Bo Nix Injury Thrusts Jarrett Stidham Into The Spotlight For Conference Championship

Bo Nix’s season-ending ankle injury thrusts Jarrett Stidham into the starting role as the Denver Broncos prepare for a brutal AFC Championship matchup against the New England Patriots.

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) runs during the fourth quarter of an AFC Divisional Round playoff game against the Buffalo Bills at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

After a thrilling overtime win over the Buffalo Bills on Saturday, the Denver Broncos got some devastating injury news. Following the victory and the post-game press conference, Broncos' head coach Sean Payton shockingly announced that quarterback Bo Nix had broken his ankle on the final drive of the game. He is set to undergo surgery on Tuesday, and his season is officially over. 

NEW VIDEO FOOTAGE CLEARLY SHOWS BO NIX GOT INJURED ON THE KNEEL DOWN AT THE END OF THE GAME.

Nix immediately started hobbling and wincing in pain.

WOW…
pic.twitter.com/dFS6BsXE6l https://t.co/UD8giu2Ph1

— MLFootball (@MLFootball) January 18, 2026

This is a brutal loss for Denver heading into the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots. Jarrett Stidham is expected to be the starter in Nix's absence. Stidham has not thrown a pass in an NFL game since 2023. As a professional, he has completed 59.4% of his passes with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions. Needless to say, he has a tall task in front of him with a Patriots' defense that just picked off CJ Stroud four times in the first half of Sunday, and held Justin Herbert to 159 passing yards and no touchdowns the week prior. 

To make matters worse for Stidham and the Broncos, they also lost two key wide receivers in their Divisional Round win. Pat Bryant went down with a concussion, which will more than likely hold him out for the AFC Championship game, and Troy Franklin also exited the game with a hamstring injury, which he was unable to return from. Currently, we'd view Bryant as a long shot to play, and Franklin should be considered very questionable. Stidham losing both of these receivers could make an already difficult ask even tougher. 

Fantasy Football Impact of Bo Nix Injury

Denver Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham (8) prior to a game against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Jarrett Stidham, Denver Broncos

Nix has seen his season come to an end due to a broken ankle, and Stidham will now be thrust into a starting role. There is no way we are starting Stidham this week in any format. If anything, this gives a huge boost to a hot Patriots' defense. 

Lil'Jordan Humphrey, Denver Broncos   

We already know that with Bryant and Franklin potentially out, Courtland Sutton and Marvin Mims are locked in as the top two receivers in Denver. However, the injuries push Humphrey into a potentially crucial role in the Broncos' passing attack. He becomes an interesting dart-throw option if both wideouts are unable to go.