DENVER, CO — The NFL Divisional Round matchup between the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills may go down in history as a playoff overtime classic, but for the Broncos, the win was bittersweet. Denver defeated Josh Allen and the Bills 33-30 in overtime to advance to the AFC Championship, but lost quarterback Bo Nix to a season-ending broken ankle in the process.
Three plays before Will Lutz's game-winning field goal, Nix suffered the fracture on a first-and-10 play from the Bills' 36-yard line. The Broncos' quarterback lost two yards on a designed quarterback run by Bills' safety Cole Bishop. Nix had a slight limp after the play, but made it back to the huddle.
Two plays later, Nix kneeled down to set up the field goal, and his ankle twisted awkwardly. It seemed to give out and Nix limped to the sideline. Obviously, the injury happened on the previous run, but seeing Denver's quarterback limp off left a bad taste in every Broncos fan's mouth while watching the game.
Jarrett Stidham, Denver's backup, signed with Denver as a free agent back in 2023, and is the next man up next week when the Broncos face either the Houston Texans or New England Patriots. While not ideal, the veteran backup quarterback was a huge part of Nix's development over the past two seasons. Now, it's his turn to try to send the Broncos back to the Super Bowl. Stidham started two games back in 2023 when head coach Sean Payton benched Russel Wilson. He threw for two touchdowns and one interception in those games.
Denver will need to lean heavily on their run game and give Stidham a chance to adjust to the starting role. As disappointing as the injury is to Devner's fandom, the Broncos' strength this season has always been the defense, not the offense. Nix is scheduled to have surgery on Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama, and then will likely be around his teammates later in the week.
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