The Denver Broncos will host the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. The Patriots have actually never beaten the Broncos in Denver in the playoffs, so hopefully that trend continues later today.
But the major storyline leading up to this game was Bo Nix suffering a broken ankle in the team's overtime victory in the Divisional Round against the Buffalo Bills. That was the first playoff win since Super Bowl 50, but it came at a cost, unfortunately.
Nix suffered the injury on one of the final plays of the overtime period but did manage to finish the game, likely due to adrenaline and his ankles having already been taped up before the game. Is there any chance that Bo Nix plays in this one?
Bo Nix will obviously not be playing in the AFC Championship Game with a broken ankle
Obviously, Bo Nix is not playing in the AFC title game for the Denver Broncos and will also be out for Super Bowl LX if the Broncos were to beat the Patriots:
Friday's #NEvsDEN injury report:
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) January 23, 2026
📰 » https://t.co/oLRebw4qun pic.twitter.com/4eUnvsglED
The reason why you saw Nix on the injury report this week despite suffering a season-ending injury is because Nix wasn't yet put on IR. Nix should be shelved on IR before the game, as the team may end up activating Luke Wattenberg from IR in the process.
It isn't clear at the moment how long Nix will have to recover before being cleared for full football activities, but it almost certainly going to be a few months at least. The injury truly happened at a horrible time, but there is nothing pointing to Nix not making a full recovery and being ready for the start of 2026.
The Broncos should play with an extra sense of motivation knowing that their starting QB helped them get this far but isn't able to finish the deal.