Denver is buzzing. On Saturday night, the Broncos will play a playoff game at Empower Field at Mile High for the first time since January 2016, facing the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round as the AFC’s No. 1 seed.
A Decade in the Making
The last time Denver hosted a postseason game, Peyton Manning was still under center and the Broncos were nine days away from beating the Patriots in the AFC Championship. That 2015 team went on to win Super Bowl 50.
Fast forward ten years. Bo Nix, Sean Payton, and a defense that terrorized quarterbacks all season have brought playoff football back to the 5280.
The Broncos finished the regular season 13-4, earning the AFC’s top seed and a first-round bye. Only the 2009 Colts and 2011 Packers joined them as the NFL’s other 13-4 teams with home-field advantage in recent memory.
The Defense That Carries Denver
Denver’s 68 sacks led the league by a wide margin, nine more than the second-place team. The additions of safety Talanoa Hufanga and linebacker Dre Greenlaw in the offseason turned a good unit into a nightmare for opponents.
Key numbers that tell the story:
- 68 sacks (1st in NFL)
- 27 forced fumbles (1st)
- 19 interceptions (tied for 3rd)
- Allowed just 17.2 points per game (2nd)
Vance Joseph’s group has been the best defense in football since Week 6. Quarterbacks are hitting the turf before they can even look downfield.
Buffalo’s Injury Crisis
The Bills limped into the playoffs. Josh Allen is playing through a painful elbow issue that clearly affected his deep ball in the wild-card win over the Steelers.
Buffalo will be without top receiver Amari Cooper (wrist) and likely without Keon Coleman (ankle). Tight end Dalton Kincaid is questionable with a knee problem.
The Bills offense that averaged 28.4 points during the regular season scored just 21 points against Pittsburgh last week, their lowest output since November.
Bo Nix and the Home-Field Edge
The rookie quarterback has been unflappable all year. Nix finished the season with 34 total touchdowns and only 9 interceptions while leading game-winning drives in the fourth quarter five different times.
Now he gets to play his first playoff game in front of 76,000 screaming fans at altitude, where visiting teams have historically struggled to breathe in the fourth quarter.
“I’ve been dreaming about this since I was a kid,” Nix said this week. “There’s no better place to play playoff football than Denver in January.”
The temperature for Saturday’s 6:30 p.m. kickoff is expected to be in the low 20s with possible snow flurries, perfect conditions for a Broncos team built to run the ball and hit quarterbacks in the mouth.
Why Denver Should Feel Confident
History favors the Broncos in this matchup. Denver has won seven of the last eight meetings with Buffalo dating back to 2008, including a 28-24 victory in Orchard Park earlier this season.
The Bills have never won a playoff game in Denver. Their last visit for postseason play came in the 1991 AFC Championship, a 10-7 Broncos win.
Everything lines up for Sean Payton’s team: health, momentum, home field, and the best defense in football against a battered Buffalo offense.
Ten years of waiting ends Saturday night. Denver finally gets its chance to start another playoff run at home, and this team looks built for something special.
What do you think, Broncos Country? Can Bo Nix and this defense bring the Lombardi Trophy back to Denver for the first time since 2015? Drop your score predictions below and let’s get #BroncosPlayoffs trending.
