All things considered, the Broncos are relatively healthy for the AFC Championship Game. On defense, the only starter not suiting up is Brandon Jones, who could also miss the Super Bowl with a pectoral injury. The Broncos have definitely battled injuries all year, but this is true for 31 other NFL teams.
However, the team got a huge blow dealt to them with the news that Bo Nix broke his ankle. It'll be Jarrett Stidham for at least one week, but all we've heard this week leading up to the game is how well Stidham could play and how the Broncos can still win this thing.
On the injury front, the Broncos got a key development with JK Dobbins having his practice window opened. Dobbins was limited in practice all week. Furthermore, other key offensive players were on the injury report, and the final report with game status is a reminder of how harsh this league can be and how Jarrett Stidham might have to turn into a hero a bit.
Denver Broncos AFC title game injury report is a bit long...
JK Dobbins is not suiting up for the AFC title game, and all of Luke Wattenberg, Alex Forsyth, and Troy Franklin are questionable:
Friday's #NEvsDEN injury report:
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) January 23, 2026
📰 » https://t.co/oLRebw4qun pic.twitter.com/4eUnvsglED
However, this piece of news indicates that Franklin is trending toward not playing:
With WR Troy Franklin bothered by hamstring injury I'm told #Broncos are looking strongly at elevating WR Elijah Moore from practice squad Saturday for Sunday vs Patriots. Thinking is they'd potentially want to replace Franklin speed w/ Moore speed. He ran 4.35 40 at 2021 combine
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) January 23, 2026
With this news, the Broncos could potentially be out Troy Franklin, Luke Wattenberg, JK Dobbins, and obviouslt Bo Nix. I would feel shocked, personally, if Wattenberg did not play, but not having Dobbins and likely Franklin is going to hurt.
The run game without JK Dobbins has been flat-out bad, as RJ Harvey just isn't an every down back, and Jaleel McLaughlin isn't really a player that can handle 15+ carries a game. At the end of the day, more pressure is on the shoulders of Jarrett Stidham, who might have to play a bit of hero ball in this one.
There is a realistic chance that the Broncos fall behind in this game and need their QB to lead a go-ahead drive. We've seen this happen time and time again, and at the end of the day, it's up to the playmakers to make plays.
The Broncos aren't likely going to ask Jarrett Stidham to do a ton with the offense in the early part of this game, but there will be a time where he's asked to make some big-time throws, but not having a key receiver and running back is going to sting.