Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix suffered a broken ankle in Saturday's 33-30 Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills and will miss the rest of the postseason, head coach Sean Payton told reporters.
Payton said Nix suffered the injury on the "second-to-last" play of overtime, a QB sweep to the left that resulted in a 2-yard loss.
Nix will undergo surgery on Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama, to repair the injury, per Payton.
The Broncos head coach also said backup QB Jarrett Stidham will fill in for Nix in the AFC Championship Game on Jan. 25 in Denver where they will face the New England Patriots, who defeated the Houston Texans on Sunday.
"Stiddy's ready to go," Payton said. "I said this at the beginning of the season: I feel like I've got a two [backup QB] that's capable of starting for a number of teams. I know he feels the same way.
"So, watch out. Just watch."
Sam Ehlinger is expected to be Stidham's backup QB going forward.
Payton announced the news nearly 40 minutes after he had already addressed the media following Saturday's thrilling victory. Nix did not address reporters at the podium after the game.
"He's a tough cookie," Payton said of Nix. "I said, 'Listen, I believe, you're the second quarterback in Year 2 to take your team to a Championship Game, and the first is (Patrick) Mahomes.'
"This team all year has lost key players, and we'll rise up for the next challenge and we'll go from there."
The stunning news puts a significant damper on what was the biggest Broncos victory in a decade. Nix was 26-of-46 passing for 279 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in the overtime victory, leading go-ahead drives at the end of the fourth quarter and OT.
Denver will host its first AFC title game next Sunday against either the Houston Texans and the New England Patriots, but it will do so without its starting signal-caller.
Since being taken in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Nix has started all 36 games, including the postseason.
Stidham, next week's starting QB, is a seventh-year veteran backup but made just one appearance in the 2025 season, logging four snaps in Denver's Week 8 win over Dallas. He hasn't seen extended action since 2023 when he started the final two games of the season in place of the shelved Russell Wilson.
The Broncos boast a top-tier defense, but Nix is the engine that makes their offense go. Payton said he knows his team will respond with a Super Bowl berth on the line next week.
"They'll be disappointed," Payton said. "There will be a lot of emotions, and then the refocus takes place.
"Stiddy's ready, and we'll be ready for the next challenge."