DENVER — The euphoria of the Denver Broncos’ overtime win over the Buffalo Bills didn’t last long.
Long after the game, Broncos head coach Sean Payton came back to the media room to announce that quarterback Bo Nix broke a bone in his ankle on the second-to-last play of the game and would undergo season-ending ankle surgery Tuesday.
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Jarrett Stidham will start the AFC championship game and the Super Bowl as well if the Broncos advance.
“We’ll rise up for the next challenge and go from there,” Payton said.
The injury shifted Super Bowl odds as the Broncos went from +325 to +900, according to BetMGM.
Payton said he wanted to tell his team the news first, but came back to the media room to announce the injury because “the odds of something like this being kept quiet” until he could meet with the team Monday were “impossible.”
Stidham has started four games in his NFL career, none since starting two for the Broncos in 2023. Payton said he had confidence in his backup taking over as the starter for the rest of the playoffs.
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“He’s ready,” Payton said. “I said this before the season, I feel like I’ve got a two that is capable of starting for a number of teams. Watch out. Just watch.”
Nix, in his second NFL season, helped the Broncos to a dramatic 33-30 overtime win on Saturday over the Bills. He threw for 279 yards and three touchdowns. The Broncos went 14-3 in the regular season with Nix at quarterback and got past the Bills to advance to their first AFC championship game since the 2015 season, but now need to turn to Stidham, who hasn’t thrown a pass in either of the last two seasons.
“They’ll be disappointed,” Payton said. “There will be a lot of emotions. Then the refocus takes place.”