Former Oklahoma WR Scores Crucial TD in Broncos’ Divisional Round Win

Former Sooner wideout Marvin Mims Jr. helped the Denver Broncos avoid a Divisional Round upset on Saturday.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. (19) reacts after a play during overtime of an AFC Divisional Round playoff game against the Buffalo Bills at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Marvin Mims Jr.’s main role in the NFL has been as a return man.

But in the Denver Broncos’ Divisional Round game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, the former Oklahoma wide receiver made an offensive play to keep his team’s playoff run alive.

Mims, playing in his third NFL season, caught the go-ahead touchdown pass with 55 seconds remaining in regulation to give Denver a three-point lead. The Bills responded with a field goal in that short amount of time to send the game to overtime, and the Broncos eventually prevailed with a 33-30 win to advance to the AFC Championship.

Mims’ offensive contributions weren’t limited to that heroic grab. He led the Broncos in receiving, catching eight passes for 93 yards.

Denver’s game against Buffalo was its first of the playoffs, as the Broncos earned the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye after finishing the regular season 14-3. They will battle the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.

During the regular season, Mims caught 37 passes for 322 yards and a touchdown. He also combined for more than 1,000 yards on punt and kick returns and returned one punt for a touchdown.

Mims was selected to the Pro Bowl as a return specialist in each of his first two NFL seasons, and he earned First Team All-Pro honors in 2024.

At Oklahoma, Mims caught 123 passes for 2,398 yards and 20 touchdowns. Mims was a First Team All-Big 12 selection as a junior in 2022, his final season in Norman.

Mims isn’t the only ex-Oklahoma player who has been crucial to the Broncos’ success — former OU edge rusher Nik Bonitto finished the regular season fifth in sacks with 14. 

Bonitto logged three tackles, two forced fumbles and a sack in the Divisional Round game. Bonitto became only the third Broncos player ever to register multiple forced fumbles in a playoff game.

---

Read More Oklahoma Sooners

Three-Game Losing Streak Testing Oklahoma, but Sooners Still Have Plenty Ahead of Them
Former Oklahoma WR Zion Kearney Lands at Big Ten Program, per Report
Oklahoma Among Top Contenders for Highly Coveted 2028 Running Back

---

In addition to his 14 sacks, Bonitto registered 46 total tackles, 31 solo tackles and 4.5 stuffs in the regular season.

Bonitto was a Second Team All-Pro pick in 2024, and he has made the Pro Bowl twice since entering the NFL in 2022.

The outside linebacker played four seasons for the Sooners from 2018 to 2021. He was a Second Team All-American in 2020 and a Third Team All-American in 2021. Bonitto earned Second Team All-Big 12 honors in both of those seasons.

Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) throws a pass against the Los Angeles Rams during the third quarter of an NFC Divisional Round game at Soldier Field. | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

The Caleb Williams experience isn’t for the faint of heart — and it certainly wasn’t on Sunday.

Williams, who spent the 2021 season at OU and now plays for the Chicago Bears, threw a game-tying touchdown pass on fourth-and-4 with 18 seconds left in regulation against the Los Angeles Rams. The quarterback, though, threw an interception in overtime, allowing the Rams to win 20-17 and move on to the NFC Championship.

Williams finished Sunday’s contest with 257 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions on 23-of-42 passing. The Bears’ loss comes after Williams led them to a heroic comeback over the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round last week. Chicago went 11-6 in the regular season and won the NFC North title for the first time since 2018.

With the loss, Williams has now completed his first two seasons as an NFL quarterback. He ended the 2025 regular season with 3,942 yards, 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Williams took over as Oklahoma’s starting quarterback in 2021, appearing in 11 games and starting seven as a true freshman. He transferred to USC after that season, following former OU coach Lincoln Riley to Los Angeles. Williams won the Heisman Trophy in 2022, and he was selected by the Bears with the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft two years later.

Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (38) moves with the ball in the first quarter in an AFC Divisional Round game against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium. | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Former OU running back Rhamondre Stevenson’s numbers weren’t as gaudy on Sunday as they were in the Wild Card Round, but he was still productive.

Stevenson, who spent two seasons in Norman, led the New England Patriots with 70 rushing yards on 16 carries as they defeated the Houston Texans 28-16 to set up a date with the Broncos in the AFC Championship. The running back also caught four passes for 11 yards.

Stevenson’s performance against Houston followed up his first playoff game this year in which he logged 53 rushing yards while also catching three passes for a team-high 75 yards.

Now in his fifth NFL season, Stevenson split the backfield with rookie TreVeyon Henderson for the majority of the season, but lately, Stevenson has seen the higher snap count. Stevenson ran for 603 yards and seven touchdowns during the regular season.

Stevenson came to OU after starting his career at the junior college level. The running back combined for 1,180 yards and 13 touchdowns over the 2019 and 2020 seasons, and he was named the Cotton Bowl Classic MVP for his performance in the Sooners’ 55-20 win over Florida.