Buffalo Bills 31, Denver Broncos 7: Playoff energy is real

A slow start, adjustments, and the Bills roll into the divisional round.

The Buffalo Bills first playoff game of the season was full of emotion right from the start. With thoughts that players could be playing with chips on their shoulders after almost the entire team was snubbed in All-Pro voting, the energy inside Highmark Stadium was electrified even more as the team brought legendary defensive tackle Kyle Williams back to Orchard Park, NY to lead the charge.

Buffalo has had a habit of choosing different players all season to serve as captains for the pregame coin toss, but today it was the true captains — Josh Allen and Terrel Bernard — who were joined by long snapper Reid Ferguson to meet the Denver Broncos at midfield. Winning the toss, head coach Sean McDermott decided to put Denver’s rookie quarterback’s feet to the fire right away and sent his kicking team to the field.

Rookie quarterback Bo Nix brought the Denver offense out on the field and took charge. A five-yard run on first down was followed by a tackle for a loss of three by a combined Greg Rousseau and Matt Milano. But that was the last good of the drive the Buffalo defense. A 19-yard pass on 3rd & 8 but the Broncs at midfield where two plays later Nix threw the first touchdown pass of his playoff career — a 43-yard dart to Troy Franklin. Suddenly, putting the rookie out first didn’t look like the right choice by Sean McDermott.

Bills 0, Broncos 7

Ty Johnson taking over return duties for the injured Brandon Codrington who was announced as an inactive, took the ensuing kickoff out past the 30-yard line. Josh Allen then moved the ball further with a 15-yard dart to Khalil Shakir. James Cook wanted in on the move-the-sticks party and ran for 16. Buffalo kept moving methodically — including a 4th and inches Allen keeper for three yards — until they stalled. Two incomplete passes by Allen at the goal line and the Bills called on Tyler Bass to at least get some points on the board — even if it meant they were still trailing.

Bills 3, Broncos 7

Bo Nix’s second career playoff series wasn’t as successful as his first. A pass, a run, and a sack and he was three and out.

Although, there was a scary moment for the Bills as Taron Johnson suffered a neck injury and the medical staff got the backboard ready. However, the Bills’ nickel cornerback got up, headed to the medical tent, and then jogged to the locker room where he cleared concussion protocol — although he was still being evaluated for the neck injury as the Bills offense came back on the field. (Johnson came back out on the field for Buffalo’s next defensive series, essentially missing just one play)

Shakir, the Bills answer for the missing Codrington, fielded his first punt and took it 7 yards to set up Buffalo’s response to their defense’s stand. It took them 7 minutes and 35 seconds to move the 81 yards needed to take the lead as it became apparent that Sean McDermott wanted to win the time of possession battle on Sunday. The drive was a mix of Allen, Ty Johnson, and Cook as chunk plays of 3, 7, and 9 yards kept the offense on the field. Faced with a third-and-three at the Denver 14, Allen didn’t like the look of the Broncos defense and took a timeout as the play clock dropped to 3. The answer after the break: a nine-yard run by Allen to make it first and goal. Cook did the rest.

Bills 10, Broncos 7

The Bills defense — or, more accurately, their special teams — dodged a bullet on the next series. After one first down couldn’t result in a second moving of the chains, the Broncos brought the punt team to the field. But Syracuse native Riley Dixon launched a 15-yard pass to Marvin Mims and caught the Bills looking confused. It’s the second fake-punt of the year that the Bills allowed to be converted. However, Von Miller had Bo Nix running for his life and three plays later Dixon really did punt. But it was a ball that bounced nicely for Denver and Mims (again) was there for the Broncos punter and pinned Allen at the 1-yard line.

The Bills offense went to work moving the ball and in the process went over 100 yards rushing as a team.

In the end though, penalties and an 8-yard sack but them behind the sticks. On a 3rd & 27, Allen was able to find Shakir for 13, but after the two-minute warning, Sam Martin was called on to punt. Martin boomed a 45-yard punt to the Denver 15 where Mack Hollins put a massive hit on Mims. The Broncos took offense to Hollins’ perfectly legal, but overly aggressive, pop. The result was a penalty that moved Denver back to their own eight-yard line.

Trailing by just three, Nix started moving his team — including a 12 yard scramble of his own plus sideline throw to Sutton. A hold by Buffalo cornerback Christian Benford was called but one was missed as Damar Hamlin was being hugged mid-play. A great 21-yard pass by Nix and the Broncos had the chance for a 50-yard field goal courteously of Wil Lutz — but kicking in Highmark Stadium isn’t for the weak and Lutz’s kick bounced off the goal post to make the drive meaningless.

In a half where the Bills had the ball for almost double the time of their opponent, they went to the locker room with just a three-point lead. The Buffalo offense kept the ball for 19 minutes and 40 seconds of the first half but only managed to put 10 points on the board. Does Josh Allen work better when he can play fast?

The Bills took the ball out of the tunnel and proceeded to impose their will on Denver’s defense. Ty Johnson got things off to a hot start with a 36-yard kickoff return. James Cook immediately got back to work, running hard to get the football out to midfield before Allen connected with Dawson Knox at Denver’s 27-yard line. Cook ran to the Broncos’ 10 and went over 100 yards on the ground for the day.

It was the first time a Bills rusher went over the century mark in a playoff game since Thurman Thomas eviscerated the Kansas City Chiefs in January of 1995.

Despite Cook’s attempts — which included two more (one for 4 and one for no gain) — the Bills couldn’t get in the endzone. On a 3rd & Goal from the six, Allen was sacked at the nine. There was a missed holding call in the defensive secondary, but the Bills had to settle for 3.

Bills 13, Broncos 7

No harm, no foul right? The referee went all the way to the Bills bench to have a chat with Allen who was more than mad about the missed holding call. Then the Broncos managed just five yards on three plays and the ball was back in Allen’s hands for a do-over.

The next drive was going well, until a holding call on Dalton Kincaid set the Bills back behind the chains again. As Allen tried to get yards back, he led running back Ray Davis a little too far and the rookie took a hit to the head that sent him to the locker room. The penalty on the hit restarted the Bills, but despite some good work, they were faced with the decision of go for a field goal or another Josh Allen sneak when the count went to 4th & 1 at Denver’s 24. Allen took choice three — a pass to running back Ty Johnson in the endzone for a score. Johnson somehow kept his legs off the ground as he slid near the back of the end zone and secured the ball before any part of his body touched the white.

Allen was signaling before the review of the pass that he wanted McDermott to let him go for two. And he did. Allen to Coleman to create a two-touchdown lead for the Bills.

Bills 21, Broncos 7

Denver only managed four net yards before they punted the ball back and Khalil Shakir tried for a highlight reel in his role as punt returner. The pinball wizard bounced and spun for 23 yards to get the ball to the Buffalo 41 before he couldn’t get his foot away from punter Riley Dixon who saved Shakir from stealing the special-teams-play-of-the-game from him.

With a 14-point lead and 16 minutes left in the game, the Bills were able to move back into clock management. The third quarter expired and the difference between Allen and Nix in terms of production wasn’t huge. But the difference in their supporting casts was.

But as the game moved to the final quarter, Josh Allen said “the heck with clock management” and hit wide receiver Curtis Samuel for 55 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter’s first play.

Bills 28, Broncos 7

Nix with an 18-yard scramble, a 13-yard pass to Sutton, a 10-yard throw to Franklin, and then keeping it again for 11 and it was four straight plays for first downs prompting Buffalo to take a time out to regroup. The timeout helped as the Bills dropped Mims for a three-yard loss. Miller pressured Nix into throwing incomplete, and it was Denver’s turn for a timeout as the play clock was getting too close to 0 as they tried to figure out how to move sticks on a third-and-thirteen. Nix just got out of Von Miller’s grasp and threw for 11. On a fourth and two, Nix threw short to Franklin who was hit out of bounds by Cam Lewis.

With a 21-point lead, the Bills weren’t getting conservative. After Shakir broke a tackle behind the line of scrimmage and spun defenders to make it a seven-yard gain and the Bills were looking at a third-and-four, Allen went 35 yards to tight end Dalton Kincaid who may or may not have made the catch. The completion stood as Kincaid signaled his QB to hurry the next play and get the snap off.

Mack Hollins was called for taunting for stepping (emphatically) over a defender after he caught a pass at the two-yard line. Another penalty for illegal shift and the Bills went back to clock management. Runs only got the Bills seven of the needed 15 yards so it was Tyler Bass who put points on the board as Mr. Brightside was blasting in the stadium and the clock ticked inside five minutes.

Bills 31, Denver 7

Buffalo’s defense wasn’t taking any snaps off however, and Greg Rousseau — after breaking out of a double team hug — dropped Nix for 14-yard loss.

Damar Hamlin took his cue from Rousseau and picked off Nix as the quarterback tried to complete a 4th & 17. The play was overturned, and Buffalo got the ball back at Denver’s 23 — a better spot than if Hamlin’s interception had counted.

It was Mitch Trubisky who came in with less than three minutes on the clock and after a couple of Ty Johnson runs gave the Bills first and goal at the two minute warning, Trubisky did what he has done best all year — took a knee.

The Bills will host the Baltimore Ravens next week in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs as they try to advance to the AFC Championship Game for just the second time in Allen’s career. Josh Allen vs. Lamar Jackson. It will be epic.