In the fourth quarter, in the biggest moment of his career, Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix orchestrated the most important scoring drive of his career to help give them a lead with under one minute to go.
Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, aiming to be inevitable, capitalized with under 50 seconds to send the game into overtime, but it was Denver who ended up using the Thanos snap to advance to the AFC Championship.
Denver Broncos win overtime thriller vs. Buffalo Bills
The Denver Broncos will host the AFC Championship next Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High after a legacy-defining fourth-quarter drive by Bo Nix helped them advance against Josh Allen and company, ultimately prevailing in overtime.
Nix found wide receiver Marvin Mims for a 26-yard touchdown pass with 55 seconds remaining on an 8-play 73-yard drive in a do-or-die situation. It was a legacy-defining drive, and Nix answered the call after the Broncos lost all of the previous momentum they had.
The Broncos’ defense forced five takeaways, and at one point had a 23-10 lead, but that collapsed with Allen taking over. It was Nix’s late drive heroics and Mims coming up with the biggest play of the day for the offense that helped give Denver the biggest win the franchise has seen in the last ten years.
P.J. Locke and Ja’Quan McMillian’s interceptions were defining moments, while Nik Bonitto and Alex Singleton each had forced fumbles that helped shift the turnover margin in favor of the Broncos. Coming into the playoffs, that was one area head coach Sean Payton said the team had to get better at, and in Saturday’s win they did.
Ten years ago to this day, the Broncos beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Divisional round, and in today’s matchup, they knocked off one of the most dangerous teams in the league and will host the AFC Championship, just ten years after they previously hosted the New England Patriots, a matchup that could take place once again.
Jarrett Stidham will be the man under center after news broke hours after Denver’s win on Saturday that Nix would be out for the remainder of the NFL Playoffs and is set to undergo surgery on a broken bone in his ankle on Tuesday.
If Stidham can lead the Broncos to a victory next Sunday at home, they’ll be one game away from a potential “This one’s for Bo.”