Everything you need to know as the Bills kick off their Super Bowl quest!
The Buffalo Bills (13-4) begin their postseason quest Sunday afternoon at Highmark Stadium against the Denver Broncos (10-7) in the Super Wild Card round. The Bills, who earned the two seed in the AFC, are searching for their first Super Bowl appearance since the 1993 season.
To get you ready for the game, this week on the Billieve podcast host John Boccacino welcomes Laurie Lattimore-Volkmann, who covers the Broncos as an editor and feature writer for Mile High Report, to break down the key matchups and players to watch as the Bills look to win a home Wild Card playoff game for the fifth straight season.
Among the topic we tackle: The state of the Broncos, who overcame a historic $89 million dead-cap hit after releasing quarterback Russell Wilson and a fairly young roster to make the playoffs for the first time in eight years. The Broncos lost six of seven against playoff opponents that weren’t resting their starters. But led by veteran head coach Sean Payton and rookie quarterback Bo Nix (3,775 passing yards and 33 total touchdowns versus 12 interceptions while completing 66.3% of his passes), Lattimore-Volkmann says the Broncos are a confident bunch. Nine of their 10 victories were by nine or more points, a significant improvement from past seasons.
Offensively, it all starts with Nix, who exceeded expectations after being selected 12th overall in April. Nix efficiently directed Denver’s offense and displayed an ability to operate both inside and out of the pocket. Nix was benefited by Denver’s offensive line, one of the best units in the league. The Broncos surrendered the fourth-fewest sacks (24) and the lowest pressure rate (24.9%) this season.
After starting 63 games in college between stops at Auburn and Oregon, Nix isn’t your typical rookie quarterback and it will be interesting to see if head coach Sean McDermott’s history of confusing rookie quarterbacks (the Bills have won 9 of 13 matchups while holding opposing QBs to only seven TD passes with 17 interceptions) will continue on Sunday. Nix relies on wide receivers Cortland Sutton (81 receptions for 1,081 yards and 8 TDs), Marvin Mims Jr. (39 receptions, 503 yards, 6 TDs) and rookie Devaughn Vele (41 receptions, 475 yards, 3 TDs), but the Broncos are not a great rushing team. Nix (4.7 yards per rush) is their leading rusher in yards per carry, and Denver ranked 16th in rushing yards (1,908) and 21st in yards per carry (4.1). Penalties were a big issue, as Denver’s offensive line committed 42 this year, led by LT Garret Bolles (16).
We discuss how the Bills’ defensive line, led by defensive ends Greg Rousseau, Von Miller, and A.J. Epenesa and defensive tackles Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones, will face a tough challenge, and why the pressure is on Miller and Rousseau to get after Nix and make him feel uncomfortable from the get-go on Sunday.
Denver, which primarily plays man coverage, boasts one of the NFL’s best defenses, allowing the third-fewest points per game (18.3), led by cornerback Patrick Surtain II, who is a dark horse candidate for Defensive Player of the Year honors. We explore what Surtain does to blanket the wide receivers he covers, the important role of cornerback Riley Moss, and what defensive coordinator Vance Joseph might dial up to slow down Allen and the high-octane Bills offense.
Denver set a franchise record with a league-high 63 sacks, led by edge rusher Nik Bonitto (13.5 sacks) and linebacker Jonathon Cooper (10.5 sacks). The Broncos like to bring pressure from everywhere, but they are susceptible to big plays on the ground, which means Allen, James Cook, Ray Davis, and Buffalo’s runners could find running room.
We close with score predictions as the Bills look to advance into the divisional round of the playoffs in the AFC. How do you see this game playing out? Feel free to leave your predictions in the comments section below.
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