ENGLEWOOD – On Tuesday night, hours after Broncos quarterback Bo Nix had surgery in Birmingham, Ala., to repair a broken right ankle, Sam Ehlinger wanted to show support for him. So the Broncos’ now second-string quarterback and his wife, Cami Jo, went to Nix’s home in the Denver area after he had flown back following the surgery. Broncos QB Bo Nix makes a statement about his ankle surgery. (Courtesy of Bo Nix’s Instagram) “We got to hang out with him for a little bit,’’ Ehlinger told The Denver Gazette after Wednesday’s practice at Broncos Park in preparation for Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against New England at Empower Field at Mile High. “He’s in good spirits. … He’s doing well. Obviously, he flew right back from the surgery and it was successful, and he’s in good spirits and he’s already thinking about getting back and what he can do to be better next year.” Nix was hurt in overtime in Denver’s 33-30 win over Buffalo last Saturday in a divisional playoff game. The surgery on Tuesday in Birmingham was performed by Dr. Norman E. Waldrop, and Broncos coach Sean Payton said it “went well.” “The last few days have been hard to put into words,’’ Nix wrote Tuesday on social media. What started as one of the most exciting games I’ve ever been a part of ended with some of the most devastating football news I’ve ever received. This is not how I imagined my season would come to an end, but our season has been defined by overcoming adversity and responding to it.” Replacing Nix in the starting lineup Sunday will be Jarrett Stidham, with Ehlinger as his backup. “I couldn’t be more confident in Jarrett,’’ Nix wrote. “And I couldn’t be more excited for what’s next.” Nix wrote that he “can’t express how much this team and this organization means to me and how much I believe in them.” He offered thanks for all the well wishes he has received and to the Broncos’ medical staff and Dr. Waldrop for “taking great care of me.” Stidham on Wednesday began his press conference by expressing sadness for Nix being injured. “This is not about myself, first of all,’’ Stidham said. “Obviously, my thoughts and prayers have been with Bo since Saturday night. I mean, it’s crushing because he’s one of my best friends. … Sam and I probably spend more time with him than his wife (Izzy) does right now. That’s just the nature of the business that we’re in. When training camp starts, that’s just how it is. I see Bo more than I see my kids. So, it’s just one of those things. You spend so much time with someone, you see how hard they work, how good of a teammate they are and then that happens and you feel crushed for him and everything.” Stidham and Ehlinger were among the first Broncos players to learn about the extent of Nix’s injury when they were in a hallway after the game along with Payton, general manager George Paton, quarterbacks coach Davis Webb, medical officials and members of Nix’s family. Nix was hurt on a designed run with 6:04 left in overtime. He stayed in the game for two more plays prior to Wil Lutz kicking the winning 23-yard field with 4:44 remaining. “When we had the last drive in the game, he comes off the sideline, and you could tell he was in some sort of pain but we didn’t really know,’’ Stidham said. “Obviously, we’re all excited that we’re going to the AFC Championship. When we got back in the locker room, we didn’t really find out until the X-rays came back because Sam and I were both in there with him when the doctors were looking at him. They go do the X-rays, I went and took a shower, came back and got dressed and went back in the training room. That’s when I found out. Again, just devastating for him.” When players were celebrating in the locker room after the win, many didn’t know yet about Nix being out for the season. All players ended up finding out about it when Payton announced the news at a press conference about an hour after the game. “I was in the shower when I found out about Bo,’’ said Broncos Pro Bowl receiver Courtland Sutton. “It went from a crazy high to… It was unexplainable. (It was an) emotional rollercoaster in the sense that dude has done so much. … When you hear news like that, it’s a gut check. I went and sat with him. … He was taking it well, but I knew that he was hurting.” The injury moved Ehlinger from third- to second-string quarterback behind Stidham. “Obviously, you hate to see what happened to Bo, but you’re a backup for a reason and you got to stay ready,’’ Ehlinger said. “Obviously, a terrible situation and circumstance but excited for the opportunity for Stiddy and myself.” And at least Ehlinger was pleased to see Nix on Tuesday night doing as well as he could have expected. ...read more read less