DENVER — Ja’Quan McMillian intercepted Josh Allen’s deep throw in overtime before Bo Nix led the Broncos into position for Wil Lutz’s 23-yard field goal that sent Denver to the AFC championship game with a 33-30 win over the Buffalo Bills on Saturday.
But the Broncos will have to play without Nix, who broke his right ankle late in overtime and will have surgery that will sideline him for the rest of the playoffs.
Coach Sean Payton delivered the stunning news about his second-year quarterback in the aftermath of Denver’s biggest win in a decade. Backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham will start the AFC championship game next weekend.
“Stiddy’s ready,” Payton said after returning to the postgame lectern to discuss the injury.
Payton said Nix got hurt on a keeper where he lost 2 yards and was tackled by safety Cole Bishop. Nix was limping after the play, but there was no indication that he suffered such a serious injury.
On the next play, Nix threw a deep pass to Marvin Mims Jr. that drew a 30-yard pass-interference flag and got the Broncos well into field-goal range. Nix then took a knee to center the ball for Lutz’s game-ending field goal.
McMillian’s pick was Denver’s fifth takeaway of the game — the Broncos went into the playoffs at minus-3 in turnover differential. McMillian wrested the ball away from Brandin Cooks at the Broncos 20-yard line when a field goal would have won the game for Buffalo.
The Broncos (15-3) will face either New England or Houston for the AFC title next Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High, where top-seeded Denver has won 14 of its past 15 games.
“We played a really good football team,” Nix said. “They played really well tonight. They gave us a great shot on a short week after a tough game last week, so hats off to them. We found a way to win again and our defense made stops and I’m just proud of our guys. I’m just proud of this organization. I’m proud of the way we compete, we fight.
“We’re just never out of it and I think that’s just the character piece. It wasn’t always pretty. We had a good lead and they came back and it wasn’t looking good, but the fourth quarter and overtime, we just found a way to win.”
Payton lamented Denver’s sputtering offense and 1-for-4 performance in the red zone: “We weren’t good in the red zone. But we were good enough when it mattered.”
The Bills (13-6) were flagged for pass interference twice on Denver’s final drive.
Former Broncos kicker and UCF alum Matt Prater nailed a 50-yard field goal with 5 seconds left in regulation, knotting it up at 30-all. That came after Nix’s 26-yard touchdown throw to Marvin Mims Jr. with 55 seconds left had given Denver a 30-27 lead.
Allen, who hadn’t turned the ball over in his previous six playoff appearances, threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles. P.J. Locke also picked off Allen.
“Extremely difficult,” a teary-eyed Allen said. “I felt like I let my teammates down.”
The Bills failed once again to reach the Super Bowl with Allen under center even though Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson weren’t standing in his way this time as that trio of franchise quarterbacks all missed the postseason party.
Payton insisted the game should have ended earlier in overtime when a Denver defender was held in the end zone before Allen escaped from the end zone on second-and-9 from his 8.
Coming off the first road playoff win of his career, Allen’s first three turnovers helped Denver build a 23-10 lead before he threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Keon Coleman and a 14-yarder to Dalton Kincaid to give Buffalo a 24-23 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Allen also fumbled the ball at the Denver 23 late in the fourth quarter but right tackle Spencer Brown recovered the loose ball, setting up Prater’s 31-yarder for a 27-23 Buffalo lead.
Also in the second half, Allen threw an interception when P.J. Locke cut in front of wide receiver Curtis Samuel, who appeared to be wide open for what would have been a 43-yard touchdown.
The Broncos scored 10 points in the final 22 seconds of the first half to take a 20-10 lead into the locker room, and they got their third takeaway just two plays into the second half on a strip-sack of Allen that was recovered by Malcolm Roach at the Bills 17, leading to Lutz’s short field goal to make it 23-10.
Nix’s 29-yard TD pass to Lil’Jordan Humphrey broke a 10-all tie and then Allen lost the ball after a long scramble up the middle. Devon Key recovered for Denver with 2 seconds left before halftime and Lutz’s 50-yarder as the half expired made it 20-10.
The Broncos’ other touchdown in the first half came from an unlikely source. They went ahead 10-7 when Nix threw to tackle-eligible Frank Crum, a second-year pro from Wyoming, Allen’s alma mater. He caught the short pass and tumbled into the end zone for a 7-yard score.
James Cook ran for 117 yards on 24 carries but lost a fumble.
When the Broncos lost 31-7 in Buffalo last playoffs, Payton said, “We have to figure out how to get these games at home.”
They did it by leading the league in sacks (68), tying a franchise record with 14 regular-season victories, winning 11 one-score games and having 11 comebacks.
“We weren’t ready last year,” Payton said. “But we were ready today.”
Payton said Nix will have surgery Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama.
“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.
“And I said I didn’t realize that. I said if I had known that I wouldn’t have drafted you,” Payton cracked.
The locker room had cleared out and reporters were waiting in an interview room for Nix when Payton returned and delivered the news about the injury.
Nix, the 12th overall pick out of Oregon in the 2024 NFL draft, tied Russell Wilson’s NFL record with two dozen victories in his first two seasons. Saturday’s victory was his first in the playoffs. The Broncos lost last year at Buffalo but Nix led Denver to the AFC’s top seed this season.
“He’s a tough cookie,” Payton said. “And this team all year has lost key players and will rise up for the next challenge.”
Injuries
Bills: Inactive for the game were two defensive starters: S Jordan Poyer (hamstring) and LB Terrel Bernard (calf). … LB Dorian Williams (neck) got hurt covering the opening kickoff and was taken via ambulance to a hospital. … C Connor McGovern was cleared to return just before halftime after being evaluated for a concussion. … DT Ed Oliver, who just returned to the active roster, went out late in the third quarter with a knee injury. The seven-year veteran was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 28 with a left biceps tear that required surgery. He suffered meniscus damage while rehabbing and had another procedure on Dec. 29.
Broncos: WR Pat Bryant sustained a concussion on Denver’s initial drive after he caught three passes for 32 yards. … WR Troy Franklin pulled a hamstring in the second quarter.
