Bo Nix’s rookie season ends early as Broncos quarterback fractures ankle in loss to Bills

The Denver Broncos earned their first playoff win since Super Bowl 50 by beating the Buffalo Bills 33-30 in the divisional round of the 2025 NFL playoffs.

However, the victory came at a cost. Bo Nix suffered an ankle injury during the contest that will knock him out for the remainder of the season.

Here’s what to know about Nix’s injury and how the Broncos will move forward with their top quarterback unavailable.

Bo Nix injury update

Broncos coach Sean Payton announced Nix had suffered a season-ending ankle fracture during his postgame news conference.

“On the second-to-last play in overtime, Bo fractured a bone in his right ankle,” Payton told reporters. “He’s scheduled to have surgery Tuesday of this week to put him out for the rest of the season.”

Payton later clarified the play wasn’t the second-to-last play of overtime and came just before Nix’s pass to Marvin Mims Jr. NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero posted a video of the play – which featured Nix taking a low hit from Buffalo Bills safety Cole Bishop – to social media.

Nix was able to finish the overtime period despite the injury. He completed 26 of 46 passes for 279 yards, three touchdowns and an interception while leading the team with 12 carries and 29 rushing yards.

Now, his season will end, as Nix is set to undergo season-ending ankle surgery in Alabama on Tuesday, per Payton.

Who is the Broncos’ backup quarterback?

Jarrett Stidham is the Broncos’ backup quarterback and will replace Nix. Payton expressed confidence in the veteran, who will make his first start of the season in the AFC championship game.

“Stiddy’s ready to go,” Payton said, referring to the backup quarterback by his nickname.

Stidham, 29, is a seven-year veteran who was elected in the fourth-round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. He has been with the Broncos since 2023 and made two starts for the team that season, going 1-1 and completing 60.6% of his passes for 496 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

Stidham has not attempted a regular-season or postseason pass since the 2023 NFL season.

Broncos QB depth chart

The Broncos have just two healthy quarterbacks remaining in their organization with Nix out for the season. They are as follows:

Jarrett Stidham
Sam Ehlinger

Ehlinger is in his first season with the Broncos after spending his first four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. The 27-year-old Texas product hasn’t played a snap for the Broncos this season but was the Denver’s emergency third quarterback for Sunday’s game.

Like Stidham, Ehlinger hasn’t played a regular-season or postseason NFL snap since the 2023 season. He last attempted a pass in 2022, when he started three games, going 0-3 and completing 63.4% of his passes for 573 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions while with the Colts.

Broncos backup QB situation

Prior to the start of the 2025 season, the Broncos didn’t have the best backup situation in the league. In fact, USA TODAY’s Nate Davis ranked the passers-in-waiting at No. 25 out of the 32 teams in the league.

“Even though he’s had limited regular-season run in six NFL seasons, coaches tend to rave about Jarrett Stidham. Third-stringer Sam Ehlinger is similarly unproven,” Davis wrote.

$Bo Nix’s rookie season ends early as Broncos quarterback fractures ankle in loss to Bills$

Broncos QB options without Bo Nix

The Broncos are likely to roll with Stidham as their starter with Nix out while Ehlinger would slot into the backup role.

That said, Denver could consider adding a third-string quarterback to their organization for depth purposes. Here’s a look at some of the available candidates the Broncos could consider for that role:

Shane Buechele
Taylor Heinicke
Adrian Martinez
Clayton Tune
Dorian Thompson-Robinson

Report: ‘Players didn’t know’ about Bo Nix’s injury

Fans weren’t the only ones blindsided by Nix’s injury. Bleacher Report’s James Palmer reports that “players didn’t know” that the second-year quarterback was injured until Payton announced it at the podium during his news conference.

Bo Nix’s reaction to injury: Report

Payton said after the game that Nix had an upbeat, positive outlook on his injury, owing largely to his Christian faith.

“He’s a tough cookie,” Payton said.

Despite Payton’s recollection in his quote, there have been more than a couple of quarterbacks to lead their team to a conference championship game in their second season. Among active players, that list includes Mahomes, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.

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