With the smoke still clearing from the Denver Broncos' huge divisional round playoff win over the Buffalo Bills, the team has been dealt devastating news.
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix suffered a broken bone in his ankle on one of the final plays of the game, right before a controversial pass interference call against Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White, which set up the game-winning field goal. Following the game, CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson reported that Nix appeared to be hurt and later, ESPN's Adam Schefter confirmed the broken ankle, noting that he will miss the rest of the season.
As reported by Tom Pelissero, the injury appears to have happened on this play.
Here’s the play on which Broncos coach Sean Payton said QB Bo Nix suffered a broken bone in his ankle that will require surgery and end his season, pressing Jarrett Stidham into the lineup for next week’s AFC Championship Game. Pic.twitter.com/2QvotSfmJR
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 18, 2026
It was a designed run for Nix, who ended up losing yardage on the play. He got up quickly but was later shown on the sideline, grimacing in pain. Nix is set to have surgery in the coming days.
Following the game, Broncos head coach Sean Payton stated that the injury came on the second-to-last play of the game, which he later repeated, leaving many fans to believe it came on the play where White was flagged for pass interference or even on the play after that, a quick kneel down by Nix to position the Broncos for the game-winning field goal by Wil Lutz.
"We felt like it'd be best to just tell everyone now."
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 18, 2026
Sean Payton announced Bo Nix fractured a bone in his right ankle and will miss the remainder of the season. Pic.twitter.com/Tgwy3ZiPCB
It's crushing news for a Broncos team coming off a high of eliminating Josh Allen and the Bills. They will be playing in the conference championship game for the first time since 2015 and they will have to get it done with their backup quarterback, Jarrett Stidham.
Since being drafted by the Broncos last season, Nix has yet to miss a single start for the team.
Stidham has just four starts in his career, but not since the final two games of the 2023 season, when the Broncos chose to bench Russell Wilson. For his career, Stidham has completed 59.4 percent of his passes for 1,422 yards with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions.
This will change things greatly for the Broncos as they prepare for either the New England Patriots or the Houston Texans.
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Editor's Note: This story has been updated and clarified to reflect new information not available at time of original publication.