Jarrett Stidham has been holding down the backup spot behind Bo Nix for much of camp. Nothing that happened in Friday’s preseason finale is likely to change that.

With Nix sitting out the Broncos’ 34-6 win over the Minnesota Vikings, Stidham got the start, just as he did in the preseason opener. The 30-year-old quarterback did what he needed to do, leading the Broncos to points on each of his two drives.

Stidham wasn’t flashy, but ihe was effective. He had six completions on nine attempts, most of the time just taking what the defense gave him for an efficient 78 yards through the air. The favorite play for everyone in the building was Stidham keeping the ball on an option in Vikings territory, rolling left and lowering his right shoulder into a defender for a 9-yard gain. Sean Payton might not have loved that last part, but the fans sure did.

Four plays later, Adam Prentice punched the ball in from 1 yard out, giving the Broncos the early 10-0 lead.

Stidham accounted for 23 plays, 123 total yards and 10 points in a little under 10 minutes of work.

At that point, Payton had seen enough. Out went Stidham and in went Sam Ehlinger, who was intercepted on his first pass of the evening. While there was a perceived battle for the backup quarterback position coming into camp, Stidham has been holding down that position for weeks. Barring a surprise, he’ll be QB2 when rosters finalized Sunday.

It’s been a nice rebound from the last time Broncos fans saw Stidham, in the AFC Championship Game. With Nix out due to an ankle injury, Stidham had to step in. The elements didn’t help, but Stidham’s play was uneven at best. Denver started hot, with Stidham hitting Courtland Sutton for a touchdown early in the game. As the weather deteriorated, so did Stidham’s play, as his costly fumble deep in Broncos territory ended up being one of the turning points in the game. The Broncos’ season ended that day in a 10-7 loss to the Bills, but Stidham has done what he needed to do to keep the backup job.

Just a month ago, the biggest question facing the Broncos was Nix’s backup. Now the biggest decision over the next 48 hours is whether they should carry Sam Ehlinger on the 53-man roster. Ehlinger rebounded nicely after his interception, making that decision for the Broncos even tougher, but Stidham seems to have that backup spot on lockdown.

And Friday’s preseason finale was a nice exclamation point for him.