Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix revealed Monday he played part of his rookie season with transverse process fractures in his back.
Nix, speaking to reporters Monday as players were cleaning out their lockers after the Broncos’ 31-7 wild-card playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, said he sustained the injury in the first half of a Nov. 24 game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The transverse process is a small bone that sticks out from either side of the vertebrae.
“Yes, I got twisted up a little bit, had three process fractures. A lot of guys play with a lot of those kinds of things,” Nix said.
Nix passed for two second-half touchdowns in that game against the Raiders, a 29-19 Broncos win.
He said he received treatment the next week as the Broncos prepared to play the Cleveland Browns in a home Monday night game, which fortunately for Nix and Denver was followed by the team’s bye.
“I wasn’t going to miss the first Monday night game. I got treatment on it, and then we were fortunate to have an off week that next week. It kind of went away after that. It was annoying, but we all play with annoying [ailments],” he said.
Nix passed for 294 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in a 41-32 victory over the Browns on Dec. 2. His touchdown was a 93-yard scoring pass to Marvin Mims Jr. in the third quarter.
Nix, the sixth quarterback selected in the first round of the 2024 draft, didn’t sit out a game this season and finished with a Broncos rookie record 3,775 passing yards and 29 touchdown passes. He helped Denver reach the postseason for the first time since 2015.