The Bo Nix debate inside Denver has turned explosive in the days after the Broncos’ season ended one step short of the Super Bowl, with left tackle Garett Bolles publicly suggesting the AFC Championship Game result hinged on one absence. Speaking on the NFL Daily podcast this week, Bolles claimed the Broncos’ 10-7 defeat to the New England Patriots would have looked completely different if Bo Nix had been available.
“I’ll tell you this: If we had Bo Nix, it would be a different ballgame,” Bolles said, adding that if asked directly whether Denver would have beaten New England with Nix, his answer was “Yeah.”
Bolles’ comments are striking not because frustration after a season-ending loss is unusual, but because of the timing and the target. He did not just praise Nix. He drew a straight line between the Broncos missing their quarterback and missing the Super Bowl.
Bo Nix injury context: what actually kept Denver’s QB out
The key fact behind the storm is not disputed. Bo Nix suffered a broken ankle late in overtime of Denver’s Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills, ruling him out of the AFC title game against the Patriots.
With Nix unavailable, Jarrett Stidham started at quarterback in a game played in harsh winter conditions, and Denver’s offense struggled badly. Reuters reported that New England limited Stidham to 133 passing yards and that Denver managed just one first down after halftime in the 10-7 loss.
That statistical reality gives Bolles’ claim oxygen, but it also creates an uncomfortable question the Broncos cannot dodge. If your offense collapses that dramatically without one player, that is not only a quarterback story. It is an indictment of how fragile the attack was built.
Bo Nix absence or execution failure: Bolles points to missed calls too
Bolles did not pretend the quarterback was the only issue. He pointed to specific moments that, in his view, decided the contest. On NFL.com’s report of his comments, Bolles highlighted a failed fourth-down pass attempt in the second quarter, when head coach Sean Payton bypassed a field goal that could have pushed Denver into a 10-0 lead.
“Do I wish we ran the ball when it was fourth-and-1? Yeah… coach made the play call, we gotta execute it, we didn’t. And that was the difference in the game,” Bolles said.
This is where the harsh truth sits. Denver cannot have it both ways. If the Broncos lost because they did not execute on key downs, then blaming Bo Nix’s absence as the single decisive factor becomes a convenient escape. If they lost because they lacked Nix, then the rest of the offense being unable to function at a basic level becomes its own alarm bell.
Bolles, to his credit, tried to separate the two. He backed Stidham publicly, saying the loss was not caused by the weather and that the team was close. But he still returned to the same point: the starting quarterback would have changed everything.
Bo Nix and the dangerous message Denver is sending
Bolles’ statement is emotionally understandable. It is also risky. When a leader says “we win if our guy plays,” it can quickly become a public excuse that weakens accountability. The Patriots did not win because Denver lacked a quarterback. They won because Denver produced seven points, failed on major situations, and offered little after halftime. Reuters’ description of the second-half offense is brutal, and it is impossible to talk around it.
The other problem is the implication for Denver’s depth. The Broncos built a team strong enough to earn the AFC’s top seed in 2025, but one injury turned them into a unit that could not sustain drives in a championship game. That is not merely unfortunate. That is planning exposed.
What happens next for Bo Nix and the Broncos
The optimism in Denver is that Bo Nix is expected to recover in time to participate in the offseason program, even though ESPN reported a lengthy recovery timeline after ankle surgery. The Broncos have already begun making changes in response to how their season ended, including moving quickly to reshape the offensive staff following the title Game defeat.
But the broader point remains. Bolles’ quote has turned into a headline because it speaks to what Broncos fans fear most: that the team was one player away, and also one injury away from collapse.
That is why the Bo Nix discussion will not end with one podcast clip. Denver’s 2026 season will be judged on whether the Broncos can win big games with Nix, and whether they can still look like a serious team when things go wrong.
