Bo Nix was supposed to be the story of the night - the young quarterback who led the Denver Broncos to a gritty, overtime playoff win against the Buffalo Bills, pushing his team within one game of the Super Bowl. Instead, the night ended with a gut punch: a broken right ankle and the end of a dream season.
Let’s rewind for a second. The Broncos had just outlasted a furious rally from Josh Allen and the Bills, surviving in overtime thanks to a walk-off field goal on their second possession.
Nix had done his job - 279 yards, three touchdowns, one interception - and Denver had done theirs. It was the kind of game that cements a young quarterback’s legacy.
But as the team celebrated on the sideline, Nix wasn’t smiling. Moments later, head coach Sean Payton delivered the news that changed everything: Nix had broken his ankle on the second-to-last play of the game. His season was over.
“We celebrate the season for him,” Payton said after the game. “And listen, the city’s ready and we’ll be ready for the next challenge.”
That next challenge comes fast - the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots. And under center for Denver will be Jarrett Stidham, a fellow former Auburn quarterback who now steps into the biggest moment of his NFL career.
This wasn’t how the story was supposed to go. Nix, in just his second year after being taken 12th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, had been the steady hand guiding the Broncos to the AFC’s No. 1 seed.
He threw for nearly 4,000 yards, tossed 25 touchdowns, and added five more on the ground. While Denver’s defense rightly earned praise throughout the season, Nix was the engine that kept the offense humming.
You don’t get to this point in the NFL without a quarterback who can make plays - and Nix was doing just that.
Saturday night’s win was another example of his growth. Matching up against Allen, one of the league’s most dynamic quarterbacks, Nix didn’t flinch.
He made big throws, moved the chains, and kept Denver in control for most of the night. But now, the Broncos will have to make their final push without him.
One image from the night captured the emotional weight of the moment. Nix’s wife, Izzy, posted a photo from the hallway under the stadium after the game - Bo sitting with his father, Davis Webb, and fellow quarterbacks Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger. It was a quiet, raw scene that said more than any press conference ever could.
For Nix, it’s a brutal end to a breakout year. For the Broncos, it’s time to rally around a new quarterback and keep the season alive. The path to the Super Bowl just got tougher - but in the NFL, no journey is ever easy.