Ex-QB Believes Broncos Won’t Dial It Back Despite Bo Nix Loss

The Denver Broncos are headed to the AFC Championship after defeating the Buffalo Bills in overtime on Saturday night. As exciting as the moment is for the Broncos, they are facing a major question heading into their battle against the Houston Texans or the New England Patriots: Can the Broncos get to the Super Bowl without their star quarterback, Bo Nix? The longtime backup-turned-analyst, Chase Daniel, is confident the Broncos still have a strong chance. The former quarterback sends a warning to Denver’s next opponent, claiming that there won’t be a lack of aggression from Sean Payton’s side because he knows from experience. “Here’s the thing about Sean Payton that you got to know; the entire game plan, nothing changes,” Daniel said in a postgame video on social media on Saturday night. “It’ll be the exact same plan, maybe just not as much quarterback run. He is going to hope that he does this with a backup quarterback. Jarrett Stidham is making a lot of money, he deserves it, but I’m telling you right now, the game plan, they’re still going to sling it because Sean just does not care. He trusts his guys no matter what. He’s got home field. I don’t care if it’s the Texans or the Patriots, whoever he has.” Stidham, a 29-year-old career backup, has been in the NFL since 2019. He started his career with the New England Patriots, where he played for two seasons, appearing in eight games. During the 2022 season, Stidham played for the Las Vegas Raiders. He joined the Broncos in 2023. Currently, Stidham is in the midst of his longest tenure with an NFL team. He’s got seven appearances with the Broncos, and even started games twice during the 2023 season. He was 1-1 as a starter. Throughout his career, Stidham has completed 59.4 percent of his passes. He’s thrown for eight touchdowns and eight interceptions. He carries no playoff experience with him at this point in his career, but it doesn’t matter. If Daniel’s assumption is correct, Stidham will have to let it fly next Sunday because it’ll be do-or-die for the Broncos, who want to get back to the Super Bowl stage. Stidham’s appearance won’t be one-and-done if the Broncos can win next week. Nix is undoubtedly out for the remainder of the playoffs with a fractured ankle. Although the veteran quarterback played throughout the entire Divisional Round matchup, he hurt his ankle during the Broncos’ final offensive series. The announcement from Payton came as a massive shock when it was revealed Nix would be out for next week’s game. For more on the NFL, head to Newsweek Sports.