Broncos were doomed without Bo Nix… and that’s a good thing

The Denver Broncos desperately missed QB Bo Nix in the AFC Championship Game.

They would be going to the Super Bowl if his ankle wasn’t fractured.

That’s not hyperbole, that’s a fact. The New England Patriots scored 10 lousy points and are headed to Santa Clara while the Broncos watch with the rest of us on our couches.

Man, oh man, this stinks.

Denver’s season officially ended on Sunday with the heartbreaking 10-7 loss, but it was really over the night of Saturday, Jan. 17.

That’s when head coach Sean Payton had to have a second press conference after the Broncos beat the Buffalo Bills in overtime of the divisional round. The news was bleak and stunning. Nix was done after fracturing his ankle in OT.

Why couldn’t former Broncos kicker Matt Prater miss that field goal when Denver was up 30-27? Nix’s ankle would still be in one piece and Broncos Country would be preparing for its ninth trip to the big game.

Backup QB Jarrett Stidham had a great drive in the first quarter against the Patriots. He hit Marvin Mims Jr. on a bomb for a long completion, then found Courtland Sutton for a nice touchdown shortly thereafter.

Unfortunately, the Broncos wouldn’t score the rest of the way. The snow started falling at Empower Field at Mile High and the offense went beyond cold. They were freezing.

Stidham’s awful fumble when he should’ve taken a sack gifted New England seven points. Kicker Wil Lutz missed an important field goal before halftime and had another blocked that could’ve tied things 10-10. Instead, Stidham threw a late interception and the Broncos never got the football back.

If Nix had been healthy and on the field, there’s zero doubt the outcome is a different one. And now that the dust has settled a bit, that’s actually a good thing.

Denver has found its guy for now and the next decade. In his absence, Nix proved his value. The Broncos so desperately missed him that any worries about Nix being the franchise QB are gone. They were doomed without him.

Last week in this town was strange — borderline embarrassing.

It’s one thing to embrace Stidham as a fanbase. That’s what folks should do. Denver had no other option, so it was time to believe he could get the job done.

On the other hand, a lot of prominent media personalities didn’t tell the truth. They sugarcoated Nix’s injury as no big deal and relayed to their audiences everything would be fine. It was misguided at best, dishonest at worst.

Going from Nix to Stidham was a massive downgrade and anyone with a little bit of courage was willing to admit that. It came at a price, with a lot of trolls getting mad on social media, but sometimes the truth hurts.

The backpedaling on Sunday night and Monday was almost comical. The same people who shouted everything was going to be okay with Stidham said with a straight face how much they missed Nix. Thanks, captain obvious, some of us tried to provide a proper warning.

A heartbreaking loss stings and nothing can change that. Still, at the end of the day, Nix watching from a suite at Mile High answered a lot of questions. He’s the quarterback — and the best option by a mile — for a long time in Denver.

For a franchise that’s been searching for answers ever since Peyton Manning retired, it’s a huge relief to know that’s settled. Nix was a fringe MVP candidate this season and will be in the conversation for years to come.

Nothing is going to change how we feel over the coming weeks and months. This is a brutal pill to swallow. But as winter turns to spring and eventually summer, there’s plenty of hope when it comes to the Broncos.

It all starts with Nix, who fans can’t wait to see back on that field at training camp and throughout 2026. A Lombardi Trophy feels like it’s definitely in his future.

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