The hopes of those in Broncos Country are a mile high as the Denver Broncos prepare to host the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the playoffs this Saturday.
Despite the Broncos being the No. 1 seed in the AFC, many of those in the NFL media are predicting the Bills to win this game. Nearly 100 percent of those predictions start with one name... Josh Allen.
Allen is a tremendously talented football player and easily one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. The Broncos are going to need to be good offensively in this game with Bo Nix playing smart, mistake-free football, but it seems as though this game will be won or lost by the Broncos' defense and how the unit handles going against Allen.
Allen will be without some of his wide receivers in this one as Gabe Davis and Tyrell Shavers each suffered torn ACL's in the team's win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Wild Card round. However, his ability to get the ball to his running backs in the passing game while utilizing his tight ends and making plays with his legs are the strengths of Allen's game.
The Broncos have one of the best defenses in the league and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph will have his guys ready to go in this one. These four players will have the biggest responsibility in slowing Allen and the Bills' offense down and if they are able to do that, the Broncos will win this game.
Zach Allen, Defensive Lineman
The Broncos can't forget about how this Bills team rushed for 210 yards against them in the playoffs last year. Zach Allen was front and center for that one and had one of the Broncos' two sacks in that game.
Now a Pro Bowler, Allen needs to take the lead for this Broncos defense and help shut down that rushing attack. He needs to consistently win at the point of attack and put pressure on the quarterback while also ensuring that Buffalo's rushing attack doesn't have anywhere near the success that it did last January.
Ja'Quan McMillian, Cornerback
Do no expect the Bills to have a ton of success throwing the ball to the outside in this game, unless they attack Riley Moss consistently. But with the Bills missing guys at the wide receiver position, Moss may be able to hold his own just fine.
The one place where Allen will look to throw the ball is in the middle of the field, looking for his slot guy, Khalil Shakir. Last week against Jacksonville, Shakir hauled in 12 receptions for 82 yards.
Allen is going to target him often in this game and Ja'Quan McMillian will be the player tasked with covering him as the team's nickel corner. But McMillian might be the most underrated player on the entire team and he is known to cause turnovers during his career, so he could come up with a game-changing play in this one.
Dre Greenlaw, Linebacker
It will be huge for the Broncos to have Dre Greenlaw healthy and on the field for this game. He brings a physical presence that the team just does not have without him.
If Allen looks to get the ball to his running backs out of the backfield or his tight ends, Greenlaw can be the biggest factor in helping shut that down. If that gets taken away for the Bills, they could be in big trouble offensively in this game.
Nik Bonitto, Edge
Nik Bonitto needs to make his presence felt in this game. The Bills did an effective job against him last year, allowing him to get just one hit on Allen. In this game, he needs to get frequent pressure, but his pressures need to be smart, as Allen is capable of using an aggressive pass rush against him and then taking off for a big run himself.
READ: The main reason Buffalo Bills present such a difficult challenge for Denver Broncos
Bonitto needs to help keep Allen in the pocket and try to collapse that pocket around him, rather than chase him around. That's where Allen can make you pay. If Bonitto can get the kind of pressure that rattles Allen enough and get the ball out of his hands before he's ready, that is where the Broncos can create a big advantage in this game.
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