Stiddy will be ready. Will the Broncos defense? The Drake Maye we saw during the regular season would absolutely beat Denver. The Drake Maybe we have seen during the postseason creates serious doubts outside of the greater New England area. Once Jarrett Stidham moved into the starting lineup for an injured Bo Nix, the Broncos lost respect. New England fans, buoyed by six Super Bowl titles, see Denver as a speed bump, a layover from Boston en route to Santa Clara. They are laughing at the Broncos because they know Stidham. They had him. In 2020, he was on the verge of becoming only the second NFL player to be selected after the 100th pick in the draft and start the opener in his second season without starting as a rookie. That ESPN stat is a mouthful, but it spoke to his potential. Then Bill Belichick showed how much he thought of Stidham by signing an injured Cam Newton. Patriots fans cannot reconcile Stidham beating their team. Because he won’t. Not by himself. His task is to outplay Maye by having fewer sacks and turnovers. If the Broncos pull off the upset, it will be because Nik turns into Von, because the defense that slumped against the Bills turns back the clock and makes Maye as miserable as Tom Brady was a decade ago. “I have never coached a game where we hit the quarterback more than that day,” said former Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips of the last AFC Championship Game in Denver. “We had two Hall of Famers in Demarcus (Ware) and Von (Miller). And when we got them one-on-ones, it was a problem.” By now, you all know the Broncos blueprint: Stidham plays steady, rips it early, and protects the football. Executing the game plan, however, requires Nik Bonitto leaving footprints on Maye’s chest. Patriots’ fans view Sunday as an annoying calisthenic, if not a joke. What is not funny is the Patriots’ record here, and how it could apply to Maye. The Patriots have won 39 playoff games, and exactly zero in Denver in four tries. Brady lost three, one to Jake Plummer and a pair to Peyton Manning. Related Articles Renck File: Broncos’ Sean Payton had guts to hire Davis Webb, and wisely trusts him with Jarrett Stidham Renck: Disastrous Bills presser offers reminder that Broncos struck gold with Walton-Penners Renck: Broncos’ Jarrett Stidham can follow in Jeff Hostetler’s footsteps to Super Bowl Who must play better for Broncos to upset Patriots: Jarrett Stidham or Nik Bonitto? Renck: Patriots’ unconvincing win leaves Broncos with hope with Jarrett Stidham So, are we to believe Maye is going to handle this environment? Really? Maye has earned a high profile this season, entering the MVP discussion, even if Matthew Stafford will win the award. But he has not looked like the league’s top player over the past two weeks, most notably in the first halves (47.1 completion percentage). He has six fumbles, losing three. He has been sacked 10 times. He has also been ordinary against teams with a winning record this season, going 3-2 with four interceptions and 22 sacks. Whether because he is not healthy or a rookie, Patriots left tackle Will Campbell is regressing, looking like he could not block someone on Twitter. Khalil Mack, Odafe Oweh, Will Anderson Jr., and Danielle Hunter combined for two sacks and nine pressures against him over the last two games. And this was at home, where Campbell could hear the snap count, and Maye could audible changes in protection. Bonitto will line up against Campbell. Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is too smart to leave the kid on an island. But asking running backs to chip or a tight end to help benefits Denver because it takes a target out of the passing game. Bonitto has delivered on the turnover plea by Sean Payton, helping the Broncos post seven takeaways over the past two games after netting 12 in the first 16. “(Vance Joseph) kind of broke it down easily, he’s like, ‘You know if you get the ball, you can still get a sack?’ We’ve been working on it, and I feel like there’s been more of an emphasis,” Bonitto said. “I think not only for myself but the whole group we’ll see more of that.” How the Patriots match up with Bonitto is significant. If they double him, likely since opposite edge rusher Jonathon Cooper has one sack in his last nine games, it provides a notebook for Zach Allen, D.J. Jones, Malcolm Roach and John Franklin-Myers to write a diary of havoc. It goes back to pressure. Pressure generated. Pressure on Maye to perform. Pressure on the Broncos to bounce back. Lost in the Stidham narrative is the uncomfortable truth that the Broncos defense did not play well last week. Denver barely won because the Bills converted 11 of 16 attempts on third and fourth down. Denver could not get off the field, save for turnovers. That won’t work on Sunday. It would be surprising if the Broncos are victorious, but hardly impossible. The Broncos’ best players are better than New England’s, starting with cornerback Pat Surtain II, right guard Quinn Meinerz, left tackle Garett Bolles and Bonitto. But, they are not better at quarterback, a point underscored in every national conversation and, specifically, those in Boston. No way Drake Maye loses to Stidham. We get it. But the same thing was said about Brady against Manning. Ten years ago, the Broncos secured an early lead, and hung on by dental floss by hitting Brady over and over again. A sequel with the same ending demands a similar script. Stidham or no Stidham, the only way the Broncos win Sunday is by turning Drake Maye into Ache Maye. Want more sports news? 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