The conclusion of the 4:25PM games has arrived and the Buffalo Bills have learned who their first opponent will be. Next weekend in the wild card round, the Bills will host Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos. With the Broncos defeating the Kansas City Chiefs, that means that both the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals have been eliminated form playoff contention.
The Bills had to wait to find out who they would play, as well as had to go through four pointless quarters against the New England Patriots. Even though Buffalo lost, the Patriots lost out on the No. 1 overall pick in this upcoming NFL Draft.
The Broncos controlled their own destiny this week. All that they needed to do was win and they were in. Due to the fact that the Bengals won yesterday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Broncos had no choice but to win. Now they have earned the final AFC spot and will travel out east to Orchard Park.
This will be second postseason meeting between Buffalo and Denver
The Bills and Broncos have only faced off against each other one time in the postseason back on January 12th, 1992 where the Bills didn’t score an offensive touchdown yet still came away with a 10-7 victory, per Pro Football Reference.
Last season, the Broncos came to Buffalo for a Monday Night Football showdown and they pulled off a big upset against the Bills. Buffalo’s defense and special teams fell apart in the second half and Denver ended up winning 24-22. That loss against the Broncos pushed the Bills to fire offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey the following day.
The Broncos are a tough 7th-seed team and should not be taken lightly. The last two years, the Broncos have been a laughing stock. Sean Payton has turned this team around and the Broncos had a great hit on their rookie quarterback in Bo Nix. Out of all the rookie quarterbacks this season, Nix has proved himself the most.
On the defensive side, Denver has one of the best units in the league, especially their line. They can stop the run and create a consistent pass rush. Not to mention, cornerback Patrick Surtain II will be a tough matchup for the Bills’ receiver that has to go up against him.
Playoff football is here, Bills Mafia, and the Broncos are coming to town. Buffalo hasn’t lost in the wild card round since the 2019 season where they had an ultimate collapse against the Houston Texans. Let’s hope that the Bills can avoid that and continue a path that ends with them raising the Lombardi trophy in New Orleans.
*Update*: Buffalo and Denver are set to face on Sunday, Janaury 12th at 1pm.