A rematch of last year's AFC Wild Card matchup, except this time the roles are reversed as the Bills will head to Denver to take on the no. 1 seeded Broncos. Denver locked down home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs for the first time since 2015 when they took home the Lombardi Trophy.
Just a season ago, the Bills welcomed rookie Bo Nix and the Broncos into the playoffs with a dominant 31-7 win at home. Since that matchup, the Broncos have only gotten better. Nix has asserted himself as one of the league's top quarterbacks and the defense has not and will never let the foot off of the pedal.
After defeating Jacksonville in dramatic fashion last weekend, the no. 6 seed Bills will have to face one of the toughest home field advantages throughout the NFL. Not only will the fans and altitude make a huge difference, but the Bills will be going up against the NFL's best defense to offer.
If Buffalo can get out of Denver alive, there is no reason why they shouldn't be in Santa Clara in early February competing for their first Super Bowl. This is the first year where Josh Allen doesn't have to worry about facing Patrick Mahomes, who he has yet to beat in the playoffs.
There has been a ton of criticism surrounding Denver this season despite their league-best 14-3 record. 11 of those 14 wins came by just one score or fewer. In addition, 10 of those 14 wins came against non-playoff teams. So are the Broncos really that good, or have they not faced any legitimate competition yet?
The defensive numbers speak for themselves as Denver has let up the least amount of touchdowns out of any team this season. On the other hand, the Denver offense has been nothing better than average. The Broncos rank towards the middle of the league in both their passing and rushing offense.
The saying is that "Defense Wins Championships", and if the Broncos are to advance to the AFC Championship and further, then this saying will definitely hold up. It should be a fun one to kick off the divisional round as the Buffalo Bills head to the Mile High city looking to upset the Denver Broncos.
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