The Associated Press Denver Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham (right) and running back Jaleel McLaughlin warm up before taking part in an indoor practice Friday.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Even without Bo Nix, the Denver Broncos are radiating plenty of swagger heading into the frigid AFC championship game against the New England Patriots behind backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham.

“No, I don’t think the vibe’s any different,” right tackle Mike McGlinchey said after Friday’s workout, part of which was outdoors in 20-degree temperatures and icy wind. “Obviously, it was a tough situation. You don’t want to see a guy that’s your leader and the life of your team go down, especially in such a big moment.

“But Stiddy’s done an unbelievable job this week stepping in and commanding the huddle, commanding the team. He’s ready for it and the rest of the team is, too.”

Stidham exudes a quiet confidence that long ago secured him the nickname “Steady Stiddy” and belies the fact that he’ll throw his first pass in a game in more than two years Sunday.

That tranquility has apparently rebuffed any possible angst over the loss of Nix, who underwent surgery on his broken right ankle this week in Alabama. Nix showed support for his backup, posting on Instagram, “I couldn’t be more confident in Jarrett. And I couldn’t be more excited for what’s next.”

Which, he trusts, is a trip to the Super Bowl.

Coach Sean Payton set the tone for the week shortly after his stunning announcement of Nix’s injury after Denver’s 33-30 overtime win against Buffalo last weekend. Of Stidham, Payton said, “He’s ready. I said this at the beginning of the season: I feel like we have a (backup quarterback) who is capable of starting for a number of teams. I know who feels the same way. Watch out. Just watch.”

Even before this opportunity, Stidham has long been the one setting the tone and the tunes in the Broncos’ locker room, and he’s never been shy about ribbing Denver’s defenders after burning them on the scout team.

“Jarrett’s got a little swag to him,” wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey said. “He’s a little swaggier than you’d probably expect him to be.”

There’s no telling what sort of drop-off, if any, there will be Sunday with Stidham leading the Broncos (15-3) in place of Nix, who engineered winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime of six games this season.

His coaches and teammates haven’t shown a hint of doubt that Stidham can lead them past the Patriots (16-3) at Empower Field at Mile High, where it’s forecast to be 23 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-5 Celsius) and windy at kickoff.

One teammate he won’t have alongside him, however, is running back J.K. Dobbins, who returned to practice this week after having foot surgery in November. He was ruled out Friday along with Nix, who’s recovering from surgery but won’t go on injured reserve until the weekend.

All-Pro defensive lineman Zach Allen said Stidham has always been first to arrive at team headquarters and prepared as if he were the starter: “So, we’re really excited to see what he does. And obviously he goes against the defense in practice all the time.”

And holds his own, too.

“He’s really, really smart,” Allen said. “He’s like a second quarterback coach out there and on top of it he can make every single throw.”

Road warriors

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Drake Maye has a chance to accomplish something not even Tom Brady did with the Patriots.

Maye is hoping to beat the Broncos in the AFC championship game in Denver on Sunday and lead New England to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2018. The Patriots have never won a playoff game in Denver — losing all four tries, with Brady going 0-3.

“Just the AFC championship, the chance to go to the Super Bowl. That’d be huge,” Maye said. “Another road environment that’s had success in the past. … I know it would be a big-time win.”

The Patriots advanced to their 14th AFC championship game in the last 25 years on Sunday when they beat the Houston Texans 28-16 in Foxborough. Denver beat Buffalo 33-30 to reach the conference title game.

New England and Denver both finished 14-3 in the regular season, but the Broncos won the tiebreaker for home-field advantage because they had a better record against common opponents: Denver beat the Raiders twice this season but the Patriots lost to them.

That loss — to the worst team in the NFL in the first game of the Mike Vrabel era — sent New England into one of the most inhospitable environments in the league. In addition to the high-energy crowd, the Patriots will also have to contend with a low-oxygen environment that they won’t have a chance to acclimate to.

“Kind of what we’ve been doing on the road all season long,” said Maye, who has guided the Patriots to an 8-0 road record this season. “They’ve got a great team, so we’re going to have a tough challenge. But I’m looking forward to getting out there. And getting a chance to possibly celebrate on an away field would be pretty special.”

The last team to go undefeated on the road with a new head coach was the San Francisco 49ers under George Seifert in 1989; they won the Super Bowl.

“Coach (Vrabel) has always been saying, ‘Road warriors,'” Maye said. “So, we’re trying to find that one more time and finish out strong what we’ve done this year.”