DENVER — The Denver Broncos wrangled their biggest win in a decade Saturday night, but they took an enormous loss in the process.
About an hour after quarterback Bo Nix led the AFC’s top-seeded Broncos to a 33-30 victory over the sixth-seeded Buffaloo Bills in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, with the win secured by Wil Lutz’s 23-yard field goal in overtime at Empower Field at Mile High, Denver coach Sean Payton returned to the postgame lectern to deliver the stunning news.
Payton, the veteran head coach in his second season in Denver, said Nix broke his right ankle a few plays before Lutz’s kick sent the Broncos to the AFC championship game with the franchise’s first playoff victory since winning Super Bowl 50 to cap the 2015 season. Nix, a second-year pro, will have season-ending surgery Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama.
“We celebrate the season for him,” Payton said. “And listen, the city’s ready and we’ll be ready for the next challenge.”
Next weekend, Denver will host the winner of Sunday’s other AFC divisional round matchup, between the fifth-seeded Houston Texans and the second-seeded New England Patriots. Stepping in behind center for the Broncos will be backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who took just one snap this season: a kneel-down play to close out a blowout win over the Dallas Cowboys in the eighth week.