ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Denver Broncos got on the board quickly in their AFC wild-card round matchup versus the Buffalo Bills. Denver scored in the first three minutes of the game with a deep pass downfield from rookie quarterback Bo Nix to wide receiver Troy Franklin.
The Broncos never scored again after that, as the Bills went on to take a commanding 31-7 win — in large part thanks to quarterback Josh Allen, who only went one drive without scoring.
Allen went 20-of-26 for 272 yards and two touchdowns, in addition to eight carries for 46 yards. In the last three quarters, he completed 14-of-17 passes (82%) for 227 yards and the two touchdowns.
Allen passed Jim Kelly’s mark for the most postseason passing touchdowns in Bills’ history (23).
He was aided by a running game led by James Cook, who had 23 carries for 120 yards and one touchdown. The Bills went over 200 rushing yards in a playoff game for the fifth time in franchise history and the first time since the 1995 wild-card game vs. the Miami Dolphins.
The Bills are the first team to record at least 250 passing yards and 200 rushing yards in a playoff game since the 2012 San Francisco 49ers, who pulled it off against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC divisional playoffs.
On the other side, the Broncos rushing attack was limited to just 79 yards, with Nix finishing as Denver’s leading rusher. Their receivers dropped three passes, their most in a game this season.
Here are the most important things to know from Sunday afternoon for both teams:
Eye-popping stat: Allen’s touchdown pass to running back Ty Johnson — on fourth-and-1 in the third quarter — had a completion probability of 15.6%, the most unlikely touchdown of his career (regular season or postseason) and of any player in the last five postseasons.
Promising trend: Third-down defense. Getting off the field has been an issue for the Bills, but against the Broncos, the unit limited Denver’s long drives. The Broncos converted just 2 of 9 (22.2%) third down attempts despite the Bills coming into the game allowing opponents to convert 43.8%, fourth worst in the NFL, and the Broncos converting 39.6% (13th).
The Bills limited the Broncos to three-and-out three times, and with the Bills’ running game taking time off the clock, it played a big part in Buffalo establishing a large lead.
Surprising performance: WR Curtis Samuel. The wide receiver was the Bills’ biggest free agent signing at receiver coming into the year, but throughout the regular season, he remained a low option on the depth chart. Samuel put together his best game of the season in his playoffs debut, catching all three of his targets for 68 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown catch.— Alaina Gerzenberg
Next game: vs. Baltimore Ravens (TBD, Sat., Jan. 18 or Sun., Jan. 19)
The postseason wait might be over for the Broncos, but there is plenty of work to be done in their quest to return themselves to the AFC’s elite.
The Broncos were scrappy and stuck around for a while on Sunday, but the Bills showed their postseason pedigree and won the wild-card matchup going away. The Broncos’ first playoff game in eight seasons started extremely well, as Nix’s 43-yard touchdown pass to Franklin on the first drive gave Denver a quick 7-0 lead.
But the Bills steadily wore down the Broncos with quarterback Josh Allen, a powerful run game and a defense that frustrated the Broncos after the opening score. Denver’s offense had just one play on offense for more than 20 yards besides Franklin’s score. The Broncos also never got the run going, as Nix was their leading rusher.
Describe the game in two words: An education. Broncos coach Sean Payton routinely says when your team is good enough, external things (weather, game pressure and loud road environments) don’t mean as much. The Broncos had their moments Sunday. They kept Josh Allen under 100 yards passing deep into the third quarter and scored on their first possession of the game with a 43-yard downfield shot from Nix to Franklin. But the Bills are currently a better constructed team with an MVP candidate at quarterback. Without forcing turnovers and keeping drives alive with third-down conversions, Denver didn’t have enough to pull the upset.
Troubling trend: If the Broncos hope to have more success in what coach Sean Payton calls the “bigger games” going forward, they’re going to have to figure out how to combat the alpha quarterbacks in the AFC. With Sunday’s loss, the Broncos are 0-6 this season when facing Allen, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert (twice). Denver will need to figure out how to break through against the conference’s best signal-callers if it wants to truly be a playoff contender.
Biggest hole in gameplan: The Broncos settled down on defense as the game wore on, but their first-quarter struggles defending the run raised eyebrows. The Bills had 100 yards rushing in the first quarter and converted 10 first downs on run plays in the first half, repeatedly pounding away at the middle of Denver’s defense. Buffalo had seven runs of at least seven yards on their first touchdown drive, including back-to-back runs of 11 and 16 yards.
QB breakdown: There are easier places for a rookie quarterback to make his postseason debut than Buffalo, but Nix didn’t turn the ball until late in the the fourth quarter and was sacked twice Sunday. But there were moments when his accuracy wavered some. After throwing for 62 yards on his first two completions of the day he finished with 82 yards the rest of the way. Nix had a smattering of moments when he tried to force the ball into a spot where it had no place to fit. — Jeff Legwold
