Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix suffered a broken ankle in Saturday’s 33-30 Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills and will miss the rest of the postseason, head coach Sean Payton told reporters.
Payton said Nix suffered the injury on the “second-to-last” play of overtime, a QB sweep to the left that resulted in a 2-yard loss.
Nix will undergo surgery on Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama, to repair the injury, per Payton.
The Broncos head coach also said backup QB Jarrett Stidham will fill in for Nix in the AFC Championship Game on Jan. 25 in Denver where they will face the New England Patriots, who defeated the Houston Texans on Sunday.
“Stiddy’s ready to go,” Payton said. “I said this at the beginning of the season: I feel like I’ve got a two [backup QB] that’s capable of starting for a number of teams. I know he feels the same way.
“So, watch out. Just watch.”
Sam Ehlinger is expected to be Stidham’s backup QB going forward.
Payton announced the news nearly 40 minutes after he had already addressed the media following Saturday’s thrilling victory. Nix did not address reporters at the podium after the game.
“He’s a tough cookie,” Payton said of Nix. “I said, ‘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, and we’ll rise up for the next challenge and we’ll go from there.”
