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Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton.
The Denver Broncos will be looking for any advantage when the Buffalo Bills visit them for an AFC Divisional Round game on Saturday, and one huge advantage just popped up in a very big way.
The Bills will be missing a good chunk of their secondary — and 2 of their most talented defensive players — with the season on the line.
“Bills HC Sean McDermott ruled out CB Maxwell Hairston and S Jordan Poyer for Saturday’s game vs. the Broncos,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on Thursday, January 15.
Hairston, the Bills’ first round pick (No. 30 overall) in the 2025 NFL draft, injured his ankle in the regular-season finale and missed the AFC Wild Card Round win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He also missed 6 games during the regular season due to injuries.
Poyer, who is in his 13th NFL season, missed 7 games during the regular season due to injuries and is a former NFL All-Pro and Pro Bowler. He injured his hamstring in the first half against the Jaguars.
“Injuries hitting hard!” Eagles Eyes wrote on its official X account. “Losing Maxwell Hairston and Jordan Poyer is a big blow for Buffalo’s secondary the Broncos will test the defense for sure. Time for the backups to step up and show they can rise to the occasion.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. EST on CBS.
Broncos Fans Have Little Faith in Nix
The rollercoaster experience of watching Broncos quarterback Bo Nix pass the ball this season has left their fans with little faith he can take advantage of a secondary missing 2 of its most talented players.
“Bo Nix will still only throw for 175 yards for some reason,” NFL Guru wrote on its official X account.
After Nix averaged 296.4 yards passing over the previous 5 games, Nix averaged 160.1 yards passing over the final 2 games and only had 1 touchdown pass in wins over the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers.
In one stat that seems to jump off the page, Nix will be trying to become just the second quarterback in franchise history drafted by the Broncos to win a playoff game for the Broncos. The other was Tim Tebow, who led the Broncos to an AFC Wild Card Round win over the Pittsburgh Steelers following the 2011 season in one of the more dramatic playoff finishes in NFL playoff history.
In Reality, Only One Player Matters for Bills
While playing without Hairston and Poyer is a decided disadvantage, the Bills still ahve the only player in the entire NFL capable of winning a game seemingly on his own in quarterback and reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen.
Allen is No. 8 in NFL history with 141 consecutive starts in the regular season and playoffs and went full Gladiator mode in the win over the Jaguars, playing through a knee injury that looked like it might have ended most people’s seasons, along with an injury to his hand and a possible concussion.
In the end, Allen still found a way to put up 306 yards of total offense and 3 total touchdowns — 1 passing and 2 rushing — as the Bills won their first road playoff game since 1992 and put together a playoff-winning drive for the first time in his career.
Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame
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