In a win over the Buffalo Bills, the Denver Broncos quarterback suffered a broken ankle two plays before kicker Wil Lutz scored three game-winning drives through the uprights. Nix has been ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs, which means 29-year-old career backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham will try to lead the Broncos to Super Bowl LX.
This situation should have both the New England Patriots and Houston Texans focused on next week’s AFC Championship Game, even if neither team should take a moment to do so. It’s likely that whoever wins between New England and Houston will be viewed as the favorite to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl, as the Broncos will be significantly less dynamic without Nix.
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The Patriots play one of the easiest NFL schedules in nearly 100 years, which often includes lucky breaks when opponents miss key starters. That luck continues in the divisional round, with New England not having to worry about defending wide receiver Nico Collins. In the playoffs, winning is as important as luck, and injuries are part of the conversation.
In an interview before facing the Bills on Saturday, Broncos head coach Sean Payton confidently expressed his opinion that Denver has a clear advantage due to its bye week. He doubled down on that sentiment after halftime, saying the bye was evident in the second half. In fact, that advantage didn’t have much of an impact on the outcome against Buffalo. Conversely, an unfortunate injury to the Broncos’ best player could hurt Denver’s chances of Super Bowl glory.
