Getty
Here are early predictions on who will win in the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos NFL playoff game for the divisional round.
The Buffalo Bills are now shifting their focus to their matchup against the Denver Broncos after narrowly defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-24 in their wild-card game on Sunday.
One of the key storylines from the Bills‘ victory centered on the injury status of several important players, especially quarterback Josh Allen. Although Allen never missed a play due to injury, there were moments when he was slow to rise and had to be evaluated in the blue medical tent by Buffalo’s trainers.
Allen is Sore After Sunday’s Game
During the second quarter, Allen injured his finger while hitting a helmet and also hurt his ankle while scoring a touchdown. Fortunately, none of the injuries appears to be serious. James Palmer from The Athletic reported on X Monday that Allen is sore but is determined to do whatever it takes to play.
Even though Allen was nursing injuries for the majority of the game, he still delivered a standout performance. He passed for 273 yards and threw one touchdown while also racking up 33 rushing yards and scoring twice.
Allen carried the Bills on his shoulders for most of the second half, making crucial plays whenever Buffalo needed them. As it prepares to face the Broncos, the Bills will need Allen to be as close to 100% as possible since the team is already down two of their receivers.
The Bills announced on Saturday that wide receiver Josh Palmer would not play due to an ankle injury. Shortly afterward, Buffalo placed Palmer on injured reserve, effectively ending his season.
Palmer wasn’t the only Bills receiver to face a season-ending injury this past week. Gabe Davis also went down during the second half against the Jaguars while trying to make a catch that ultimately fell incomplete. CBS’s broadcast showed Davis being carted off the field, and on Monday, head coach Sean McDermott confirmed that Davis had torn his ACL.
The Bills are short on receiving options, even with Palmer and Davis healthy, but now their depth will be put to the test for the remainder of the season.
Bills Could Use Playing Last Week to Their Advantage
It’s not the ideal week to test receiving depth, especially since Denver has the eighth-best coverage grade this season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Despite any challenges, the Bills have one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in Allen. His skill set makes many things possible, and in any game he participates in, you can never count him out.
The Bills have been plagued by injuries all season long. However, if any team can withstand the challenges these injuries bring, it’s Buffalo. It will be interesting to see how the Bills perform against the Broncos. Even though Buffalo will be playing on the road in a hostile environment, it did play this week, unlike Denver, which had a bye.
Teams coming off a bye week can often be rusty, and if the Bills can jump out to a strong start, the Broncos might find themselves playing catch-up for the rest of the game.
Danny Fisher Is a football journalist covering the Buffalo Bills for Heavy.com. He has covered the NFL for Gridiron Heroics, focusing on the AFC and Penn State football for Nittany Central. More about Danny Fisher
More Heavy on Bills
Loading more stories