The Denver Broncos are getting the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the playoffs, a matchup in which many are leaning towards the Bills to win. But Buffalo has a major issue at one very important position.
The Bills will come into this game in dire straits at the wide receiver position. It's been seen as a weakness all season for the team, but after last week's Wild Card win over Jacksonville, the Bills are going to have to get quite creative.
In that game, both Gabe Davis and Tyrell Shavers went down with ACL injuries. Shavers actually finished the game despite tearing his ACL in the first half. Now, the Bills will come to Empower Field at Mile High with only three healthy receivers on the 53-man roster — Khalil Shakir, Brandin Cooks and Keon Coleman.
The team recently placed Joshua Palmer on injured reserve and Curtis Samuel is there as well. The Bills are running out of options. On the practice squad, Kristian Wilkerson, Mecole Hardman and Stephen Gosnell represent the remainder of the Bills' receiving corps, unless they decide to sign another one before Saturday.
Josina Anderson actually suggested they call Odell Beckham, Jr.
Bills' depleted wide receiver group leads to big advantage for Broncos
This is how the Broncos can win this game. Last year in the Wild Card round, Buffalo rushed for 210 yards against Denver's defense and that was the key to how they controlled the game. They ran the ball 44 times and averaged nearly five yards per carry. James Cook had 120 yards and Josh Allen added another 46.
In this game, the Broncos could have the ability to stack the box to slow down Cook and keep Allen inside the pocket, forcing him to make throws rather than turn nothing into something with his feet. If the top three receivers are Cooks, Shakir and Coleman, the Broncos can use Pat Surtain II, Riley Moss and Jahdae Barron in one-on-one situations and have the advantage nearly all of the time.
If the Broncos can force the Bills into third-and-long situations and make Allen throw out of the pocket, they will have a great chance to win this game. Buffalo does have a solid pair of tight ends in Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox, and the Broncos have a long history of struggling against tight ends, so that will be where the Bills look to gain an edge.
READ: Broncos will have a silver lining if they close as underdogs against Bills
It will be an interesting chess match between the Bills' offense and the Broncos' defense, but the lack of weapons for Allen to distribute the ball to in this game could tip the scales into Denver's favor big time.
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