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There are chants of “M-V-P” ringing around Highmark Stadium and you can see why.
On fourth and short near Denver’s end zone, Buffalo decide to throw for it and with Josh Allen bouncing round in the pocket as he scans for a receiver, it looked like he might be sacked.
But just at the last moment, Allen is able to unfurl a gorgeous pass to the back of the end zone for running back Ty Johnson, who was able to make an equally amazing catch – sliding and managing to keep his feet inbounds – for their second touchdown of the afternoon.
The Bills will go for a two-point conversion instead of the extra point, with Allen successfully connecting with rookie receiver Keon Coleman to make it a 14-point lead.
Score: Broncos 7, Bills 21
Play has stopped midway through the third quarter after a big hit delivered to Bills running back Ray Davis has left him injured on the field.
Josh Allen’s pass was a little too long for Davis and, while he was in the air reaching for the ball, Denver safety Brandon Jones delivered a hit to Davis’ upper body that appears to have caused some discomfort.
Davis was left lying on the field and Allen grabbed his head in astonishment at the impact. Jones was penalized for unnecessary roughness and the ball moved 15 yards further down the field.
Davis later was able to walk to the locker room.
Score: Broncos 7, Bills 13
Let’s check back in with Coy, who is simply enamored with the Bills quarterback.
“Josh Allen should be the most valuable player. Is Lamar Jackson is playing lights out? Absolutely. MVP-worthy? Yep. If the MVP award is meant for the player with the best stats, it should go to Lamar,” Wire said.
“But if the award is supposed to go to the MOST VALUABLE PLAYER, it’s absolutely supposed to go to Josh Allen. Lamar’s Ravens have NINE pro bowlers. Josh’s Bills have two. None are receivers. None are tight ends or running back. Just Josh and his offensive tackle Dion Dawkins. Allen doesn’t even have a 1,000-yard receiver.”
Wire added: “Instead, his Bills matched an NFL single-season record with 13 different players catching a touchdown pass. The Bills lost five captains in free agency. Traded their No. 1 receiver to Houston. They still became the AFC’s two-seed at 14-3. Josh Allen should be MVP. And don’t even get me started on coach of the year.”
Score: Broncos 7, Bills 13
The Bills’ defense once again stifled the Broncos as their drive ended in another punt. After the Broncos picked up five yards on their first two plays, Nix threw an incomplete pass, leaving them with the only option of punting the ball downfield.
After starting off the game hot, the Broncos have struggled to find an offensive rhythm in this game aside from the missed field goal that ended the first half.
Score: Broncos 7, Bills 13
After recalibrating at halftime, the Bills have begun the second half emphatically.
A balance of key runs from James Cook and a big pass from Josh Allen to Dawson Knox helped moved the team down the field in chunks.
But like they did in the first half, Buffalo’s drive stalled in the red zone. On the key third down, Allen was sacked but appeared irate afterwards after what he pecieved to be a missed holding call on Denver’s Pat Surtain on Knox in the endzone.
Eventually, the Bills once again had to settle for a field goal which Tyler Bass duly converted, his second of the game.
Score: Broncos 7, Bills 13
The second half is underway and the Bills will get a chance to build on their lead as they get the first possession.
It’s a promising position for the Bills to be in as they are 9-0 this season when leading at halftime.
There could be some history for Josh Allen too as he needs just five more rushing yards to make him the all-time leading quarterback in postseason rushing yards.
Score: Broncos 7, Bills 10
It’s halftime at Highmark Stadium in New York and it is the Bills who hold a narrow lead after 30 minutes.
It was the Broncos who went ahead on the opening drive after a 43-yard touchdown pass from Bo Nix to Troy Franklin left those in attendance stunned.
But since then, Buffalo has been in control, producing two scoring drives – first a field goal then a touchdown run from James Cook – to earn themselves a three-point lead.
Denver did drive into field goal territory in the final few seconds of the opening half but Wil Lutz’s 50-yard attempt hit the upright and bounced out.
With the second half to come, there is plenty still to play for with an intriguing 30 minutes on offer.
Score: Broncos 7, Bills 10
Wil Lutz just missed a field goal for the Broncos to tie up the score at the end of the second quarter as it doinked off the right-hand upright.
The Broncos had produced a careful march upfield to give him a shot, as Nix found wide receiver Courtland Sutton with a 21-yard pass.
They had started the drive on their own 15-yard line after a perfectly timed hit from Bills wide receiver Mack Hollins had stymied any momentum the Broncos might have gotten as they returned a punt.
Score: Broncos 7, Bills 10
The first half has reached the two-minute warning with the Bills’ drive stalling in their own Denver territory.
The home team looked to be on course for another scoring drive after getting the ball at their own one-yard line, but that momentum was halted when Broncos’ Zach Allen brought down Josh Allen for the game’s first sack.
The game will resume with a Bills fourth-and-eight from their own half and as they punt the ball away, giving Denver a chance to score before halftime.
Score: Broncos 7, Bills 10
After their second drive ended on a punt, and with their third looking like it was going that way too, the pressure was building on the Broncos.
But they produced an incredible fake punt, with punter Riley Dixon finding Marvin Mims for 15 yards and keep their drive alive.
However, they weren’t able to maintain that momentum and the Bills forcing a punt just a few plays later, with Mims stopping the ball impressively on Buffalo’s one-yard line to give the Bills terrible field position.
Score: Broncos 7, Bills 10
After going to the blue tent and being evaluated for a concussion, Taron Johnson is back in the game.
The cornerback had been questionable to return with a neck injury but the Bills’ key defensive player is back to make an impact.
Score: Broncos 7, Bills 10
Having had to settle for a field goal on their first drive, the Bills finally are able to get into the end zone on their second drive to take the lead.
After another balanced drive with a mix of throwing and running – including some timely runs from Josh Allen – Buffalo was able to batter their way across the goal line.
On first down, running back James Cook was able to break a tackle and rumble in for a touchdown with Tyler Bass successfully adding on the extra point.
While there was delight for Cook, it came at a price for Bills tight end Dawson Knox as his four-game run of scoring Buffalo’s opening touchdown in the wild card round comes to an end. Per the Bills, Knox is the only player in NFL history to score the first TD for a team in four consecutive wild-card games.
It’s the 17th rushing TD for Cook for the campaign. He was tied with Derrick Henry of the Baltimore Ravens and Jahmyr Gibbs of the Detroit Lions for most rushing TDs in the regular season (16). Cook is now one behind Henry for the season combined after Henry had 2 yesterday.
Score: Broncos 7, Bills 10
Despite being heavy underdogs, it is the Denver Broncos who lead after the first quarter.
Bo Nix’s long touchdown pass to Troy Franklin gave them the advantage and, while the Bills have had the ball twice, they’ve only been able to come up with one field goal so far.
Buffalo ends the quarter midway into Denver territory on another promising drive.
Score: Broncos 7, Bills 3
CNN’s Coy Wire is now a ball of energy on screen, but from 2002-07, he was a beast in the defensive backfield for the Buffalo Bills.
His thoughts as the Bills take the field for their second offensive drive of the game:
LET’S GO BUFFALO! The most balanced team in the league. First team in NFL history to score 30+ rushing touchdowns AND 30+ passing touchdowns in a season.
Coy Wire
Score: Broncos 7, Bills 3
As the Broncos’ second drive begins, there looks to be a worrying injury to Bills starting cornerback Taron Johnson.
Replays showed Johnson’s helmet making contact with the knee of a Denver player, with Johnson lying face down on the ground afterward.
Johnson was quickly attended to by the medical personnel before walking to the blue tent to be evaluated. The Bills later announced he had cleared concussion protocol and is listed as questionable to return.
CBS’s Tony Romo called the loss of Johnson “so pivotal.”
The Broncos are forced to punt after the Bills’ defense forced a three-and-out.
Score: Broncos 7, Bills 3
Both defenses appear to be still settling into the game with the ball moving with ease on offense.
Having fallen behind early, Buffalo surgically moved down the field with a mix of runs and passes, including a big fourth down conversion through Josh Allen’s legs.
But the impressive drive stalled near the Broncos’ end zone so the Bills had to settle for a Tyler Bass field goal from 26-yards out to get on the board.
The Broncos defense has been stout in the red zone this year – they were third-best in the league in red zone touchdowns allowed this year.
Score: Broncos 7, Bills 3
What a start for Denver!
After picking up a first down, Bo Nix unfurls a perfect deep pass to his former Oregon teammate Troy Franklin to open the scoring for the Broncos as they take a surprise lead on the road.
Score: Broncos 7, Bills 0
After deferring possession after winning the coin toss, Bills kicker Tyler Bass kicks the ball away and the game is underway at Highmark Stadium.
Score: Broncos 0, Bills 0
The quarterback position has completely changed in the NFL and no one quite embodies that like Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen.
Allen’s dynamism with his legs and accuracy throwing the ball has become a key reason the Bills are playing like one of the best teams in the NFL.
Along with the Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, the two showcase the change the quarterback position has undergone in recent years, with the ability to run being required to have success at the highest level.
There were 18 quarterbacks this season who played in at least half their team’s games and picked up at least 15 yards per game. That’s tied for the all-time record with the 2020 season. In fact, all five top seasons for rushing average per game have occurred in the last five seasons.
Put another way, this year is no fluke. It’s part of a longer-term trend towards the NFL prioritizing quarterbacks who can use their legs as well as their arm to move the ball down the field.
Read more about the evolution of the quarterback position here.
Away from the playoffs, the New England Patriots have made the first head coach hire of the 2025 cycle, appointing their former player, Mike Vrabel to the position.
Vrabel replaces Jerod Mayo – another former Patriots player – who was fired shortly after the Patriots’ Week 18 game last Sunday.
He becomes the 16th head coach in the franchise’s history.
The former linebacker played for New England for eight years between 2001 and 2008, winning the Super Bowl three times and being named a First-Team All-Pro.
Vrabel was named into the organization’s Ring of Honor in 2023 and now returns to Massachusetts to help turn around a team which finished with a 4-13 record last season.
Despite the lowly record, there are still signs of hope for New England, in particular in the form of quarterback Drake Maye who shone in his rookie season and cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
