Bo Nix Seen Having the Saddest Seat for AFC Championship Game

Nix was forced to watch from the booth as his team took on the Patriots.

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix watches from the booth as his team takes on the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game. | Via CBS

Bo Nix can’t be having a good day.

As the Broncos prepared to take on the Patriots in the AFC championship game on Sunday, their injured quarterback was stuck in a box, watching from afar. CBS cameras caught Nix looking incredibly bummed to be removed from his teammates.

Video is below.

Bo Nix is in the house watching from the booth pic.twitter.com/O6XhSrImfO

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 25, 2026

Nix broke his ankle late in Denver’s divisional round victory over the Bills, and will miss the rest of the season. It was an enormous blow to the Broncos after an incredible campaign that saw them win the AFC West for the first time since 2015.

Denver will turn to Jarrett Stidham at quarterback against the Patriots, while Sam Ehlinger will act as his backup. The Broncos will likely lean heavily on their running game and defense to try and stop Drake Maye and the Patriots.

Nix was solid in his second NFL season, as he led Denver to a 14-3 record. He completed 63.4% of his passes for 3,931 yards, with 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He added 356 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, while his passer rating (87.8) and QBR (58.4) were about average. But he was exactly what the Broncos needed as they won 13 of their final 14 regular-season games, before scoring a 33-30 overtime win against Buffalo in the divisional round.

Jarrett Stidham’s career stats

Stidham was drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round back in 2019 and made eight appearances for the franchise in 2019 and 2020. He served as New England’s third-string quarterback in 2021 before spending the 2022 season with the Raiders, making two starts. He signed a two-year deal with the Broncos in 2023 and made two starts that season. He has served as Nix’s backup in each of the last two seasons.

During his seven-year career, the 29-year-old has completed 59.4% of his passes for 1,422 yards, with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions. His career passer rating is a disappointing 78.3.

If the Broncos are going to win without Nix, it’s going to take an outstanding performance by Stidham to get it done.

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