Jarrett Stidham will remain Denver’s starting quarterback for its regular-season finale, Broncos coach Sean Payton said on Monday.

Payton switched the places of Stidham and nine-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson on the Denver depth chart last week, and the former Auburn standout went all the way under center in his third NFL start as the Broncos beat the Los Angeles Chargers 16-9 on Sunday.

“There were some things I was really encouraged about yesterday,” Payton said on Monday. “Certainly, if we’re going to measure it week-by-week, you’d say, ‘Man, we scored under 20 points.’ That wasn’t enough. We missed out on opportunities in the red zone. But we were safe with the football. Certainly, we look forward to this next game. But that was a long stretch of 15 weeks where we had seen a very similar pattern. I think that’ll change, and I made the decision in the hopes that it would bring change.”

Denver had 21 turnovers through 15 games. On Sunday, the Broncos played turnover-free for the first time since Nov. 19.

Stidham connected with wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey on a 54-yard pass for the game’s only touchdown as Denver took a 10-3 lead with 6:37 left in the first half.

On other series, the Broncos reached the Los Angeles 8, 25 and 1 before settling for field goals.

“I think, No. 1, our job is to score,” Payton said, “and so we had opportunities in the tight red yesterday, certainly down on the 1-yard line, so I think that’s the first thing. I think Jarrett did a good job after seeing the tape with his decisions, with ball security, all those things, you want to see from that position. The big play to LJ was a heck of a play by LJ. The protection was good. So a lot of positives to build off of.”

Denver had one series where a field goal would have been a welcomed outcome. The Broncos got possession at their 15-yard line with 24 seconds remaining in the first half and moved 55 yards in three straight Stidham completions. But Wil Lutz missed a 48-yard field-goal attempt on the final snap of the second quarter.

“I thought that was significant,” Payton said. “We didn’t make the field goal, but nonetheless.”

Stidham completed 20-of-32 passes for 224 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions and ran six times for 6 yards. He went 4-of-6 for 81 yards with one touchdown and three first downs on third-down throws, and he also ran for a first down on a third-down snap.

“There’s a confidence about him,” Payton said. “He played with that kind of poise. I think you felt that on the field. I said this yesterday after the game: You didn’t feel like you were working with somebody who was a younger player. You felt like you were working with somebody that had experience and was very confident.”

A fourth-round draft choice of the New England Patriots in 2019, Stidham had played in 14 NFL regular-season games with two starts before Sunday’s contest. He signed a two-year contract with the Broncos in the offseason and will get another opportunity to show the Denver administration what he can do in the regular-season finale against the Las Vegas Raiders at 3:25 p.m. CST Sunday.

“We’re constantly evaluating how they play,” Payton said, “and it would definitely carry over to how we feel about next year relative to their role. … These are important snaps and games for him.”

The victory over the Chargers evened the Broncos’ 2023 record at 8-8, but the playoff door closed on Denver in Week 17. Like the 7-9 Raiders, the Broncos’ season will end on Sunday.

But Sunday’s outcome will determine if Denver extends its streak of losing seasons to seven or finishes with its first winning record since 2016.

The Broncos also could post their first victory over Las Vegas. Since the Raiders relocated from Oakland, they’ve won seven in a row against Denver.

“I think what would be important to us is getting to our ninth win,” Payton said.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.