Denver's elite defense suffocates Josh Allen's potent offense, while Bo Nix thrives behind a dominant line. This matchup is Denver's path to victory.
The Divisional Round matchups are set, and the No. 1 seed Denver Broncos host the No. 6 seed Buffalo Bills on Saturday.
That means Bo Nix and the Broncos take on Josh Allen and the Bills for the second year in a row in the playoffs, and it could be a tough game.
The Bills survived with a 27-24 win over the No. 3 seed Jacksonville Jaguars in the Wild Card round, and Allen had three total touchdowns as he scored the go-ahead touchdown in the final minute of the game.
Entering the game, there are plenty of notable matchups with these two teams, although the high-powered Buffalo offense against the hard-nosed Denver defense is the most obvious one.
Seth Walder of ESPN wrote why the Broncos will win the game against the Bills in the Divisional Round.
"Because Denver's defense is the perfect antidote to Buffalo's offense. Allen wants to throw the ball? He must go against the No. 1 defense in terms of success rate against opposing dropbacks, thanks to a feisty pass rush and All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain II. Should Buffalo decide to lean on its strong running game, it's not much better, as the Broncos rank fourth in success rate against them on designed runs. But it's not just defense that favors the Broncos. Quarterback Bo Nix is probably playing the best football of his pro career. Since Denver's Week 12 bye, Nix has a 67.2 QBR (seventh best), with low interception (1.2%) and sack (4.0%) rates. And with one of the league's best offensive lines in front of him, Nix should have plenty of time to work. "
In last year's playoff game, the Broncos scored the first touchdown of the game, but the Bills scored 31 straight after that to get the 31-7 blowout win.
Allen went 20-of-26 with a pair of touchdowns in an ultra-efficient game, and James Cook ran wild as well.
In that game, the Broncos' defense just could not stop Allen or the Bills, but perhaps this game, being in Denver, could change that matter.
The Broncos have been carried by their defense all season long, and it makes sense since it is their strong point.
In order for them to have any chance of advancing to the AFC title game against either the New England Patriots or Houston Texans, the defense needs to find a way to get to Josh Allen and company.