JokersUpdates.com: The Score - Nick Foles reassures Broncos, throws shade at Patriots in social media post

If Denver Broncos backup QB Jarrett Stidham is looking for guidance ahead of his showdown against the New England Patriots in the AFC title game, he should look no further than one of the most successful backups in NFL history.

Stidham is set to start the biggest game of his life next Sunday after everyday Broncos starter Bo Nix suffered an ankle injury late in the win over the Buffalo Bills. It's a situation Philadelphia Eagles folk hero Nick Foles knows all too well.

Foles took to social media to give Stidham some advice and give Broncos fans some reprieve, while sending a shot at the team he beat in his all-time Super Bowl LII win.

"Note for the Broncos and their fans: I know it has been an emotional 24 hours. I feel for Bo and the team, and I'm sending prayers for a strong recovery," Foles said in his post. "A positive note going into the game versus the Patriots is that they struggle against backup QBs in championship-type games."

The retired QB enjoyed one of the most legendary runs any QB has seen back in the 2017 season. After sophomore starter Carson Wentz — who was playing like an MVP-calibre QB — suffered a torn ACL in Week 14 against the Los Angeles Rams, Foles stepped in and led the Eagles all the way to the Super Bowl.

While Foles impressed in the final games of the regular season and the first two rounds of the playoffs, he became immortal in the Super Bowl, throwing for 373 yards with three passing touchdowns and one interception against Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the dynastic Patriots.

Foles also caught a one-yard touchdown pass from Trey Burton in a play that would go down in the annals of football history, forever known as the 'Philly Special.'

On the other end, Brady threw for an historic 505 yards with three touchdowns, but it wasn't enough to stave off destiny as Philadelphia hoisted its first-ever Super Bowl and a backup went down as a legend.

Now, Stidham has the chance to do the same to a Patriots team well en route to reclaiming the glory of the Belichick-Brady years under head coach Mike Vrabel and QB Drake Maye.

Over his three seasons in Denver, the 29-year-old has two starts under his belt — both of which came in 2023 — with 496 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Stidham, who was drafted by the Patriots 133rd overall in 2019, has far less experience under centre than Foles did in 2017 — the latter had already played 49 regular-season games to that point — but fortune favours the bold, and heroes are made in January.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nfl/article/nick-foles-reassures-broncos-throws-shade-at-patriots-in-social-media-post/