The Denver Broncos learned that quarterback Bo Nix will need extensive time to recover from the broken right ankle he sustained at the end of the Broncos’ 33-30 win over the Buffalo Bills last weekend in the division round, with the news reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN.
The specifics include putting no weight at all on the ankle for the next four weeks, and three months with no activities. The news debunks some of the wild internet theories floating around that Nix could possibly make a miraculous recovery and play in the Super Bowl if the Broncos can beat New England today.
More importantly, the timeline takes Nix’s recovery into the time frame for OTAs, and the severity of his limitations could possibly limit him in training camp.
That makes the play of backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham even more important today. If Nix experiences complications, Stidham could end up taking most of the snaps in OTAs and training camp, and it’s certainly not impossible that he could end up being the Week 1 starter for Denver in September as Nix completes his recovery.
The tidbit in this news story that hasn’t been mentioned much is that Nix has broken the same ankle twice before, and somehow the Broncos didn’t seem to know about it. This seems impossible in today’s quarterback era given the millions of dollars invested in QBs like Nix, but there have been several reports in which coach Sean Payton appeared to be surprised to learn about this.
The break was in a different place in the ankle, and according to a Schefter source the doctors have told him the injury is “nothing to be concerned about long term.” That, too, seems a little far-fetched given that bone breaks usually leave those who suffer them more vulnerable to a second similar injury down the road.
None of that will matter today, however. Nix will undoubtedly saluted and lauded at the game, especially since a social media avatar of him has been widely adopted by Broncos fans. Nix will also watch as his draft classmate, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, will provide the opposition, which is interesting given that the two QBs spent a lot of time training together in Alabama at a facility owned by Philip Rivers.
Once the game starts, though, all eyes will be on Stidham. The Broncos are serious underdogs in this one, and while no one expects them to beat the Patriots, the combination of Denver’s tough defense and the home crowd could make this one closer than expected.