The Denver Broncos couldn’t sustain against the Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen after a great start early on from rookie quarterback Bo Nix. Buffalo advances, and Denver’s promising season ends in rough fashion.

Denver Broncos future is bright, but loss to Bills shows how much they still have to grow

The Broncos made it into the dance and drew the unfortunate card of having to face the Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen. Denver’s struggles defensively made it difficult for them to sustain or find life on the road, and the offense didn’t do enough with the limited possessions they had.

While the loss was rough, the Broncos’ future is still very bright, but Sunday’s game demonstrated that this young team still has a bit of a way to go.

Two moments that defined Sunday’s loss vs. Bills

What were two of the most defining moments that led to Sunday’s 31-7 playoff loss against the Bills?

1. Broncos defense struggled to get off the field all day

One of the biggest contributors to the Broncos’ loss on Sunday was the Buffalo Bills’ efficiency in sustaining long drives. Josh Allen and the Bills offense dominated the time of possession 41:43 and used an effective run game to keep Denver’s defense on the field, meaning that Allen and the Bills had the football for more than half of the game.

Third down was another problematic area for Denver’s defense that led to the Bills capitalizing with several QB sneaks and a 4th down conversion for a touchdown all but put a dagger into the Broncos’ playoff hopes. Buffalo converted on 8-of-15 third down attempts and were 2-for-2 on fourth down attempts on Sunday.

The Bills scored 31 unanswered points and gashed Denver’s defense for 471 total yards of offense with 210 coming of those yards coming on the ground, where James Cook, Allen, and Ty Johnson broke through Denver’s front seven.

With how the defense has struggled over the course of the last five or six games, it will be interesting to see if defensive coordinator Vance Joseph returns this upcoming season after the team had such a hot start at the beginning of the year.

2. Not enough offense or time to get things going

This ties directly into the first key above. With the Bills dominating the time of possession, they limited Bo Nix and the offense’s ability to stay on the field and stay warm on a cold day.

After the Broncos’ offense opened up the game with a brilliant scoring drive, they had a couple of drops on several series throughout the game that impacted their ability to sustain drives themselves, especially with Buffalo playing ball control offense.

Denver ran 42 total offensive plays compared to the Bills offense who ran 72.

With 2:08 remaining in the third quarter, the Broncos offense only had eight total yards of offense in the quarter. Denver’s drives after their first scoring drive in the first quarter were as follows.

  • Punt
  • Punt
  • Missed Field Goal (missed chance to tie the game at halftime)
  • Punt
  • Punt
  • Turnover on downs
  • Turnover on downs

Against a team like the Bills, the margin for error is very small, and Denver’s offense just couldn’t find a way to sustain momentum against them. Today’s loss also further highlighted how important it will be for the Broncos to address their run game issues and the lapses they’ve had on defense for the last five or six games.

Surrounding Nix with weapons will be a top priority for head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton.

Denver Broncos news and notes vs. Bills

  • Rookie outside linebacker Jonah Elliss left the game with a shoulder injury in the 2nd quarter and did not return.
  • The Broncos defense struggled on third down, allowing the Bills to convert 8-of-15 attempts.
  • The Broncos offense finished with 224 net yards of offense and only had one scoring drive on Sunday.
  • Denver’s offense possessed the football for a total of 18:17 in Sunday’s loss.