On the same date of his 23rd birthday, Jarrett Stidham received his first taste of honest-to-goodness NFL game action. With Tom Brady looking on from the Patriots‘ bench, Stidham completed 14 of his 24 pass attempts for 179 yards, one touchdown, and a 95.7 final quarterback rating.
Not bad for New England’s third-stringer, a fourth-round draft pick last April who came out of Auburn.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, as well-known for his gruff, perfunctory responses with the media as he is for his brilliant coaching acumen on the sideline, was uncharacteristically forthcoming when asked about Stidham’s performance.