An rising team vs. the class of the AFC.
Sunday’s playoff action features three games, kicking off with the Denver Broncos taking on the Buffalo Bills. Hopefully the action ends up being more competitive than yesterday’s duds.
After being 8-9 last year, Sean Payton took the Broncos a step further in 2024 with a 10-7 record and a trip to the postseason. That included an impressive season from rookie quarterback Bo Nix. When the Broncos started the season at 0-2, Nix had no touchdowns to four interceptions, making it look like a disastrous season for the Broncos. He finished the season with 3,775 passing yards, 29 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. Denver’s defense was also impressive, ranking 7th in the NFL and allowing 18.3 points per game (third best). Their worst game of the season defensively oddly enough came in a shootout with the Browns on Monday Night Football, but they still prevailed 41-32 due to some pick sixes.
The Bills were 13-4 this season, with one of their losses being with backups in the regular season finale. Not counting that game, the Bills won 10 of their last 11 games. Buffalo is the same dynamic threat with Josh Allen that they’ve been for years — the question this time around is simply whether they can actually get to the Super Bowl? The Bills averaged 30.9 points per game, second best in the NFL, only behind the Detroit Lions. Their defense was iffy at times — including a shootout loss to the Rams — and had a slight dropoff from the past few years. I still expect Buffalo to cruise to a win, though.
The game starts at 1:00 pm ET and will be televised on CBS. Bills 30, Broncos 17
Use this as an open thread to discuss the game as the action unfolds.