The Denver Broncos have reached the AFC Championship Game, but it came at a high cost. Starting quarterback Bo Nix, who just had two of the biggest drives of his entire football career to help propel the Broncos to the Championship Round, is out for the remainder of the year with a broken ankle.
Broncos Country is still in a state of shock over the injury news regarding Nix, but the team is pivoting in a huge moment to backup Jarrett Stidham, who signed a two-year deal in the offseason to return to Denver.
The Broncos saw outstanding work from Stidham in the preseason, but the only work he's gotten since then is a couple of victory formations. The next pass Stidham throws in the AFC Championship is going to be the first he's thrown since the preseason, at least in a game setting.
Broncos turning to Jarrett Stidham after shocking Bo Nix injury news
Sean Payton on Bo Nix’s fractured ankle and his season being over. pic.twitter.com/OtgS44S5eS
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) January 18, 2026
This is nothing short of a gut punch for the Denver Broncos, but the team is confident in Jarrett Stidham. They brought him in during the 2023 offseason initially, and believed he had starter-caliber skills.
What we saw from Stidham in the preseason was a player who was leagues better than the backups he was going against, but he hasn't gotten any live reps this season at all. It's going to be a trial by fire, and the Broncos are going to need to support him in every way possible.
The lack of a running game for the Broncos adds to the concern here, but the possible return of a player like JK Dobbins -- if he can go -- looms large. Stidham knows the offense as well as anybody, and he'll have a full week to practice with the starters.
It's not the first time the Broncos have needed a backup quarterback during a Super Bowl run. John Elway missed significant time during the 1998 season and Peyton Manning missed a good chunk of the 2015 season as well. But those guys were both on the field in the Super Bowl that year.
If the Broncos make it that far, Bo Nix will not be. His season is officially over.
Stidham is much more of a traditional pocket-style passer compared to Nix, whose ability to get outside the pocket and make throws on the move are his best traits. Stidham is a high-quality backup, but that is going to be put to the test in the most pressure-packed moment of his football career.