Jarrett Stidham now can get behind the wheel of the “Stiddy Bus.”

In 2020, after Tom Brady bolted as a free agent to Tampa Bay, Stidham was considered the favorite by many to become New England’s starting quarterback. Scott Zolak, a former Patriots quarterback who is now a broadcaster in Boston, has told The Denver Gazette that on his NBC Sports Boston show then was a graphic of the “Stiddy Bus” in which the second-year quarterback was shown “driving a bus and hitting the horn and going ‘beep, beep.’”

Alas, Stidham ended up being the backup that season after the Patriots elected to sign free agent Cam Newton just before the start of training camp.

In 2021, with Newton gone, Stidham again was hopeful of being the Patriots’ starter but he had back surgery in July and rookie Mac Jones got the nod.

In 2023, Stidham started the final two regular-season games for the Broncos after Russell Wilson was benched and he had hopes of being their starter in 2024. But he was beaten out by rookie Bo Nix.

Nix, though, suffered a season-ending broken right ankle in last Saturday’s 33-30 overtime win over Buffalo in a divisional playoff game and will have surgery Tuesday in Birmingham, Ala., performed by Dr. Norman E. Waldrop. So Stidham will be the starter for Sunday’s AFC Championship Game at Empower Field at Mile High against the Patriots, his former team.

“He’s been waiting for this moment for the entirety of his career,’’ Broncos tackle Mike McGlinchey said Monday. “I think he’s more prepared than anybody would be in this situation. And he can ball. He can flat-out play quarterback. And we’ve seen it every single day at practice.”

Stidham has just four NFL starts in his seven seasons. In addition to his two to close the 2023 season, he started the final two games in 2022 for Las Vegas when the Raiders had decided to move on from Derek Carr. With Stidham having thrown for 365 yards and three touchdowns in his first start against San Francisco in Week 17, that was enough for Sean Payton to bring the quarterback to Denver when Payton took over as the Broncos’ coach in 2023.

Despite Stidham’s limited number of starts and that he hasn’t thrown a regular-season pass since 2023, Payton and Denver players are very confident in “Stiddy,’’ who got his nickname from Brady after he joined the Patriots in 2019 as a fourth-round pick.

“We have full faith in ‘Stiddy,’’’ said defensive lineman Zach Allen. “He’s the first guy in the building every day. He prepares like a starter. So, we’re really excited to see what he does. … He’s really, really smart. He studies it. He’s like a second quarterback coach out there. On top of that, too, he can make every single throw. … We’re lucky to have him.”

But also on Monday, Allen lamented the loss of Nix.

“Obviously, Bo was a huge part of us getting to this point,’’ Allen said. “We feel terrible for him and all of our well wishes go to him. We know he’ll come back stronger than ever when he gets healthy.”

Nix, who started all 34 regular-season games and two playoff games in his first two seasons, was injured on a play that began with 6:04 left in overtime when he was tackled by Cole Bishop for a 2-yard loss on a designed run. Nix remained in the game for two more plays before limping to the sideline prior to Wil Lutz kicking the winning 23-yard field goal with 4:44 left in overtime for the exhilarating win at Empower Field.

After the game, Payton, Broncos general manager George Paton, quarterbacks coach Davis Webb, medical officials and members of Nix’s family were among those in a hallway when news was delivered about the extent of the quarterback’s injury. Nix’s wife, Izzy, posted a photo of the gathering Monday on social media and wrote that the two will be “on the front row, cheering the loudest” as the playoffs continue.

“I sat with him in the hallway for a couple of minutes when he was with family and the others,’’ McGlinchey said. “Bo and I are close. Bo, Izzy and my wife Brook and I are all close just like everybody else is. It hurts. I’ve obviously texted him a bunch and checked in just letting him know that I’m here for him, whatever he needs. But he was in great spirits. I think he’s made to handle things like this. He’s just as tough as they come and he’ll be back better than ever when this is all said and done.”

McGlinchey called the loss of Nix “heartbreaking” and the “crappy part of our game.” But he is very optimistic about Stidham and touched upon how good he has looked in practices and game action for the Broncos.

Stidham had an impressive 2025 preseason for Denver although he faced reserves in the two games he played. In games at San Francisco and at home against Arizona, he completed 30 of 38 passes (78.9%) for 376 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. He led all NFL quarterbacks in the preseason with a passer rating of 143.0.

“This guy just loves football,’’ McGlinchey said. “And he’s been absorbing everything that we’ve been doing. He’s been ready for his opportunity whenever that might come. He stays in his routine every single day for three years straight, not knowing when that opportunity is going to come around and I know that our team and the rest of our staff and everybody has the utmost confidence in Jarrett to play well. … Not everybody has a quarterback waiting in the wings as talented as Jarrett.”

In the biggest game of his life, he will be driving the “Stiddy Bus” on Sunday.