At a Glance
- Bo Nix broke his right ankle on the drive that set up Denver’s 23-yard OT winner
- Backup Jarrett Stidham will start the AFC title game after taking one kneel-down all year
- Josh Allen threw two picks and lost two fumbles, ending Buffalo’s Super Bowl hopes again
- Why it matters: Denver hosts its first conference championship in a decade without its record-setting QB
Denver’s 33-30 overtime thriller against Buffalo delivered the Broncos their first playoff victory in ten years and cost them their star quarterback in the same breath. Second-year signal-caller Bo Nix engineered the winning drive, then left the stadium on crutches.
The Injury That Silenced the Celebration
Coach Sean Payton returned to the postgame lectern about an hour after Wil Lutz‘s 23-yard field goal to announce Nix will undergo season-ending ankle surgery Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama. The injury occurred on a second-down keeper when safety Cole Bishop tackled Nix for a 2-yard loss. Nix stayed in, limping, and on the next play launched a 30-yard pass to Marvin Mims Jr. that drew a pass-interference flag and pushed the ball into easy field-goal range.
Nix took a knee to center the ball, then watched Lutz end the game. He finished the night having tied Russell Wilson’s NFL record with 24 wins in his first two seasons, including his first postseason victory.
Next Man Up: Stidham’s Moment
Jarrett Stidham inherits the offense after appearing in only one snap all season-a Week 8 kneel-down against Dallas. Payton voiced full confidence in his backup.
> “Stiddy’s ready. He’s ready. I said this at the beginning of the season: I’ve got a 2 that’s capable of starting for a number of teams.”
Stidham has played 20 games across six seasons, starting four and winning once. Denver will host either New England or Houston next Sunday for the AFC championship.
Allen’s Meltdown Ends Bills’ Dream
Josh Allen, previously turnover-free in six straight playoff games, coughed up four possessions-two interceptions and two lost fumbles. The last giveaway came in overtime when nickel back Ja’Quan McMillian ripped the ball from Brandin Cooks at the Broncos 20-yard line, thwarting a drive that would have won the game for Buffalo.
Referee Carl Cheffers explained the ruling: Cooks failed to complete the process of the catch when he hit the ground, giving Denver possession.
Allen, emotional in the locker room, shouldered the blame.
> “I felt like I let my teammates down.”
The loss extends Buffalo’s Super Bowl drought despite a playoff path that didn’t include Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, or Lamar Jackson.
Game of Swings
Denver scored 10 points in the final 22 seconds of the first half to seize a 20-10 lead, then recovered a fumble on Buffalo’s first second-half snap when Nik Bonitto strip-sacked Allen and Malcolm Roach pounced at the Bills 17. That takeaway set up a field goal and a 23-10 advantage.
Allen rebounded with touchdown passes to Keon Coleman and Dalton Kincaid, flipping the score to 24-23 early in the fourth quarter.
The seesaw continued: Nix’s 26-yard TD strike to Mims with 55 seconds left put Denver up 30-27, but former Broncos kicker Matt Prater answered from 50 yards as regulation expired.
Injury Report
Buffalo
- LB Dorian Williams (neck) hospitalized after the opening kickoff
- DT Ed Oliver (knee) exited in the third quarter
Denver
- WR Pat Bryant (concussion) on the first drive
- WR Troy Franklin (hamstring)
What’s Next
The Broncos host their first AFC championship game in ten years with Stidham under center. Buffalo heads home still searching for the formula to reach the franchise’s first Super Bowl since the 1993 season.
> “We weren’t ready last year,” Payton said. “But we were ready today.”
