Bo Nix refutes Sean Payton's claim that his preexisting ankle history led to break: 'He doesn't really even know that, honestly'

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix suffered a broken bone in his ankle in Denver’s AFC Divisional Game against the Buffalo Bills that led to him missing the AFC Championship Game, which resulted in a 10-7 loss with backup Jarrett Stidham at the helm.

Nix suffered the injury on a -2 yard rush with 6:04 remaining in overtime. He remained in the game and drew a crucial pass interference call on a throw to Marvin Mims, which put Denver in field goal range for the win. He underwent surgery on Jan. 20 for the broken bone in his ankle and has been on crutches ever since.

During Tuesday’s exit press conference, Broncos head coach Sean Payton hinted that Nix had a preexisting ankle injury that led to the unfortunate broken bone in his ankle.

“What was found (during surgery) was a condition that was predisposed… they always find a little more when they go in,” Payton said. “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.”

Bo Nix refutes Sean Payton’s claim regarding previous ankle issues

Nix has however come out and refuted Payton’s claim. On Wednesday, Nix said that there was no ankle issue that would have needed surgery ‘sooner or later’. Along with that claim, Nix also revealed that Payton would not possibly know how many surgeries he’s had on his ankle. “He doesn’t really even know that, honestly,” Nix said via Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post.

In the 33-30 win over Buffalo, Nix completed 26/46 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. He also led the Broncos in rushing with 29 yards on 12 carries. With the win, he joined Tim Tebow as the only other Denver-drafted quarterback to lead the franchise to a Playoff victory.

Stidham struggled mightily in the loss to New England, competing just 17/31 passes for 133 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The interception was extremely costly, as it came with 2:18 remaining in the fourth quarter as Denver trailed by just three points.

New England now heads to its 12th Super Bowl in franchise history, while Denver regroups heading into Bo Nix‘s third season in the NFL.