The Denver Broncos beat the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round and are hosting the AFC Championship Game for the first time since the 2015 NFL Season. It's been a decade since the Denver Broncos last had playoff football, and the team will get another game.
Unfortunately, the biggest story was Sean Payton announcing that Bo Nix suffered a broken ankle near the end of overtime. Nix is out for the rest of the postseason and will have surgery on that ankle. It's a monumentally devastating piece of news to hear, but that's how it works sometimes in the NFL. The Broncos will now turn to Jarrett Stidham for the AFC title game, and perhaps, the Super Bowl. With that said, there seems to be a chance that a key offensive contributor returns to the lineup.
JK Dobbins may have a chance to return for the AFC Championship Game
There appears to be an outside chance that running back JK Dobbins can return next week:
GOOD MORNING BRONCOS ☕️
— Cody Roark (@CodyRoarkNFL) January 15, 2026
J.K. Dobbins was on the side field on Wednesday for the first time since having surgery on his foot. He won’t be back this week, but if Denver advances vs. the Bills, he could have an outside shot next week. #broncoscountry pic.twitter.com/9QJK7sR2Cy
It's far from a guarantee, as there are two weeks in between the AFC title game and the Super Bowl, and those two weeks could be very key for Dobbins' foot injury, but there appears to now be a non-zero chance that the Broncos get their most consistent player on offense back. In 10 games for the team this year, Dobbins rushed for 772 yards and 4 touchdowns. He was on pace for over 1,300 yards on the ground and helped the Broncos field one of the more efficient run games in the league.
As we have seen, the run game has taken a huge hit ever since the former Charger an Raven left the lineup. With Nix now out, getting a boost back in Dobbins would really help the Broncos chances in the AFC title game.
The bright side here is that not only does Dobbins have a chance to return, but Jarrett Stidham is a very capable backup QB, and we can't pretend like Denver's chances are zero. The defense should be able to hold up a lot better against a Patriots or Texans offense, as the Bills offense was probably the most threatening unit left.
After Sunday's games, we'll know for sure of the Denver Broncos host the Houston Texans or New England Patriots for a chance at Super Bowl LX. Denver does have a chance to get JK Dobbins back in the lineup for next week's game.