Bo Nix reaffirms his ankle is not an issue

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix was asked directly after Sunday’s 24-14 loss to the San Francisco 49ers whether his ankle has affected his play this season.

His answer on Sunday night was one word: “No.”

Nix has said in recent weeks that he feels “as healthy as ever.”

Nix’s ankle has been a question since January. He broke his right ankle on Denver’s winning drive in a 33-30 overtime victory over the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the playoffs. He had surgery two days later and watched from a suite as backup Jarrett Stidham started the AFC championship game, a 10-7 loss to the New England Patriots.

At his season-ending news conference, coach Sean Payton said doctors found that Nix’s ankle had been “predisposed” to the injury.

“It wasn’t a matter of if, it was a matter of when,” Payton said.

Nix publicly disagreed, which started a back-and-forth between the quarterback and his coach.

In April, Nix had a second procedure on the ankle to remove bone spurs. His work in the offseason program was limited, but he returned in time for June minicamp.

CBS field reporter Melanie Collins brought up the ankle again during Sunday’s broadcast. She said Nix “told us his ankle is pretty much back to 100% at this point.” She added that “there are some times when he experiences some swelling and stiffness after activity or a plane ride.”

Whatever Nix says his ankle’s condition is in, the numbers show the quarterback is playing differently through four weeks. He has 25 rushing yards and one touchdown on 14 carries, an average of 1.8 yards per attempt.

At this point last season, Nix had 78 yards and one touchdown on 25 carries. As a rookie, he had 110 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries through four weeks.

So far this season, his legs haven’t been much of a factor — maybe it’s his new offensive coordinator if it’s not the ankle. Not just Nix, but the Broncos offense as a whole has struggled through four weeks.

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