After suffering an injury that ended his season prematurely, Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix has broken his silence on social media to address the ailment.
In the overtime period of the AFC Divisional round between Denver and the Buffalo Bills, Nix broke a bone in his ankle.
While he finished out the final drive, a further analysis of the wound revealed that he would need season-ending surgery.
Now, the Broncos face an uncertain playoff future as they trot out backup Jarrett Stidham against the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game with a trip to Super Bowl LX on the line.
On his Instagram account on Wednesday, Nix gave thanks to all the well wishers while sharing his thoughts.
‘The last few days have been hard to put into words,’ Nix began his message.
Broncos QB Bo Nix broke his silence after suffering a season-ending injury in the playoffs
Nix called the diagnosis ‘some of the most devastating football news I’ve ever received’
The moment the signal caller broke his ankle was caught on CBS’s broadcast
‘What started as one of the most exciting games I’ve ever been a part of ended with some of the most devastating football news I’ve ever received.
‘This is not how I imagined my season would come to an end, but our season has been defined by overcoming adversity and responding to it.
‘I can’t express how much this team and organization mean to me and how much I believe in them. I couldn’t be more proud of our guys. I couldn’t be more confident in Jarrett. And I couldn’t be more excited for what’s next.
‘Thank you all for the kind words, love and support over the last few days. Thankful for my trainers, Beau, Vince and Dr. Waldrop for taking great care of me.
‘God never says oops, and he is always good. He has big plans for this team. We’re not finished, as a matter of fact we’re just getting started. We’re just going to keep climbing higher. Go Broncos.’
Nix’s injury came as a shock to the football world – especially because it wasn’t immediately apparent when the break in his ankle occurred until after the game had finished.
On a first-and-10 from the Buffalo 36-yard line with 6 minutes, 4 seconds left in overtime, Nix attempted to hold onto the ball but he was tackled on the run by safety Cole Bishop for a loss of two yards.
The second-year quarterback went flying over the top of Bishop’s back before slamming to the turf.
Nix has undergone surgery in his native Alabama and is now set for an offseason of recovery
Now, Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham will take over for the AFC Championship game
Nix quickly got to his feet, and although he appeared to be gingerly limping back to the huddle, it wasn’t immediately clear that he had suffered any damage.
It was only following the victory that the devastating extent of Nix’s injury was revealed by Broncos head coach Sean Payton.
Payton revealed the signal caller was set to undergo surgery to repair the fracture this past Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama.
After the injury to Nix, Denver signed free agent quarterback and CBS Sports analyst Ben DiNucci to fill the gap in their roster.
The Broncos have not contested an AFC Championship game since 2015, when they went on to win Super Bowl 50.
Incidentally, that AFC Championship game came against the Patriots – when Denver’s strong defense intercepted Tom Brady’s game-tying two-point conversion attempt with 17 seconds left to end the game in a 20-18 Broncos victory.
