Ahead of the AFC Championship, Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham shared a message with a Patriots super fan: “Crazy how life works…”

Brian Babz received the text message late last Sunday night. It came just over 24 hours after Broncos head coach Sean Payton announced that starting QB Bo Nix suffered a season-ending broken ankle.

In Nix’s place, Payton told reporters that Stidham, who hasn’t thrown a pass since Week 18 of the 2023 season, would be thrust into starting action for this weekend’s AFC title game.

That means Stidham will face off against New England, the team that selected him in the fourth round of the 2019 Draft, to earn a ticket to the Super Bowl.

Babz, a self-proclaimed “Leader of Patriots Nation,” has followed Stidham’s NFL journey since the quarterback came into the league. The two have become friends over the years, with Babz dubbing himself Stidham’s “hype man.”

Babz said he tried to FaceTime Stidham last Sunday while at the Divisional Round game, wanting to “talk (expletive)” as the Patriots were on their way to defeating the Texans. Stidham texted Babz later that night.

“Crazy how life works man, excited for the weekend,” Stidham wrote in part to Babz, who shared the message with the Herald. “Hope you and the family are doing well!”

Nix’s season-ending injury and the subsequent news that Stidham would be starting in the AFC Championship shocked the NFL world. This will be the fifth start of Stidham’s career and his first in the postseason.

“I saw the first tweet, and I thought it was a parody account,” Babz told the Herald this week, “and then I saw the second tweet, and then I saw the third tweet. … My wife was putting [our kids] to bed. I screamed at the top of my lungs, ‘Michelle! Jarrett Stidham is starting next week in the AFC Championship game. Oh my God!”

“And then the realization sets in: He’s most likely playing the Patriots because there was no way the Pats were losing to Houston the next day,” the superfan added. “My adrenaline was running all night, I couldn’t sleep.”

With the Patriots drafting Stidham in 2019, fans speculated whether the quarterback would become Tom Brady’s “heir apparent” after he edged Brian Hoyer to earn the top backup job. A season later, though, Bill Belichick announced free agent signee Cam Newton would replace Brady, who left for Tampa Bay.

Babz stuck by Stidham’s side. At the end of the 2020 season, the quarterback reached out on Instagram.

“He thanked me for the support all season,” Babz recounted. “I was doing little videos to support the guy, ‘Let’s see what he has.’ I don’t think Stidham really had any support at the time vocally from anybody.”

The Patriots traded Stidham to the Raiders ahead of the 2022 season. Before departing for Las Vegas, Stidham invited Babz over to his Foxboro home, gifting him with the jersey he wore when he threw his first NFL touchdown pass, against Kansas City in 2020.

“I’m riding with you no matter what happens, doesn’t matter where you go,” Babz remembers telling Stidham. He has proven that, traveling to Canton, Ohio, for a preseason game that Stidham started in August 2022, and then to several other games across the country.

Babz said his fandom for Stidham stems from a belief that the quarterback “never got a fair shake” for a starting job in New England.

“You pile that on with building a friendship, at the same time, where he sees the support,” Babz said. “It’s kind of like picking a person and following their journey and understanding the family dynamic … that really doesn’t get put out there in the limelight.”

Babz described Stidham’s wife, Kennedy, as one of the best people he’s ever met due to her loyalty to her husband and his journey in football. The married couple began their family in New England, with the birth of their first daughter in April 2022, before they moved to Las Vegas and Denver.

“It has been awesome to kind of experience what it is to be in the NFL,” Babz said. “The highs, the lows, the grind, the commitment, the moving around.”

“Now, we are here,” Babz added. “AFC Championship game, and he’s finally getting that (starting) opportunity, and it’s against the Patriots. It’s literally the ‘Babz Loyalty Bowl.’”

Among the Stidham jerseys that Babz has added to his “hype man” collection is a Patriots one that the quarterback signed for him, with the message, “My #1 fan. Always appreciate the support! GO PATS!”

Babz will not be flying out to Denver for the title match. He said he would rather stay back with Patriots fans and root for the hometown team. The super fan is set to host a watch party at Scorpion Bar on Sunday, beginning at 1:30 p.m.

“If the Patriots can win on Sunday, how spoiled are we?” he said. “Nobody in their right mind … would have thought they would get back to the Super Bowl in this quick a turnaround.”

Brian Babz (right) pictured with Broncos QB Jarrett Stidham and his wife, Kennedy. Babz and Stidham share a friendship dating back to the quarterback’s time in New England. (Contributed/Brian Babz)