25-year-old cornerback Pat Surtain claims the Broncos would have made the Super Bowl final had Bo Nix been part of the team’s outing against the Patriots during the final AFC Championship game. The Denver Broncos lost the game by 10-7 to the New England Patriots, setting up the latter for a Super Bowl LX show against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, February 8.
Speaking to FanDuel about the heartbreak of missing the Super Bowl by a game, Surtain admitted he had “no doubt” that the team’s first-choice quarterback could have turned the tide around with his quality play, while conceding the players would still “walk with a chip around,” for coming so far in the game.
Wow: Pat Surtain says he doesn't have a doubt in his mind that they would be in the Super Bowl if Bo Nix played against the Patriots.
Adams: "Would the Broncos have won the AFC Championship if Bo Nix played?"
Surtain: “Yeah, yeah. No doubt.”
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 4, 2026
Fault Second-Choice QB Jarrett Stidham’s Outing Against the Patriots
Jarrett Stidham, whose fumble set up New England’s only touchdown of a 10-7 win over the Broncos, has come under criticism from observers and fans. While Surtain didn’t mention Stidham’s role, his claims echo fans’ sentiments since Nix’s absence gave him a starting role at the crucial game.
The Broncos’ backup quarterback made his first NFL start in two years after Bo Nix’s season-ending injury during the divisional round. Fair to his appearance on the night, he began the game pretty well, guiding Denver with a 7-0 lead after following up a 52-yard strike to Marvin Mims plus a touchdown to Courtland Sutton early on in the game.
However, the New England Patriots would leverage a Stidham fumble from their own 33-yard line to tie the game. Following up with their recent progress, the Patriots returned in the second half to restrict the Broncos to 32 total yards, setting themselves up for a memorable victory.
Reacting after the game, Broncos-centric X account @SleeperBroncos tweeted, “Hopefully today put things into perspective for the haters but I doubt their egos will allow them to. If there was any doubt about how much Bo Nix means to this offense, today erased it. 10 (Bo Nix) isn’t just the QB, he’s the offense. His impact isn’t hypothetical anymore, it’s obvious.”
Reddit user @Brotherinheist thinks the same way, “I don’t see nix throwing a fumble and spotting them 7 points. That was literally the game lol.”
Speaking publicly for the first time following the loss, Nix says he felt “terrible, very helpless” seeing his side lose Sunday’s AFC Championship Game just days after a surgery on his right ankle. However, the quarterback is looking to turn the pain into motivation for more on-field heroics when he returns from the 6-week-long injury.
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