DENVER 鈥 As the Denver Broncos marched up and down the field Sunday, it would have been understandable if the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and, heck, every AFC playoff team had the same reaction.
Whew. The Cincinnati Bengals are done for the season.
Exhale. Quarterback Joe Burrow won鈥檛 break more hearts in the playoffs.
Deep breath. Pass rusher Trey Hendrickson will clean out his locker this week.
Nobody wanted to play the Bengals if they had snuck into the postseason. Not the Chiefs. Not the Bills. Not anybody.
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Broncos outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper sacks Chiefs quarterback Carson Wentz during the first half of their game Sunday in Denver. The Broncos led the NFL with 62 sacks this season.
The Broncos made sure they wouldn鈥檛, throttling the Chiefs鈥 backups 38-0 at a rocking Mile High to secure their first playoff berth since 2015 and earn a trip to face the Bills at 1 p.m. Sunday in Orchard Park.
Kansas City sat 13 players, and the Broncos took advantage, leading 14-0 after the first quarter, 24-0 at halftime and 31-0 after the third quarter.
鈥淲e really tried to focus on the process and tune out who might be or who might not be playing,鈥 Broncos coach Sean Payton said.
The Broncos earned the right to celebrate their accomplishment, which came on their third try after losing the previous two weeks at the Los Angeles Chargers and Cincinnati.
Rookie quarterback Bo Nix celebrates the Broncos' win against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in Denver. Nix finished with 3,775 passing yards this season.
Rookie quarterback Bo Nix was headed toward the south end zone tunnel when he suddenly veered left, starting a complete lap of the field to high-five fans who had waited years for this kind of moment.
Nix completed his first 18 passes (a Broncos record to start a game) and finished 26 of 29 passing for 321 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed seven times for 47 yards. Granted, it was against the Chiefs鈥 backup secondary, but 18 of 18 is still 18 of 18.
Nix was playing for Oregon last year when the Broncos traveled to Buffalo on a Saturday 鈥 and left late on a Tuesday because of plane issues. They beat the Bills on a Monday night when Leonard Floyd was the 12th man on the field, giving the Broncos another chance to kick a winning field goal.
That Bills team was reeling: Offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey was fired less than 12 hours after the loss.
This Bills team is rolling: Their starting lineup went 13-3 before quarterback Josh Allen and others watched Sunday鈥檚 loss to New England.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e a really good football team, and that鈥檚 why they鈥檙e the (No.) 2 seed,鈥 Payton said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to need a great week of preparation, and we鈥檒l get ready to go.鈥
Defensive end Zach Allen told me in the Broncos locker room: 鈥淒efinitely excited to go back (to Buffalo). They鈥檝e been right up there ever since I鈥檝e been in the league (2019) 鈥 Kansas City and (and the Bills) have been 1A and 1B. It鈥檚 going to be a challenge. Just in the games we鈥檝e caught this year, they鈥檙e really special, especially on offense.鈥
They love the old days 鈥檙ound these parts, and with each passing season, the old days were the only thing to cling to. Since winning the Super Bowl in Peyton Manning鈥檚 last game over the Carolina Panthers, the Broncos had been in NFL no man鈥檚 land. Not bad enough to totally strip down the roster and draft high, but not nearly good enough to threaten the Chiefs in the AFC West.
Many coaches and quarterbacks failed, and a similar result figured to follow this year, because the Broncos absorbed a $50 million 鈥渄ead鈥 cap hit by releasing quarterback Russell Wilson, compromising their team-building efforts. Painted into a corner on draft night, the Broncos selected the only quarterback left on the board that merited a first-round choice 鈥 Nix.
Things looked bleak early. The Broncos opened with losses at Seattle and to Pittsburgh. Their season was already on the line when they traveled to Tampa Bay in Week 3. But they won. They stayed on the East Coast and won at the New York Jets.
鈥淲hen you have some success, you can have some confidence, and it becomes something you can repeat,鈥 Payton said.
Nix is Exhibit A, and as Payton said afterward, No. 10 was on a heater against the Chiefs.
Eight Broncos caught at least two passes (does that kind of balance look familiar, Bills fans?) and Nix had completions of 47, 32, 32 and 25 yards (ditto).
Don鈥檛 sleep on this Broncos team.
As Payton said, 鈥測oung and hungry can sometimes be pretty dangerous.鈥
Nix is young. Veterans like elite cornerback Pat Surtain II are hungry for their first postseason. And the Broncos鈥 pass rush makes them especially dangerous.
Be ready, Bills.
