QB Jarrett Stidham to start in Broncos finale, HC Sean Payton announces

Jarrett Stidham was given the ball on Sunday to give the Denver Broncos "a spark" on offense. Head coach Sean Payton revealed the team was benching Russell Wilson and elevating Stidham on Wednesday.

The Broncos were 6-5 entering December, went 1-3 until Wilson and were eliminated from the playoffs. With nothing to lose and a porous Los Angeles Chargers defense visiting, Payton decided to make the switch.

And Stidham repaid him in kind by throwing for 224 yards and a touchdown on 20-of-32 passing in Denver's wire-to-wire, 16-9 victory over the Chargers. Stidham connected with Lil'Jordan Humphrey for a 54-yard house call.

"Number one, our job is to score," Payton said via ESPN. "We had opportunities ... that's the first thing. I thought Jarrett did a good job after seeing the tape, with his decisions, ball security, all the things you want to see from that position ... A lot of positives to build off of."

There are a few items that Payton would like to see cleaned up when Denver plays in Vegas. Namely, he wants better efficiency from the offense in the red zone, which went 0-for-2 against Los Angeles. While the Chargers offered little resistance on defense, the Broncos are about to face a Raiders team that boasts the 10th-best passing defense and eighth-best scoring defense.

Denver is also looking to snap its seven-game losing streak to the Raiders, and Payton told the media that the Broncos won't be resting players. At 8-8, Denver has a chance to finish with its first winning record since 2016, and Payton won't forgo that in his inaugural season in Mile High.

"Absolutely not — we do everything in our power to win this game," Payton said Monday. "It's that important, from who's playing quarterback, who's starting in the offensive line, who's starting on defense, it's that simple."