Denver – Bo Nix broke his right ankle late in the Denver Broncos’ overtime loss divisional round win over Buffalo on Saturday and will undergo surgery that will sideline him for the rest of the playoffs.
Coach Sean Payton brought stunning news about his second-year quarterback after Denver’s biggest win in a decade. Quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who is 1-3 as a starter in six seasons, will start next weekend’s AFC Championship Game.
“Stiddy’s ready,” Payton said after returning to the podium after the game to discuss the ensuing injury Denver’s 33-30 win over Josh Allen and the Bills.
Payton said Nix was hurt on the keeper, where he lost 2 yards and was tackled by safety Cole Bishop. Nix limped after the gamebut there was no indication that he had sustained so serious an injury.
On the next play, Nix threw a deep pass to Marvin Mims Jr. that drew a 30-yard flag for pass interference and put the Broncos well within field goal range. Nix then knelt down to center the ball for Wil Lutz’s 23-yard field goal that ended the game.
Payton said Nix will have surgery Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama.
“He’s such a strong, faith-based guy,” Payton said. “He’s sitting in the hallway with his family and he comes and we all talk to him. He knows God has a plan for him and he said he had a (broken ankle) in high school and then he said he had one at Auburn.
“And I said I didn’t realize that. I said if I had known I wouldn’t have called you,” Payton snapped.
Nix didn’t say anything about being hurt during the post-match interview with CBS and sounded like he was looking forward to the next game.
“It’s great to have home field advantage in a situation like that. It’s exciting. That’s why you play the game, that’s why you compete. You get to playoff football and good things happen,” Nix said.
The locker room cleared and reporters were waiting in the interview room for Nix when Payton returned with the news.
Nix, the 12th overall pick out of Oregon in the 2024 NFL Draft, tied Russell Wilson’s NFL record with two dozen wins in his first two seasons. Saturday’s win was his first in the playoffs. The Broncos lost in Buffalo last year, but Nix led Denver to the AFC’s top seed this season.
“He’s a tough cookie,” Payton said. “And this team loses key players every year and sets itself up for another challenge.
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