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Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix was so close to leading his team out in the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots.
But a broken bone in his ankle, suffered at the end of the win over the Buffalo Bills, ended his season, and put Jarrett Stidham as the starter.
Denver would be dumped out of the playoffs after losing 10-7 to the Patriots, as Nix watched from the sidelines.
Now, head coach Sean Payton has revealed something quite stunning about Nix's injury, and it wasn't known until the quarterback had surgery.
"What was found was a condition that was predisposed -- they always find a little more when they go in," Payton said via ESPN. "It wasn't a matter of if, it was a matter of when. When you look at the play and you're trying to evaluate it -- the operating surgeon said that this was going to happen sooner than later. Now, you go about the rehab, proper orthotics, all those things."
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Nix on the comeback trail
With Nix already having surgery, the thought is that he will be back for OTAs, so that is great news for the Broncos.
The last thing they would want is for Bo to miss crucial practices, and it appears he won't.
After a good season with Payton, that had them hosting the AFC Championship game, the bar has been set ahead of 2026.
With a healthy Nix and the Broncos potentially upgrading his weapons, Denver could once again be a force in the AFC.
But the fact that Bo's injury was a matter of when, not if, is certainly an eyebrow-raising comment from Payton.
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