The NFL play-offs have been thrown into chaos after Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix suffered a season-ending ankle injury just moments before his side secured a 33-30 win over Buffalo and a berth in the AFC Championship game.
Nix broke his right ankle late in overtime of the Broncos's divisional-round victory over Buffalo and will have surgery that will sideline him for the rest of the play-offs.
Coach Sean Payton delivered the stunning news about his second-year quarterback in the aftermath of Denver's biggest win in a decade.
Backup Jarrett Stidham, who's 1-3 as a starter in six seasons, will start the AFC championship game against either Houston or New England next weekend.
"Stiddy's ready," Payton said after returning to the post-game lectern to discuss the injury following Denver's 33-30 victory over Josh Allen and the Bills.
Payton said Nix got hurt on a keeper where he lost 2 yards and was tackled by safety Cole Bishop. Nix was limping after the play, but there was no indication that he suffered such a serious injury.
On the next play, Nix threw a deep pass to Marvin Mims Jr. that drew a 30-yard pass-interference flag and got the Broncos well into field-goal range. Nix then took a knee to centre the ball for Wil Lutz's game-ending 23-yard field goal.
The defeat was a heartbreaker for Buffalo, whose post-season woes continue.
Despite boasting reigning MVP Josh Allen, the Bills have yet to make a Super Bowl since 1994.
Allen, who threw for 283 yards and three touchdowns but also had four turnovers via two interceptions and two fumbles, was in tears after the match.
"It's extremely difficult," Allen said.
"I feel like I let my teammates down tonight. There were missed opportunities throughout the game. I hate how it ended. It's going to stick with me for a long time."
Denver qualified as the top seed in the AFC and would have been warmly favoured to progress past next week if Nix were fit.
The Patriots and Texans, who play on Monday morning AEST, now have a real shot at a saloon passage to Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara.
Meanwhile, title favourites Seattle put an end to San Francisco's season with a comprehensive 41-6 drubbing.
Quarterback Sam Darnold carried a side injury into the match but the Seahawks did not skip a beat, scoring from the opening kick-off through Rashin Shaheed and dominating the injury-hit 49ers from pillar to post.
Running back Kenneth Walker finished with three touchdowns and 116 yards as Mike Macdonald's side dominated.
Seattle will host the winner of tomorrow's clash between Los Angeles and Chicago in the NFC Championship game.
AP/ABC
