Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, who will not play in Sunday’s AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots, is anticipated to be out for 12 weeks after having surgery last week on his fractured right ankle, sources informed ESPN.
The recovery phase, rather than the surgery itself, is expected to be the more difficult aspect of this injury. Nix is advised not to place any weight on his ankle for at least four weeks, with a total absence of 12 weeks before he can resume activities, according to sources.
This puts to rest any improbable speculation that Nix could make a miraculous comeback for the Super Bowl LX on Sunday, Feb. 8, should Denver make it.
During the AFC Championship game at help Field at Mile High in Denver, Nix will be seated in a box with other injured Broncos, following doctors’ orders to remain off his feet.
Nix is expected to be mostly recovered in time to join the Broncos’ offseason program, but doctors are being very careful with what the quarterback can and cannot do over the next 12 weeks.
Nix sustained the injury late in overtime during Denver’s win against the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round. Broncos coach Sean Payton shared the news after the game and promptly named Jarrett Stidham as the starting quarterback for the AFC Championship game.
This is the third occasion that Nix has fractured his ankle while playing football, although this break occurred in a different area. Doctors have reassured him that the injury is “nothing to be concerned about long term,” according to a source.
In the interim, the Broncos will be using Stidham as a replacement for Nix, who was the first free agent signing by Payton after he took on the head coaching role in Denver.
“I’m not worried about Stiddy in this game,” Payton told reporters on Friday. “I’m concerned about everyone else and how we perform. That is the honest truth.”
Broncos Country has also rallied behind Stidham, with thousands of fans changing their social media profile pictures to images of Stidham donning sunglasses and earbuds. The picture is trending across social media this week.
yet, while Stidham makes his season debut as a starter, Nix will miss the AFC Championship Game and a matchup with his close friend and fellow quarterback draft classmate Drake Maye. The two have trained together extensively during the offseason, predominantly at Philip Rivers’ training facility in Fairhope, Ala.
Nix, Maye, and Rivers share an agent, fostering a close relationship as they prepared for the 2024 NFL draft and subsequent offseasons.
