Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton didn't mince words about how disappointed he was in the team's offense in Week 18.
The Denver Broncos will host their long-awaited first playoff game against the Buffalo Bills Saturday afternoon after the Bills knocked off the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Wild Card Round.
This game will be a huge test for a Denver team that is seeking revenge against Buffalo, the team that ended their brief playoff run last season in a 31-7 blowout. Unlike last time these teams met, the Broncos secured the first-round bye and watched the opening round from their couches while the Bills had to steal a nail-biter from the Jaguars to advance.
As much as extra rest and time to heal should be a good thing for the Broncos, it could very well be a bad thing if the team isn’t properly prepared for battle against one of the National Football League’s most premier quarterbacks. Denver must be able to go blow-for-blow with Buffalo and quarterback Josh Allen, who has his best chance to advance to the Super Bowl without Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow in the way.
Head coach Sean Payton has been on edge in his press conferences since the end of Week 18, despite the team beating the depleted Los Angeles Chargers 19-3. He lashed out on a reporter asking about the return of linebacker Dre Greenlaw, telling the reporter he doesn’t know anything about attacking downhill and that he isn’t a middle linebacker.
During this bye week, Payton didn’t mince words about how he felt regarding the team’s offensive performance in Week 18, saying he was “salty” and that the group needed to be better to make a run.
“We'll definitely stretch the ball down the field. We'll be aggressive in how we call these games,” Payton said earlier this week.
He’s going to need to be aggressive to keep up with the best rushing (159.6 yards per game) and fourth-best scoring offense in the sport (28.3 points per game). The Bills narrowly defeated the Jaguars with just over a minute left to advance, so there is probably a huge sense of urgency within that locker room.
Just because they are the sixth-seeded team doesn’t mean they aren’t a formidable opponent or shouldn’t be taken seriously. Denver’s defense is one of the best units in the league, but they may have trouble against Allen and Buffalo’s brilliant rushing attack.
The Broncos’ path to the Super Bowl is even more difficult if they get past Buffalo. The other two remaining teams, the Houston Texans and New England Patriots, both feature great defenses that dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chargers respectively.
Advancing obviously isn’t guaranteed and Denver needs to bring their A-game Saturday.