3 Keys to Broncos Beating Bills & Exacting Playoff Revenge

It's do or die for the Broncos, and this is what it'll take to knock off the Bills and exact some postseason revenge.

Oct 19, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) celebrates after play during the second half against the New York Giants at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

A lot can change in one year. The Denver Broncos were unceremoniously bounced from the playoffs last season by the Buffalo Bills in Upstate New York, 31-7.

This time around, the Broncos hold the No. 1 seed in the AFC and will have another shot to advance in the postseason when they host the Bills on Saturday in Denver. 

It’ll be the first of four NFL Divisional Round playoff games, with the nation’s attention fixed on Bo Nix and Josh Allen after the Broncos received some much-needed rest last week on their first-round bye.

13 days will have passed since Denver last suited up for a game. Meanwhile, the Bills are coming off a short six-day work week after narrowly escaping Jacksonville with a 27-24 Wildcard win last Sunday over the Jaguars. 

The Broncos have conjured an abundance of ‘Mile High Magic’ this season, boasting an 8-1 home record, while Buffalo’s victory against the Jaguars was their first road playoff win in 33 years. 

For the first time in a decade, the playoffs are coming through the Mile High City, where expectations are as high as the 5,280-foot elevation that made this city famous. 

Win, and it’s on to the AFC Championship Game, with the taste of sweet revenge on everyone's tongue at Broncos HQ. Lose, and it’s back to the drawing board with salt rubbed into an open wound by the hands of Allen, the former Wyoming Cowboy who slipped through Denver’s grasp seven years ago.

Losing this game is not an option for Sean Payton’s Broncos, so let’s review three keys to a Divisional Round playoff victory over the Bills. 

Force a Banged Up Allen to Play Hero Ball

Jan 11, 2026; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen (41) sacks Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) during the second half in an AFC Wild Card Round game at EverBank Stadium. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

For a long time, Broncos Country has been left to wonder what could’ve been if John Elway had drafted Allen at pick No. 5 back in 2018 instead of edge rusher Bradley Chubb. The No. 7 overall pick in that draft had dreams of playing in Denver after playing college football just up the road in Laramie, WY, and was thought to be the chosen one to bring the Broncos back to glory. 

Instead, fans were painfully forced to watch from afar as Allen racked up Pro Bowl, All-Pro, and MVP honors in another blue-collar city far from Colorado, launching the Bills to franchise heights that hadn’t been seen in decades since the heyday of Jim Kelly. 

But this Saturday, there won’t be any need to think of the 6-foot-5, 237-pound playmaker as the one that got away. Payton and Nix have changed that narrative, suggesting that Denver is on a destined playoff run on the 10-year anniversary of the franchise's Super Bowl 50 World Championship.

Allen’s also not the same quarterback, nor are the Bills as formidable an opponent as they were in seasons past. He enters this contest bruised, battered, and without some of his most reliable and dangerous offensive weapons. Although he threw for 273 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 46 yards against a stifling Jaguars defense, Allen paid the price for his Wildcard heroics. 

Allen has been listed on this week’s injury report with a foot, knee, and right finger injury after being asked to shoulder the entire load for Buffalo last Sunday against the Jaguars. He sustained brutal hits and twists to the neck that saw the veteran temporarily hit the blue tent to be evaluated for a concussion.

The star quarterback will be without receivers Gabe Davis and Tyrell Shavers, both of whom suffered a torn ACL in Buffalo's costly win in Jacksonville. This signals that Curtis Samuel could be very active after the practice window opened earlier this week for the previously injured veteran wideout. 

For Vance Joseph’s elite defense, which ranks top-10 in nearly every statistical category, including total yards, points allowed, third-down conversion rate, red-zone efficiency, and sacks, the task is simple. 

Pin your ears back and unleash all you’ve got on the banged-up Allen. If Denver’s defense can account for Bills tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox, then Allen should get flustered, frustrated, and exhausted trying to limp his team across the finish line against a meaner and healthier opponent.

Should Allen try to get pass-happy, Denver’s All-Pro secondary, led by cornerback Patrick Surtain II and safety Talanoa Hufunga, will get opportunities to take the ball away.

Expect Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Zach Allen, and the rest of Denver’s defense to unleash their wrath upon Allen, who’s about to find out it won’t be business as usual against this Broncos squad. 

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Nix & Payton Obliged to Go All-In

Dec 14, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton talks with quarterback Bo Nix (10) during the second quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Empower Field at Mile High. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The theory that Payton and Nix have been holding back from unleashing Denver’s complete offensive arsenal will be put to the test against Bills head coach Sean McDermott’s defense this Saturday. 

Trevor Lawrence and the same Jaguars team that beat the Broncos in Week 16 posted 359 total yards against Buffalo, in addition to going 3-for-4 in the red zone and 2-for-2 in goal-to-go scenarios. 

Buffalo is the walking wounded on defense, too, as front-seven starters A.J. Epenesa, Ed Oliver, Matt Milano, Greg Rousseau, and Terrel Bernard all popped up on the injury report on this short week for them. They could also be without safety Jordan Poyer, which would kick open the door for a healthy run-pass balance for Payton’s offense. 

Alas, it’s time to forgo the expected receiver bubble screens and half-back delayed passes that have drawn frustration from fans and so many negative yards in the regular season. Instead, it’s time for Nix to launch the deep ball to Courtland Sutton, connect with Marvin Mims Jr. on risky crossing routes midfield, and find Evan Engram in the alley on both seam and streak routes. 

Because the Bills are worn out physically, RJ Harvey must be willing to play above his rookie status as the starting running back against a suspect defense that surrendered 6.7 yards per carry for a whopping 154 rushing yards last week against the Jags.

In addition to throwing for 3,931 yards and 25 touchdowns this season, it’s important to remember that Nix can also harm the Bills as a dynamic runner. He is credited with picking up 25 first downs with his legs, rushing for 356 yards and five touchdowns, while averaging 4.3 yards per carry. Denver's second-year quarterback has extended plays all season long.

It’s do or die for Nix and this Broncos offense. They've had a whole week of rest to fine-tune and tweak their offensive game plan. Payton will undoubtedly go all-in to earn first downs, score points, and win this Divisional Round playoff game, because there is no tomorrow for Denver.

Keep ‘Jimbo’ in Limbo: Stifle Bills' Run Game 

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook (4) gets taken down by Denver Broncos linebacker Dondrea Tillman (92) during the second half of the Buffalo Bills wild card game against the Denver Broncos at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Jan. 12, 2025. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The best way Buffalo can supplement its injury-plagued receiver room would be with a healthy dose of running the football via James Cook. 

The fourth-year running back led the NFL this season with 1,621 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 5.2 yards per carry, in addition to nabbing 33 receptions for 291 receiving yards and a pair of receiving scores. 

But ‘Jimbo’ was snuffed out last weekend in Jacksonville with just 46 yards rushing and a long run of 11 yards. In fact, Cook hasn’t recorded 100-plus yards rushing since Buffalo's Week 16 victory over the Cleveland Browns. 

Cook has also developed a bad habit of coughing up the football and has fumbled a career-high six times this season, which has led to Allen being used more often in goal-to-go situations for Buffalo. 

Meanwhile, the Broncos' run defense has been stout for a second straight season under Joseph, whose Achilles heel used to be stopping the run. Defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers returned to practice this week, along with linebacker Dre Greenlaw, the latter of whom has been limited but is expected to play. 

Denver’s defense has only allowed one running back to eclipse the 100-yard rushing mark, and that was Jonathan Taylor back in Week 2 against the Indianapolis Colts. Needless to say, this defense prides itself on negating its opponents' ground game — priority No. 1.

If the Broncos can stifle Cook, Buffalo’s offensive line will quite literally be throwing Allen to a pack of healthy, ravenous wolves lying in wait at elevation.