Will J.K. Dobbins Play vs. Patriots in AFC Title Game? Broncos Insider Shares Latest Update on RB’s Injury Status

The Denver Broncos staved off elimination in overtime to advance to the AFC Championship Game. In doing so, quarterback Bo Nix ended his season, falling victim to an ankle injury and thrusting the rest of Denver’s season into uncertainty.

This has fans wondering if J.K. Dobbins will be available to help in the AFC Championship game.

J.K. Dobbins Injury Update

It’s on backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham to get the Broncos to the Super Bowl. While fans are rallying around him, they are also hoping that reinforcements can emerge in time to take down the New England Patriots.

One contributor Denver hoped could return is Dobbins, their running back. His first season with the Broncos was cut short by a foot injury suffered in Week 10 against the Las Vegas Raiders.

For Dobbins, the injury was a sobering snap back to an unfortunate reality. Dobbins missed his entire second season and played in just nine games over the next two seasons. He played well for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024 before a knee sprain forced him to miss a month. For the fifth time in as many years, Dobbins missed significant time.

However, clips of Dobbins returning to practice surfaced ahead of Sunday’s AFC Championship Game, and he was designated to return from injured reserve on Monday. The general expectation was for the running back to play against the Patriots.

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However, Broncos insider Benjamin Allbright tempered expectations ahead of the Saturday deadline to activate Dobbins.

“I would not go this far with it,” Allbright said. “There’s still a possibility, but I would say it’s less likely than people are portraying.”

Dobbins has been Denver’s best back this season, and even average play would be a boost to the backfield. By PFSN’s NFL RB Impact Metric, he ranked 29th among 53 qualifiers in 2025. Rookie RJ Harvey, who has taken the bulk of Dobbins’ snaps, ranks 47th with an “F” grade.

I would not go this far with it. There’s still a possibility, but I would say it’s less likely than people are portraying.

— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) January 23, 2026

Dobbins was far more efficient than his rookie counterpart. His 153 carries for 772 yards and four touchdowns were tracking to be a career year. Harvey, meanwhile, found just 3.7 yards per attempt.

Later in the day, Zac Stevens confirmed that Dobbins will not play in the AFC Championship Game against the Patriots.

With a backup quarterback under center, the Broncos needed all the help they could get. Against a New England defense that ranks 12th by PFSN’s NFL Defense Impact Metric, Dobbins’ return would have been a welcome one, but Denver will now have to reach the Super Bowl for their running back to play again this season.