Denver Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles said what we’re all thinking.

The Broncos would’ve been in the Super Bowl had QB Bo Nix been healthy and faced the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship.

Bolles was on the NFL Daily podcast with Gregg Rosenthal and Jourdan Rodrigue and made some interesting comments. Nix’s ultimate protector and one of his biggest fans didn’t hold much back.

“I’m saying it would be a different outcome if we had our starting quarterback. I think it was devastating for all of us when that happened — I thought it wasn’t true,” Bolles said via NFL.com. “Bo took us there. He had a phenomenal year and when you lose a guy like that that’s a leader of your group, not just the O-line, but your team. His confidence level, his swagger, his ability to run and see the open field in different ways — it’s a tough piece to lose.”

He went on to answer “yeah” when asked directly by the hosts if Denver wins the game with Nix — unfortunately that wasn’t an option.

Nix fractured his ankle in OT of the divisional round against the Buffalo Bills. The Broncos won 33-30 in a thriller, their first playoff win since 2015, but then head coach Sean Payton held a second press conference to deliver the devastating news. Nix was done for the year and Denver would roll with Jarrett Stidham in the AFC Title Game.

Stidham had a great first-quarter drive to put the Broncos up 7-0, but they didn’t score the rest of the way in a heartbreaking 10-7 loss. Stidham also had a costly fumble that gifted the Patriots seven points, but Bolles had his back on the podcast.

“Stiddy did everything he can. Love that dude; I’m so grateful he came in and handled the business he did, but it would be a different ball game if we had our quarterback,” Bolles said.

The good news is Nix has made clear his recovery won’t affect much of his offseason and he’ll be good to go in the spring and summer as Denver ramps up for another run at the Super Bowl.

Still, Bolles is voicing how most of Broncos Country feels.

“I’ll tell you this: If we had Bo Nix, it would be a different ballgame,” Bolles said.

That’s sports and that’s life, it’s not always fair, but it’s about how you respond. You can bet Nix, Bolles and the rest of team will be chomping at the bit to give it another shot next season.