The Denver Broncos may have the No. 1 seed in the AFC, but heading into the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots on Sunday, they will be without their star quarterback, Bo Nix. He suffered a broken ankle during that Divisional Round win against the Buffalo Bills, and standing in for him for the rest of the postseason will be his backup, Jarrett Stidham.
While talented, Jarrett Stidham is not considered to be on the level of Bo Nix, but he has the potential to lead the Broncos against Drake Maye and the Patriots on Sunday. This now begs the question of who will be Stidham’s backup in case he himself goes down with an injury ahead of the Super Bowl?
Against the Patriots, the Broncos’ quarterback depth chart has Stidham as the QB1. Their usual QB3, or emergency quarterback, is Sam Ehlinger.
Because emergency quarterbacks rarely get any playing time, especially with Bo Nix being a dominant QB1 this season, Sam Ehlinger was not able to play a single game yet this season, so should Stidham go down with an injury and win, Denver might have to rely on an untested QB in the Super Bowl.
The Broncos also signed former New Orleans Saints quarterback Ben DiNucci ahead of the game against the Patriots, though what his designation will be remains to be seen, as he may be serving as the emergency quarterback should Stidham get injured. He might not even be activated during the game against the Patriots.
DiNucci’s signing may be taken as a vote of confidence for Stidham though, as they did not sign a big-name free agent but rather a depth piece, meaning they are confident Stidham would deliver after Bo Nix’s season-ending injury.
Doctor Says Bo Nix Could Return As Soon As the Super Bowl
Meanwhile, as fans are cautiously getting optimistic about Stidham, Dr. Dave Schneider appeared on the KOA Sports Podcast and revealed that should the Broncos defeat the Patriots, Bo Nix might be able to return because his fracture was not that severe.
“There is an outside chance that what he needs is to have surgery tomorrow,” the doctor said. “By all reports, because it’s such a simple fracture, the plates and screws being used mean that he could almost be back to play by the Super Bowl. It’s just crazy; the craziest things happen to him.”
Nix’s surgery reportedly went well, and this could fast-track him to recovery. Still, this is only a possibility, so there is also a big chance that he might not be healed enough to lead Denver to the Super Bowl.
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