Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II doesn't believe Jarrett Stidham had much of a chance to succeed with the team during the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots this past January in Bo Nix's stead.
Surtain explained that no reps Stidham had before the 10-7 loss with a chance at Super Bowl LX on the line could've possibly prepared him to step in on short notice for the quarterback who once succeeded him with the Auburn Tigers in 2019 after he was drafted by, coincidentally, the Patriots.
“It’s tough for anybody to be in that role. Not having to play the whole year because of Bo, then having to play, not only play, but coming into the AFC Championship,” Surtain told Julian Edelman of the Games With Names podcast. “Way faster game. Faster pace, faster tempo, and I mean, it was tough all around, man.”
Broncos couldn't celebrate win over Bills after Bo Nix injury news
Surtain described a straight-up sad locker room scene after a 33-30 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round once word got out that Nix had a broken ankle and would miss the team's conference championship contest.
“I mean, instant thought was, man, celebrate,” Surtain explained to Edelman. “Coming off this game, like, everybody’s happy. Emotions are at an all-time high. Coming off an overtime win against a great Buffalo team and winning that, going on to the AFC championship, emotions are flaring, emotions are high.
“Then we get hit with the bad news. Obviously, Bo broke his ankle, fractured his ankle, and next thing you know, it just felt deflating, like a dagger just went through your heart, man. And obviously during that moment, it was like, ‘Man, we feel for him.'”
It's especially troublesome news in the long term, considering Nix's previous ankle injury during the 2021 season, his last on the Plains, during his last game with the Tigers, a 43-34 loss to the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Nix will likely be back in the huddle by Week 1 kickoff this September. Still, Broncos Country is probably uneasy about the health of their QB1, and are probably still unconvinced on their QB2 after not getting the job done in the AFC title game.