Bills Blowout Broncos to Advance to AFC Divisional Round
The Buffalo Bills defeated the Denver Broncos by a score of 31-7. The game took place at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, NY in a match between the two experienced head coaches of Sean McDermott and Sean Payton. McDermott now has a playoff record of 6-6 while Payton has a playoff record of 9-9. By winning this game, it has set the Bills up to host their second consecutive playoff game this postseason and a fourth divisional playoff game in five years against the Baltimore Ravens.
Second Quarter Special Teams Surprises Kept Broncos Alive
In the first half, the Broncos surprised the Bills with their spectacular special teams plays. First, Payton gave the go-ahead for a fake punt that completely fooled Buffalo’s coverage team, a 15-yard pass from punter Riley Dixon that landed perfectly into Marvin Mims’ arms for a fourth-down conversion. Though they would’ve liked that drive to end in points, they brought Dixon out again on a fourth and seven to pin Buffalo on their one-yard-line. This made things very difficult for a Buffalo offense that was leading by three points to score again before the half ended. Overall, Payton made some great decisions because the subsequent Bills drive culminated in a six-and-a-half-minute drive that resulted in no points and a chance for the Broncos to take the lead at halftime. Unfortunately, that didn’t come to fruition as kicker Wil Lutz missed a 50-yard field goal to tie the game.
Broncos’ Back-To-Back Blunders Brought About Blowout to Bills
That missed field goal may as well have been the nail in the coffin for the Broncos’ season. The offense limped to the finish line after looking very good in the first half. They got the ball down 13-7 with about 10 minutes left in the third quarter and squandered their opportunity by putting forth a three-and-out that was highlighted by Troy Franklin dropping a ball that hit him in the hands. The next drive should’ve garnered a sense of urgency since the Bills were up by two touchdowns and possessed the ball for 30 minutes at this point, but Payton thought differently. It was the second consecutive drive that can be best described as “run, run, pass, punt” with underwhelming carries by Javonte Williams and Tyler Badie that led to a third and six which devolved into a third and 11 incompletion because of a false start penalty. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around it was already over for the Broncos, headlined by Bo Nix throwing behind the line of scrimmage on a fourth down that gave Buffalo the ball back. Denver’s conservative playcalling displayed a lack of confidence in their rookie quarterback and inevitably contributed to the blowout they suffered.
Buffalo’s Rushing Attack Wore Down Denver’s Defense
The Bills’ strength this season has been in the trenches. Ranking top-10 in rushing yards while allowing the fewest sacks in the league in the regular season, the offensive line contributed to turning what people thought would be a mediocre offense into the second-best offense in the league in points scored. Buffalo continued this trend by leaning on James Cook, who tied for the league-lead in regular-season rushing touchdowns with Derrick Henry and Jahmyr Gibbs. Cook finished the game with 120 rushing yards and was a major catalyst to the offense’s success. The rushing attack moved the chains and kept the clock running as the Bills ran for 14 first downs, eclipsing the Broncos’ 13 first downs in total.
Everybody Ate in Orchard Park
“Everybody Eats” wasn’t coined in Buffalo because of the love of chicken wings in the city where the cuisine was invented. Instead, this was a philosophy instilled by the Bills’ offensive coordinator Joe Brady in preparation for OTAs in the spring. Brady’s philosophy has been on display throughout the season and even more pronounced in this game. Offseason chatter about the Bills’ offense struggling without Stefon Diggs has aged poorly in hindsight with the conglomeration of receiving targets filling the space that Diggs left behind. Six different players had two or more receptions for the Bills with Khalil Shakir leading in receptions with six and Curtis Samuel leading in receiving yards with 68. Also making an impact were the two underrated tight ends: Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid. The duo combined for five receptions and 85 yards, making it even harder on a defense that was on the field for an excruciatingly long time; Buffalo’s time of possession finished at 41 minutes and 43 seconds.
Josh Allen Did Josh Allen Things
Yet again, Josh Allen made highlight plays to secure the victory for Buffalo. When running the ball with Cook became predictable, Allen took control of the offense and made life impossible for the defense. From throwing an astonishing touchdown to Ty Johnson in the back of the endzone on fourth down to a deep throw to Samuel on a crossing route that led to the second-longest touchdown of his playoff career, Allen dazzled in his fifth consecutive Wild Card victory. When he faces off against Lamar Jackson’s Ravens next week, it will be an amazing showing of the best quarterbacks from the regular season.
