Josh Allen directs a well-rounded offense as the Bills overpower the Broncos for a 31-7 wild-card victory.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) celebrates with wide receiver Curtis Samuel (1) after Samuel scores a touchdown against the Denver Broncos during the fourth quarter of an NFL wild-card playoff game on Sunday, January 12, 2025, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (NB360) — Josh Allen tossed a couple of touchdown passes, James Cook decided to take a scenic 5-yard jog into the end zone and wrapped up his day with a cool 120 yards rushing. The Buffalo Bills strutted their stuff with a well-balanced offensive dance routine in a 31-7 smackdown of the Denver Broncos in a wild-card playoff showdown on Sunday.

The Bills slowly but surely wore out the Broncos like a pair of old socks, scoring on six of their first seven drives to build a comfy 31-7 lead, all while hogging the ball for a whopping 23 extra minutes.

Buffalo didn’t even bat an eyelash when rookie Bo Nix kicked off the game with a five-play, 43-yard touchdown serenade to Troy Franklin.

With Buffalo holding a 13-7 lead, Allen decided to spice things up with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Ty Johnson, who made a dramatic slide into the end zone on fourth-and-1 with just over three minutes left in the third quarter.

“I’ve been saying all year that Ty Johnson’s the best third down back in football,” Allen boasted. “He’s like a Swiss Army knife—blocking, catching, running. He’s got it all. I’m just thrilled for him. He made a heck of a play. It was fourth down, so why not throw a little party in the end zone? They were playing man coverage, and I just tossed him the invite.”

On their next possession, Allen launched a 55-yard rocket to Curtis Samuel on the first snap of the fourth quarter.

The five-time defending AFC East champion Bills are now marching on to the divisional round for the fifth postseason in a row, ready to tango with the third-seeded Baltimore Ravens next weekend.

The Ravens, fresh off a 28-14 triumph over Pittsburgh, had previously given Buffalo a 35-10 drubbing back in Week 4. This upcoming clash marks the second playoff duel between Allen and Baltimore’s quarterback Lamar Jackson, after Buffalo toppled the Ravens 17-3 in the 2020 divisional round.

“They gave us a good walloping earlier this year,” Allen recalled about facing the Ravens again. “We’ve got some serious film-watching to do. They’re a fantastic team with a quarterback as slippery as a bar of soap in Lamar. He’s a blast to watch, but I’ll be focusing on their defense this week.”

Cook became the first Buffalo player since Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas in 1995 to rush for over 100 yards in a playoff game, clocking in at 158 yards against Miami.

Allen wrapped up his day going 20 of 26 for 272 yards, boosting his playoff touchdown tally to 23 and breaking the franchise record of 21 set by Hall of Famer Jim Kelly.

The seventh-seeded Broncos found themselves outclassed in their first playoff appearance since their Super Bowl glory days in 2015.

Nix finished 13 of 22 for 144 yards, in a game where Denver punted four times and turned the ball over on downs twice.

The Broncos’ usually ferocious defense was tamed by Allen and his merry band of yard-gainers, content with nibbling away at the field on long, time-gobbling drives.

The Broncos, who led the NFL with 63 sacks this season, only managed to sack Allen twice in a game where the Bills punted just once.

Allen had a minor nail mishap in the fourth quarter, but stayed in the game to finish the drive, which ended with Tyler Bass nailing a 34-yard field goal before Allen handed the reins over to backup Mitchell Trubisky.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just a little blood, no biggie. We’re all good here,” Allen said about his thumb.

Trailing 7-3, Cook scored the go-ahead touchdown early in the second quarter, capping off a 13-play, 81-yard drive. All three of Buffalo’s first-half possessions featured 11 or more offensive snaps.

The Broncos had little to say in a first half that ended with them trailing 10-7 after Wil Lutz’s 50-yard field goal attempt clanged off the right upright as time expired. It was Lutz’s first miss since Week 10 when his 35-yard attempt was blocked by the Chiefs, sealing Kansas City’s 16-14 win.

Lutz had since made 41 consecutive attempts—13 field goals and 28 extra points.

Including the playoffs, Buffalo improved to 13-1 at home since a 24-22 loss to Denver on Nov. 13, 2023. The only loss came to Kansas City in last year’s division playoff round. Buffalo is 16-5 all-time at home in the postseason.

The Broncos dropped to 2-7 in the wild-card round, with all seven losses happening on the road.

Up next

Broncos: Time to hit the offseason snooze button.

Bills: Hosting the Ravens next weekend in a showdown of two quarterbacks who were first-round picks in the 2018 draft.