Why Garett Bolles Is Rooting Against the Patriots in Super Bowl 60

Garett Bolles kept it real on why he won't be rooting for the Patriots on Super Bowl Sunday.

Jan 25, 2026; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos offensive tackle Garett Bolles (72) blocks New England Patriots defensive end Milton Williams (97) during the first half in the 2026 AFC Championship Game at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Denver Broncos Pro Bowl left tackle Garett Bolles is still feeling salty about losing the AFC championship game to the New England Patriots. 

Nobody at Broncos HQ has hidden their disappointment over how their season ended, losing to the Patriots without Bo Nix and by only three points. The Broncos will have to wait until next season to get Nix back, but they will get the chance to face Drake Maye and the Patriots again.

In the meantime, Bolles wants the Seattle Seahawks to exact some sweet revenge for the Broncos in Super Bowl 60 in Santa Clara, CA.

"I hope they lose," Bolles said of the Patriots during an appearance on the NFL Daily podcast with Gregg Rosenthal.

Digesting the unfortunate predicament the Broncos were thrust into when Nix fractured his ankle late in their divisional-round win over the Buffalo Bills can't be easy. 'What-ifs' abound because Nix would have given the Broncos a real chance at home, even in the inclement weather, especially given his late-game moxie. 

Bolles has no doubt that if Nix had been under center for the championship game, the Broncos would have prevailed over the Patriots. 

"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 told Rosenthal. "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. Obviously, we were right there with what we needed to do, but we didn't get it done. But I'm excited to see what the future holds for us."

Regret runs alongside disappointment. The Lombardi dream is over for now, but the future is extremely bright for the Broncos. 

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Fateful 4th-&-1

Jan 25, 2026; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham (8) drops back to pass against the New England Patriots during the first half in the 2026 AFC Championship Game at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Broncos' All-Pro left tackle is still stewing over the fateful 4th-&-1 play-call that didn't work. The Broncos would lose by the very three points they forewent in that moment had they opted for the chip-shot field goal attempt while the weather was still good.

"Do I wish we ran the ball when it was fourth-and-1?" Bolles said. "Yeah, go back in time, sure, but, you know, coach made the play call, we gotta execute it, we didn't. And that was the difference in the game." 

All told, it would be fairly easy for Bolles and the Broncos to point the finger at backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham for the misfires that led them to missing out on a trip to Super Bowl 60. Stidhams' two turnovers played their part in Denver's loss, but equal amounts of blame can be apportioned to head coach Sean Payton for not taking the looming snowstorm more fully into account and simply kicking a field goal to get out to a 10-0 lead.

Bolles isn't indulging in such negative thinking, though. The veteran blocker has nothing but respect for Stidham, and insists the Broncos win and lose as a collective unit. 

"They can say what they want—whatever they want—but we lost by three points," Bolles said. "It wasn't the snowstorm, it wasn't anything ... 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." 

While winning and losing in a championship game is usually black and white, there are plenty of nuances built into how and why the Broncos came up short.

The biggest takeaway? Having Nix under center will mean everything to this franchise moving forward. The magnitude of not having Nix in the biggest game of the year was too much to overcome.

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

It's hard to argue Bolles's point, especially with how the Broncos' defense dominated Maye and the Patriots. Nix would have capitalized on that much better than Stidham was able to.