It should have been one of the greatest moments of Bo Nix’s life after leading the Denver Broncos to a playoff win against the Buffalo Bills and within one game of the Super Bowl on Saturday night in overtime.
The Broncos survived a late comeback by Josh Allen and the Bills and were able to kick the game-winning field goal on their second possession in overtime, but Nix seemed down on the sideline despite the victory.
Less than an hour later, we found out why as Broncos’ head coach Sean Payton announced that Nix had broken his right ankle on the second-to-last play of the game and would miss the rest of the season.
“We celebrate the season for him," Payton said. “And listen, the city's ready and we'll be ready for the next challenge.”
That means another former Auburn quarterback, Jarrett Stidham, will be behind center for the Broncos as they host the New England Patriots on Sunday in the AFC Conference Finals.
But this wasn’t how it was supposed to be. In his second season after being drafted with the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Nix was realizing a dream season, helping lead Denver to the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC, throwing for 3,931 yards and 25 touchdowns while rushing for five more scores. And while many credited the Broncos’ defense for the team’s success, you can’t win in the NFL without a capable quarterback.
On Saturday, in a matchup against Allen, Nix threw for 279 yards and three touchdowns to one interception. However, the season will likely be remembered for a photo that NIx’s wife, Izzy, posted on her Instagram that she took in the hallway underneath the stadium following the victory on Saturday.
Bo Nix’s wife, Izzy, with a photo of the hallway scene Sean Payton talked about Saturday night.
— Parker Gabriel (@ParkerJGabriel) January 19, 2026
Nix, his dad, Davis Webb and fellow QBs Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger. pic.twitter.com/4kEDOpfLPs
It’s a shame that such a breakout season for Nix had to end this way.