Denver, CO
Broncos healthy compared to Bills
With the Wild Card round of the playoffs officially in the books, the Broncos are looking to welcome the Buffalo Bills to Mile High this Sunday. Things are different this year than they were last year. The Broncos are no longer a team just happy to be there. They’re a 1-seed juggernaut of football awesome, a real force to be reckoned with.
Truth be told, I think playing the Bills was the most ideal outcome for this weekend. After losing to each during the regular season, Denver wanted nothing to do with the Jaguars or the Chargers. While I’m confident the Broncos would have found a way to come out on top against either team, I’m glad this Sunday’s opponent is one Denver didn’t play during the regular season.
Most importantly, the Broncos are not facing the Bills team from last year, they’re facing thes year’s team who featured no fewer than 16-players on the injury report going into their Wild Card tilt. Versus the Jaguars, the Bills suffered further injury to QB Josh Allen (he was one of the 16 listed), RB James Cook, WR Gabe Davis, S Jordan Poyer, and WR Tyrell Shavers.
By the time the Denver Broncos take the field on Sunday, they will have had 14-days rest and has the opportunity to return guys, like Drew Sanders who may come off IR this week, that needed time to heal up to return to the field. The benefit to rest and health can’t be underestimated when you see teams like the Bills staggering into Sunday bandaged and bruised.
By contrast, the Broncos featured just 6 players on IR before their regular season finale against the Chargers. Sure, the injuries to S PJ Locke, T Garett Bolles, and CAlex Forsyth were less than ideal. We’ll get an idea soon how recovery has gone with the extra week rest, but we all know they’re better off for having the time off.
The playoff bye week is over. It’s time to get to work, Denver. You’ve got the Bills coming into town and it’s your task to show them their way out of town and into the postseason. It’s a tall order, but there’s no better time than the present to show the world exactly who you are.
The ecstasy of victory, followed by the crushing news of injury; Denver Broncos fans are reeling after coach Sean Payton revealed that starting quarterback Bo Nix will miss the remainder of the postseason with a broken bone in his ankle.
The fractured occurred during the second to last play for the Broncos in their 33-30 overtime victory against the Buffalo Bills, and the former Oregon Duck is already scheduled for surgery. Looking at this injury in the scope of Nix’s overall career, the stall in postseason momentum provides a massive challenge but also proves an upside in Nix’s influence with the Broncos.
Bo Nix Brings Success to the Broncos
For any Bronco fan, it’s obvious that Nix’s impact can be directly seen in the production of the team flourishing after almost a decade of stagnancy. This upcoming AFC Championship will be the first hosted at Mile High since 2014.
Amassing 3,931 yards and 25 touchdowns this season with three touchdowns (26/46 and 279 yards in the passing game) against the Bills, Nix was securely the starter at Mile High prior to his broken bone incident. Nix took nearly every single snap over Stidham in 2024 and 2025.
The Broncos were also a Super Bowl favorite heading into the divisional round. However, after Nix’s injury broke into the headlines, their odds have dropped down to +850 at DraftKings Sportsbook, further illustrating Nix’s importance as a leader.
Bo Nix’s Success at Oregon Shows His Ability to Endure
After Nix’s tenure at Auburn, he took a potentially dwindling career and pivoted to the Ducks which resulted in a breath of new life and the current success he’s having to this day.
Getting benched from the starting position at Auburn halfway into the 2021 season, Nix joined Oregon and coach Dan Lanning in 2022 to help produce a 10-3 season and then continued to fight with a 11-2 2023 season topped off with a Fiesta Bowl win and a visit to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist.
Nix’s past history of leadership and comebacks shows that the current success in Denver isn’t a fluke, and likely isn’t a one time spark depending on his ankle recovery. He revived his career at Oregon, and Nix hit the ground running in the NFL. This latest injury might be a speed bump in his path, and how it affects the Broncos team remains to be seen, but Nix has shown the ability to get back up after being knocked down.
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Bo Nix Dealt With Ankle Injuries Before
With all this success, there’s proven ground that Nix can bounce back for another successful season with the Broncos. Plus, according to Payton’s same post-game media availability, this type of injury is something Nix dealt with in the past.
“He’s such a strong, faith-based guy,” Payton said. “He’s sitting in the hallway with his family and coming over and we’re all talking to him. He knows that God’s got a plan for him and he said he had (a broken ankle) in high school and then he said he had one at Auburn.”
“He’s a tough cookie,” Payton added. “And this team all year has lost key players and will rise up for the next challenge.”
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Denver police put a shelter-in-place order in effect on Saturday night for a two-block area in the southern part of the city. A wireless emergency alert about the order was sent out to a “broader area than intended,” according to the Denver Public Safety Department.
The police department said people in the area of 2495 South Vine Street should stay inside and stay away from windows and doors “until further notice.” That’s in the University neighborhood close to the University of Denver campus.
Numerous police cars could be seen with lights flashing at 8:30 p.m. in the area around an apartment building near the intersection of Vine Street and East Harvard Avenue.
Officials from DU Campus Safety said there is “no active threat to DU” in a post on X.
So far it’s not clear what sort of threat has prompted the safety warning.
Curtis Samuel was activated off Injured Reserve on Friday, solidifying the Buffalo Bills’ wide receiver position ahead of a critical Divisional Round matchup with the Denver Broncos.
With Samuel now on the active roster and expected to be part of the team’s game-day plans against Denver, there should be a clear pecking order for targets in this game.
Buffalo Bills activate Ed Oliver, WR from IR before Divisional Round vs. Broncos
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Khalil Shakir has been the team’s leading receiver each of the past two seasons and is coming off a performance against the Jaguars this past week in which he hauled in all 12 of his targets. He will be the team’s top option once again vs. the Broncos.
Behind Shakir, Brandin Cooks had a big game against the Jaguars as well, continuing his development into the downfield threat the Bills have been searching for throughout the year. He needs to be incorporated into the passing game early if Buffalo hopes to find the consistency required to push past one of the league’s top defenses.
Then you have Keon Coleman and Samuel, who will be jockeying for the leftover targets on the outside. Samuel’s history against the Broncos, which included a 55-yard touchdown in last year’s Wild Card game, may play in his favor. However, Coleman recorded an impressive 36-yard catch and run against the Broncos, and the Bills could elect to give him the leg up in terms of snap share on the critical postseason affair.
Mecole Hardman was elevated from the team’s practice squad on Friday but it remains unclear if he will suit up to play on Saturday.
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Tough matchup
It will be interesting to see how the Bills define the pecking order when the two teams take the field at 4:30 p.m. But regardless of which players see their fair share of targets, they will be going up against a talented Broncos’ secondary highlighted by reigning Defensive Player of the Year, cornerback Patrick Surtain II, paired with one of the league’s most fearsome pass rushes.
It’s going to take a heroic effort from the Bills’ pass catchers to help sustain a Buffalo passing game that took positive steps a week ago.
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