Bo Nix's season-ending injury thrusts Jarrett Stidham into the playoff spotlight, impacting the Broncos' power ranking and Super Bowl aspirations.
The Denver Broncos survived with a 33-30 win in overtime against the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round.
However, the victory was overshadowed by the season-ending injury to quarterback Bo Nix. The Broncos QB1 is now out for the year, which means Jarrett Stidham will replace him for the AFC title game against the New England Patriots.
This injury prompts plenty of questions for Denver, although Sean Payton seems positive that Stidham can step in and play well enough to lead them to the Super Bowl.
Still, it's a tough blow.
Eric Edholm of NFL.com had new power rankings going into championship weekend, and he moved the Broncos down one spot to No. 4.
Here is Edholm's rankings:
- Seattle Seahawks
- New England Patriots
- Los Angeles Rams
- Denver Broncos
And, here's why.
"Bo Nix's broken ankle has to be one of the cruelest injuries in recent memory. Nix and the Broncos started hot in Saturday's game against the Bills, went into a lull, then engineered go-ahead and game-winning drives in the fourth quarter and overtime in a terrific showing. Sean Payton showed trust in his young quarterback, and Nix delivered. Now, with Nix done for the season, it'll be Jarrett Stidham, who hasn't attempted a regular-season pass in two years and who has never played in a playoff game before. And at center, Denver could be down to its third-stringer, depending on the health of Alex Forsyth, who suffered an ankle injury of his own. I can't wait for Payton to lay it on thick all week with the disrespect card, and I also can't wait to see what kind of offensive plan he cooks up against a Patriots defense that has come to play in two postseason games so far. It might take a special effort by Denver's defense, which has been very good all season, to beat Drake Maye, but it's an assignment this unit can carry out on its best pass-rush day."
Yes, Stidham has not thrown a pass in two years in the regular season, and now he faces the pressure of taking on a difficult Patriots team with a Super Bowl trip on the line.
Now, the Broncos defense has carried them, although Josh Allen's Bills scored 30 points in the last game, so there are concerns about how good this group is and whether or not they can contain QB Drake Maye.
Yes, the Broncos play at home and have been rolling, but the injury to Nix is a devastating blow to this team, and who knows if Stidham will be able to answer the call with everything on the line and a trip to Santa Clara waiting for the winner.