The Denver Broncos opened their preseason campaign with a convincing 27-7 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Friday. However, quarterback Bo Nix was notably absent from the matchup.
With Denver’s next preseason game scheduled for Friday against the Green Bay Packers, questions now surround Nix’s availability and whether he is still dealing with an injury or was simply held out as a precaution. Despite sitting out Friday’s game, Nix did participate in a pregame workout and showed no obvious signs of lingering trouble, providing an encouraging indication ahead of his expected return to game action. However, Mercedes-Benz Stadium hosted World Cup matches on grass this summer but uses artificial turf for Falcons games, while Denver plays its home contests on natural grass at Empower Field at Mile High. His development will be closely watched as Denver looks to build on back-to-back playoff appearances.
Nix is heading into his third NFL season after helping the Broncos post a 14-3 record and win the AFC West in 2025.
“Bo won’t play in this game; he’ll play next week,” Payton had said earlier this week as reported by ESPN. “If we were playing a [regular-season] game — he wants to play; he’ll play the next two weeks,” the coach had mentioned.
