Luckily for CBS Sports, they had the rights to last Saturday’s divisional round matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos.
The Bills ultimately fell short to the Broncos in overtime last weekend. With the game tied at 30-30, Josh Allen fired a deep pass to Brandin Cooks on third-and-11. Although it seemed like a completion in real speed, Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian managed to get his hands on the ball and rip it out of Cooks’ possession. That interception set the stage for a game-winning drive from Bo Nix.
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Countless people, including recently-fired Bills coach Sean McDermott, ripped the league’s officiating this week.
“That play is not even close. That’s a catch all the way … and nobody can convince me that that ball is not caught and in possession of Buffalo,” McDermott told reporters. “I just have no idea how the NFL handled it, in particular, the way that they did. I think the players and the fans deserve an explanation, you know.”
Jan 17, 2026; Denver, CO, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) drops to throw during the fourth quarter of an AFC Divisional Round playoff game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images© Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
(© Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images)
The controversial call in Denver may have helped CBS Sports in the ratings department.
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CBS Sports announced that last weekend’s showdown between the Bills and Broncos became the most-watched Saturday game in the history of the NFL playoffs. It’s also the most-watched Saturday telecast on any network since the 1994 Winter Olympics.
The Bills-Broncos game had 39.597 million viewers, which is up 17% from last year’s early divisional round time slot. Unsurprisingly, CBS Sports’ audience peaked in overtime with a whopping 51.284 million viewers.
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CBS will try to make more history on Sunday.
As always, the AFC Championship Game will be televised on CBS. The Broncos will start Jarrett Stidham at quarterback against the New England Patriots. They unfortunately lost Nix to a season-ending injury during their overtime victory over the Bills.
“He will be ready to go and ready for the moment,” Broncos coach Sean Payton told reporters. “One of Stiddy’s great strengths is his mental aptitude and his progression and understanding plays. There would be practices where I’m looking at [defensive coordinator] Vance [Joseph] getting [mad], because Stiddy’s making our defense look bad. He’s very accurate. He’s got a lot to his ball.”
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Kickoff for the Patriots-Broncos game is at 3 p.m. ET.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Jan 21, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.