DENVER — Against his former team, Jarrett Stidham will perform part II of his two-part quarterback audition for his current team this Sunday afternoon.
Stidham’s Broncos will play Stidham’s former Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas with kickoff at 2:25 p.m. (MST).
“Look, I’m not looking at it as an audition or anything like that,’’ Stidham said Wednesday at the weekly press conference reserved for the Broncos’ starting quarterback. “I have a certain job to do, certain thing to do on each and every play. Ultimately we’ve got to go out and win. So that’s what I’m focused on doing and it’s my job to help those other 10 guys on offense, move the ball and score points.’’
VIDEO ABOVE: Broncos defeat Chargers, look forward to season finale against Raiders and next season
Mindset can be key to winning an audition.
Stidham had a two-game audition to finish last season with the Raiders. He did well enough to impress Broncos head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton to nab a two-year, $10 million contract from Denver.
A decent contract for a backup quarterback.
Only Stidham is a backup no more. Payton benched Russell Wilson last week to give Stidham a two-game, well, audition.
“It wasn’t until I began to look at the All-22 (film where the end zone view allows you to see all 22 players on the field) as we were looking at free agents,’’ Payton said Wednesday of Stidham’s two starts for the Raiders last year against the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs. “I think for him that first start against a really good (49ers’) defense—it opened a lot of people’s eyes. I don’t know that anyone saw that coming.”
Stidham led the Broncos to a 16-9 win last week against the Chargers. He performed pretty well for a first start, completing 20 of 32 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions or fumbles. He finishes this year’s audition against the team that gave him his first chance after four years of bench riding.
“I spent a year there and made a lot of relationships with a lot of people,’’ Stidham said. “But I’m here now and looking forward to playing against those guys. I did it in practice all last year. Excited to get back in there on the opposing sideline and try and score some points and hopefully win.”
One player he practiced against last year was defensive end Maxx Crosby, a Broncos’ nemesis who has a sack in eight consecutive games against Denver.
“I can’t speak highly enough of this guy,’’ Stidham said. “Being with him every day for a year, seeing how he works. The most impressive thing is I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a player play that hard for that long every single time he’s out on the field. He’s going to bring it, we’re going to have to be ready. He’s one of the best in the league for a reason.”
Sutton, Mims, Browning practice
No. 1 receiver Courtland Sutton and outside linebacker Baron Browning both returned to practice Wednesday after missing the game Sunday against the Chargers because they weren’t cleared from concussions. Both wore blue (don’t-hit-me) jerseys during practice.
Top returner and deep-ball receiver Marvin Mims Jr. also returned after missing the game Sunday with a hamstring injury.
Starting right tackle Mike McGlinchey, though, did not practice because of his rib injury.
Surtain and Adams
Since Davante Adams signed with the Raiders prior to last season, he has compiled a hefty 22 catches for 308 yards and two touchdowns in three games against the Broncos. He has been the one receiver who has had consistent success against Broncos star cornerback Pat Surtain II.
"He's a very good receiver, crafty,'' Surtain said Wednesday in an interview with 9NEWS for the Broncos Huddle. "He's been in the league a while so he understands the ins and outs of the positions. He just knows how to use his technique to his advantage.
"Obviously when you go up against a guy like you have to be on your Ps and Qs, you've got to be locked in from the start of the game to the finish. Odds are it's going to be a battle. I'm competitive, I know he's competitive so we're going to go at it, for sure."
Bronco Bits
If McGlinchey can breathe enough to start Sunday, it will be only the sixth time in Broncos history the same five offensive linemen started every game in a season – and first since the magical Tim Tebow season of 2011 when Denver led the league in rushing. The other seasons the Broncos started the same five blockers for every game were 2008, 2005, 1995 and 1979. …
The Broncos began tight end Greg Dulcich’s 21-day practice window from injured reserve 21 days ago. He has been sidelined with a recurring hamstring injury for most of the season. On his first day of practice his foot ballooned up and he never practiced again. His 21-day window expired Wednesday and therefore he won’t play Sunday against the Raiders. Dulcich played just one half of two games this season and had three catches for 25 yards.
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