The Denver Broncos‘ joy from their dramatic AFC Divisional Round win barely lasted a few minutes before it was replaced by shock, as Bo Nix was ruled out for the remainder of the season with a fractured bone in his ankle.
The injury occurred on the second-to-last play of Denver‘s 33-30 victory over the Buffalo Bills, when Nix went down after kneeling to set up the game-winning field goal.
Josh Allen stops to greet Peyton Manning and his sons before Bills vs Dolphins
Shortly after the final whistle, head coach Sean Payton confirmed that Bo Nix would miss the rest of the playoffs, instantly altering the trajectory of Denver‘s postseason run.
Nix was seen limping off the field and speaking with trainers on the sideline, the weight of the moment settling in quickly.
For a team that had relied heavily on the rookie’s calm decision-making and steady growth throughout an unexpected surge, the timing could not have been crueler.
What should have been a night remembered purely for resilience and execution instead became one of uncertainty.
Jarrett Stidham thrust into the centre of Denver’s Super Bowl push
With Nix sidelined, Jarrett Stidham is now expected to start the AFC Championship Game, stepping into a role that few anticipated at this stage of the season.
Denver‘s betting outlook dipped immediately after the announcement, yet the opportunity remains alive for a rare postseason twist, one built around adaptation rather than momentum.
Stidham‘s elevation has also brought renewed attention to his family, particularly his wife, Kennedy, who now finds herself under far brighter scrutiny as the Broncos prepare for their biggest game in years.
The couple met during Stidham‘s college journey, which included a brief stop at Baylor before a transfer to Auburn and, eventually, a fourth-round selection by the New England Patriots in 2019.
They married that same year, long before Stidham‘s path led him to this moment.
Kennedy, whose maiden name is Brown, comes from a prominent sports business background.
Her father, Tad Brown, serves as chief executive officer of Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, the ownership group behind the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Devils, and previously held the same role with the Houston Rockets.
In her own right, Kennedy has built a substantial platform as a fashion and motherhood influencer, with more than 116,000 followers on Instagram.
She and Stidham are parents to three children: daughter Lennon, son Madden, and a baby daughter born on October 6, 2025.
A familiar presence at Broncos games, often alongside her husband and children, Kennedy’s visibility has grown naturally with Denver’s success. That attention now intensifies as Stidham prepares to lead the team one win away from the Super Bowl.
