After Josh Allen was intercepted in overtime, Will Lutz kicked a 24-yard field goal and the Denver Broncos defeated the Buffalo Bills 33-30 to advance to Saturday’s AFC Championship Game.
Later in the evening, Denver’s celebration took a devastating blow when head coach Sean Payton announced that starting quarterback Bo Nix would miss the remainder of the postseason due to a broken ankle that required surgery.
Instead, Jarrett Stidham is poised to start as the Broncos, who arrive at the bye week off as the AFC’s No. 1 seed, host either the New England Patriots or Houston Texans for a spot in next Sunday’s AFC title showdown in Super Bowl LX.
Payton said the Knicks, who suffered the injury on the penultimate play of overtime, finished 26 of 46 for 279 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
Allen, meanwhile, was the latest in his playoff woes, going 25-of-39 for 283 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions as the Bills lost in the divisional round for the fourth time in the past five years.
In overtime, Jaquan McMillian stole the ball from Brandin Cooks and picked off Allen’s deep shot at Denver’s own 20-yard line, paving the way for the Knicks to put his team in range for the winning field goal.
Taron Johnson gave up a 17-yard pass interference penalty against Courtland Sutton to get Denver back to Buffalo’s 36, and Marvin Mims Jr. set up Lutz’s decisive chip shot with a 30-yard pass interference call against Tre’Davious White.
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Will Lutz’s 24-yard field goal earned Denver a dramatic 33-30 victory over Buffalo in overtime, sending them to the AFC Championship Game.
Leader in statistics:
invoice
Passing: Josh Allen, 25/39, 283 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs Rushing: James Cook, 24 carries, 117 yards Receiving: Dalton Kincaid, 6 catches, 83 yards, 1 TD
broncos
Passing: Bo Nix, 26-of-46, 279 yards, 3 TDs, 1 rushing: Bo Nix, 12 carries, 29 yards Receiving: Marvin Mims Jr., 8 catches, 93 yards, 1 TD
The Knicks thought they might have won when a perfect throw to Marvin Mims Jr. and a 26-yard touchdown with 55 seconds left in regulation gave Denver a 30-27 lead.
Matt Prater then kicked a 50-yard field goal with five seconds left in the fourth quarter to make it 30-30, sending the game into overtime.
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Lil’Jordan Humphrey’s 29-yard touchdown came late in the first half as Denver once again took the lead against Buffalo.
The Bills turned the ball over five times in the game, and Nick Bonitto was responsible for two forced fumbles and one sack.
In the first quarter, a hit by Alex Singleton knocked the ball out of James Cook’s hands, and Denver turned the fumble into a 7-yard trick-play touchdown pass to offensive lineman Frank Crum to take a 10-7 lead in the second quarter.
In a frenzied final half, the Nix connected with Lil’ Jordan Humphrey for a 29-yard touchdown to end a two-minute drill, before Devon Key pounced on an Allen fumble with two seconds left and set up Lutz’s 50-yard field goal for a 20-10 lead at halftime.
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When the Bills regained the lead in the fourth quarter, Buffalo QB Josh Allen found Dalton Kincaid for a 14-yard touchdown pass.
But after a blindside strip sack by Bills defenseman Bonitto, Allen fumbled Brock again at the start of the third quarter, limiting the Broncos to a 33-yard Lutz kick.
The first of 17 outstanding points for the Bills came when Keon Coleman dove toward the goal line for a 10-yard touchdown. Knicks and Allen then exchanged interceptions within three plays on back-to-back possessions.
Buffalo led 24-23 early in the fourth quarter after a nine-play, 85-yard drive that ended with Allen’s perfectly placed 14-yard touchdown strike to Dalton Kincaid on third-and-eight. The Bills then extended their advantage to 27-23 on Prater’s 31-yard field goal.
“The Knicks have a clutch element.”
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Watch the best plays from Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix.
“He’s very calm and collected,” Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II told Sky Sports NFL of quarterback Nix. “He’s very confident in himself and very confident in his team. When we were down, he rallied everyone and said we’ve got this. That’s the ultimate respect for him. He’s got that clutch element.”
Saturday was the first time Mile High has hosted a playoff game since the Broncos won Super Bowl 50 10 years ago. It was at Levi’s Stadium that they defeated the Carolina Panthers, and they will compete for a new ring at Levi’s Stadium on February 8th.
“It feels good,” Sartain continued. “I’m forever grateful to this team and organization. We’ve been through a lot to get to this point, but it was destiny for us.
“We still have work to do. I’m proud of this whole defense. We’ve stepped up where we needed to and that’s the way we are.”
“It’s going to take a tremendous effort. We know we have to fix some things, but it wasn’t perfect. We’re still very dangerous and we still have room to grow and opportunities to improve.”
Watch every NFL Playoff and Super Bowl I game live from Levi’s Stadium on Sky Sports NFL.
