Denver Broncos defeat Bills 33-30 in overtime at Mile High, will host AFC Championship game
The Broncos are advancing in the playoffs after defeating the Buffalo Bills in overtime on Saturday in Denver by a score of 33-30. In eight days, they'll host the AFC Championship game for the eighth time in franchise history.
Denver cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian intercepted Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen on a deep toss in overtime, quarterback Bo Nix orchestrated a drive -- in which the Bills were flagged for pass interference twice -- and kicker Will Lutz secured the win with a 23-yard field goal in another frantic finish for the (15-3) Broncos. It was their thirteenth comeback win this season.
There were several surprises (two good, one terrible) in the first playoff game in the Mile High City since Jan. 24, 2015:
- After the game, Broncos head coach Sean Payton announced that Bo Nix fractured a bone in his ankle near the very end of the game and will miss the rest of the season.
- A touchdown scored by a Broncos offensive lineman for the first time in the playoffs in franchise history. Tackle Frank Crum caught a pass from Nix in the second quarter and rumbled into the endzone for the first Denver touchdown of the game.
- Five turnovers created by the Broncos defense, which wasn't known during the regular season as a unit that generated lots of turnovers.
And just like that Denver's defense comes up clutch AGAIN!
— Romi Bean (@Romi_Bean) January 17, 2026
FOURTH turnover of the day. P.J. Locke with the interception. WOW
FIVE takeaways by Denver’s D. None more clutch than what we just saw. WOW
— Romi Bean (@Romi_Bean) January 18, 2026
Nix went 26 for 46 for 279 yards, with three passing touchdowns and an interception in the game. He is only the 22nd quarterback in league history to lead his team to a conference championship game within his first two seasons.
"We found a way to win again and our defense made stops," Nix told CBS Sports reporter Tracy Wolfson after the game. "I'm proud of our guys. I'm proud of this organization, I'm proud of the way we compete, we fight. We're just never out of it."
Denver will now wait until Sunday afternoon to learn their next playoff opponent. They'll face the winner of Sunday afternoon's battle between the Patriots and the Houston Texans in New England. That game kicks off at 1 p.m. Mountain Time.
The Broncos have played in 10 AFC Championship games previously. Seven of those have been played in Colorado -- Denver has only lost one of those home-hosted championship games.
With Saturday's win at Empower Field at Mile High, Payton now has 10 postseason wins under his belt, which moves him into a tie with three coaches for 16th-most postseason wins by a head coach in NFL history: Bill Walsh, Bud Grant and George Seifert.