Jan. 17, 2026Updated Jan. 18, 2026, 1:18 p.m. MT
The Denver Broncos‘ 33-30 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs came at a major cost.
After his initial postgame press conference had concluded, Broncos coach Sean Payton came back to the podium to announce that starting quarterback Bo Nix suffered a season-ending ankle injury on one of the final plays of the game.
Payton said it happened one play before Nix threw a deep pass to Marvin Mims that resulted in a pass interference penalty, setting up Denver’s game-winning field goal. One play before that throw, Nix injured his ankle on a designed QB run to the left.
Play that injured Broncos QB Bo Nix
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After that two-yard loss, Nix threw a deep pass to Mims that resulted in a 30-yard DPI foul. Nix then took a knee to spot the ball in the middle of the field, setting up a 23-yard game-winning field goal for Wil Lutz. Nix appeared to be in pain after that kneeldown.
Nix was clearly in pain on the sideline leading up to the kick:
And after the win:
Nix will undergo surgery on Tuesday with Dr. Norman Waldrop performing the surgery in Birmingham, Alabama, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. Dr. Waldrop is an orthopaedic surgeron that specializes in foot and ankle surgery.
With Nix out for the rest of the postseason, Denver will start backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham in the AFC Championship game next weekend. The Broncos will host either the Houston Texans or New England Patriots at Empower Field at Mile High on Jan. 25.
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