Ex-Pro Bowler Issues Warning To Patriots After Bo Nix Injury

The New England Patriots may have a clearer path to the Super Bowl after Bo Nix broke his ankle at the end of Saturday’s Denver Broncos win over the Buffalo Bills. However, a former NFL defensive star gave the Patriots an ominous reminder.

New England could face a Broncos squad led by Jarrett Stidham for the AFC title if Mike Vrabel’s team defeats the Houston Texans on Sunday. Yet the Patriots know better than most teams not to count out a second-string quarterback.

Gerald McCoy brought up an unpleasant memory Sunday on NFL Network’s “NFL GameDay” when noting that Nick Foles led the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl LII win over Tom Brady’s Patriots in place of Carson Wentz.

“I got two words for you: Nick Foles,” McCoy said. “This is the best of the best. This is the NFL. You don’t go into somebody’s house thinking, ‘Oh, he’s the backup quarterback.'”

Of course, the Patriots have other business to handle before thinking about the Broncos. They won’t get a chance to play the AFC’s vulnerable No. 1 seed unless they snap the Texans’ 10-game winning streak on Sunday.

McCoy advised the Patriots to stay focused on the AFC Divisional Round rather than dream of a Super Bowl trip. If they advance, they shouldn’t take the Broncos lightly without Nix.

“They need to worry about tonight,” McCoy said. “Forget next week. Don’t worry about next week … But if you go into next week thinking it’s going to be sweet, you got another thing coming. Because this is the best of the best, and Sean Payton will have them ready.”