Bronco’s Bo Nix Suffered Broken Ankle Will Miss the AFC Championship Game Against Patriots
After a controversial overtime win against the Buffalo Bills in the divisional game, head coach Sean Payton made a startling announcement. Payton told reporters after the game that the Bronco’s Bo Nix suffered a broken ankle and will miss the AFC Championship game against the Patriots. At the time he made the announcement, the Patriots had not yet defeated the Houston Texans in New England. However, that didn’t change the fact that Nix would miss the rest of the postseason.
The unfortunate incident for Nix happened on the second-to-last-play in overtime in which he fractured his right ankle. This was Nix’s second season after having a breakout rookie year where he led the Broncos to their first ten-win season and playoff appearance since 2015. And he tossed more touchdowns in a season than any Bronco in franchise history not named Payton Manning.
“He’s a tough cookie,” Payton said. “I said [to him], ‘Listen, I believe you’re the second quarterback in Year 2 to take your team to a championship game. And the first is [Patrick] Mahomes.’ This team, all year, has lost key players. We’ll rise up for the next challenge, and we’ll go from there.”
It goes without saying that the loss of Nix is a big deal for the Broncos. Now backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham will start the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, Jan. 25. ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter posted some interesting facts about Stidham on social media, stating:
Jarrett Stidham will be the second quarterback to make his first start of the season in a Conference Championship Game; the other was Roger Staubach, who made his first start of the 1972 season in the NFC Championship vs Washington, a game the Cowboys lost 26-3, per ESPN Research.
Bronco’s Bo Nix Suffered Broken Ankle Will Miss the AFC Championship Game Against Patriots
Schefter also noted:
Broncos QB Jarrett Stidham has four career NFL starts, which will be the fewest by any QB entering a Conference Championship start in NFL history. Jeff Hostetler had five career starts, including the playoffs, entering the 1990 NFC Championship Game.
Funnily enough Stidham once played for the team he will face next week. He was selected by the New England Patriots with the 133rd pick of the fourth round in the 2019 NFL Draft. In 2019 he became the backup quarterback to Tom Brady. When Brady left after 2019 he was expected to become QB1, however the Patriots signed veteran quarterback Cam Newton who took over the role.
He missed 2021 due to back surgery, was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023 and signed a two-year contract with the Denver Broncos in 2024. Now he’s the guy who will lead the Broncos in the AFC Championship game. Meanwhile Nix will undergo surgery on Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama, to repair the injury, per Payton.
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