Brazil while on vacation. They married last August.
When they compete, they high-five and kiss before each run, wishing the other well.
“It doesn’t matter which one is on the podium. At the end of the day, it’s a victory for our team," Meylemans said.
Rocha Silveira said it’s important their relationship appears during these Games in Italy, where same-sex marriages aren't recognized and only married heterosexual couples are allowed to jointly adopt.
It’s a great place to “show it even more,” and “encourage and inspire people that they can be themselves,” she said.
Lori and Curtis Brown have been married for over 30 years and will be spend Valentine's Day at the skating arena where they are volunteering for this year’s Winter Olympics.
About 18,000 volunteers are spread across the venues in northern Italy — a sea of navy blue uniforms keeping the Olympics running around the clock, with duties such as giving directions, accompanying athletes to venues, crowd control and medical support.
Curtis, 60, said neither of them had realized they were scheduled to work. Now, they're hoping they can coincide their breaks to have dinner together, perhaps surrounded by the rest of the volunteers, he joked.
“This is the most special Valentine’s Day of our lives,” Curtis said. “Because we’re both here, we’re both on the same page, we’re both enjoying this adventure together.”
While presents are neither’s love language, Lori, 61, told the AP she bought boxer briefs from the official Milan Cortina souvenir store. Curtis hadn’t bought anything for her.
“It’s not so much about gift giving, just going out and doing something together,” said Lori, 61. She spoke while sitting beside Curtis, so perhaps she’ll be surprised on Saturday.
Canadian hockey forward Laura Stacey and her wife, team captain Marie-Philip Poulin, have a different kind of date: playing Germany's team in the quarterfinals in Milan.
“We have a game, we have a big game, so spending it together. We’re pretty lucky,” Stacey said. “Most people don’t get to do what they love, chasing their dreams together, and we do. So I think on February 14th, I think it’s important for us to just appreciate that and not take it for granted."
Aside from taking on Germany, they don't have plans — but Stacey said they will surely at least give each other cards.
Many other couples are at the Olympics, some teammates and others competing against each other.
— U.S. alpine skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin — that sport’s all-time wins leader — is engaged to Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, who returned to racing this season after dealing with major injuries.
— Latvia’s luge team includes the husband-and-wife pair of Martins Bots and Elina Bota, both single sliders.
— Italy’s luge team Dominik Fischnaller and the U.S.'s Emily Sweeney married last year after dating for almost 15 years.
— U.S. bobsledding has a power couple with reigning women’s monobloc world champion Kaysha Love engaged to men’s push athlete Hunter Powell. She’s in the Olympics for the second time, while he's making his debut.
— American figure skaters Madison Chock and Evan Bates were married in 2024 and won a silver medal on Wednesday.
—Curling may have the most well-known couples of any sport. Norway’s Magnus Nedregotten and Kristin Skaslien have been together since 2008 and won bronze in Pyeongchang. Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant of Canada married in 2022 and were favorites this year. There are Switzerland’s Yannick Schwaller and Briar Schwalller-Huerlimann, too; they brought their baby and photos of him carrying a curling broom twice his size went viral.
He looked like a curling Cupid.
Associated Press writers Jennifer McDermott in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy and John Wawrow in Milan contributed to this report.
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Belgium's Kim Meylemans, right, and Brazil's Nicole Rocha Silveira, left, embrace at the finish during a women's skeleton run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Belgium's Kim Meylemans, left, and Brazil's Nicole Rocha Silveira react, at the finish during a women's skeleton run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Brasil's Nicole Rocha Silveira arrives at the finish during a women's skeleton training session at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Belgium's Kim Meylemans starts for a women's skeleton run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
Belgium's Kim Meylemans, left, and Brazil's Nicole Rocha Silveira react, at the finish during a women's skeleton run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
