The Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills meet in a high-stakes matchup this Saturday at Empower Field at Mile High. The Broncos are looking to return to their pass glory, while Josh Allen and the Bills are looking to finally break through and win their first Lombardi Trophy.
The Bills eliminated the Broncos 31-7 in the Wild Card round last year, but the Broncos have one of the league's best defensive units and a more experienced Bo Nix, who has helped lead 12 comeback victories this season, at quarterback.
The Bills opened as a road favorite, which led to some eyebrow-raising within Broncos Country, but the Bills are banged up, particularly at the wide receiver position. The Broncos are looking to reach their first AFC Championship Game since the 2015 season.
To get an idea of how the experts feel this game would go, we compiled a list of predictions with analysis on the game. Here's how some of those experts see the game going.
Broncos vs. Bills divisional round predictions
Vinnie Iyer, AllSportsPeople: Broncos 27, Bills 24
"Denver isn't getting respected as a No. 1 seed with Buffalo opening as road favorites as a No. 6 seed. That will be some bulletin-board material for Sean Payton's team, which has the defense to give Josh Allen more trouble on the road than Jacksonville did.
The Bills' defensive holes will show up more with a game Bo Nix and the Broncos will avoid their usual slow offensive start. Allen can do only so much to save his team and Nix leans on having the better all-around system and coaching."
Bill Bender, AllSportsPeople: Bills 26, Broncos 21
"Why are the Bills being picked here? It's the Josh Allen factor. Buffalo is 3-4 S/U when he is sacked three or more times in a game this season. Allen had 306 total yards and three TDs at Jacksonville – and he took one sack. The Bills won the turnover battle, and that will be the same recipe for success against Denver. Buffalo beat the Broncos 31-7 in the AFC Wild Card round last season. This is a chance for Nix to earn his first playoff victory, but we're sticking with our Super Bowl pick."
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Bills 23, Broncos 21
"This game is all about Josh Allen vs. The Denver defense. That defense is special, but we've seen teams with good quarterback play have success against them. Allen was good last week against the Jaguars. The Bills have run-defense issues, but the Broncos don't run it well. That means it's all about Bo Nix. Can he make the plays to win it? I think in the end, Allen will make the plays to pull off another tough road victory."
Eric Cohen, Sportsline via CBS Sports: Broncos 24, Bills 21
"Buffalo is so banged up and now is facing one of the league's best defenses on the road. The Bills whacked the Broncos last season, but Denver is improved in 2025-26 and Buffalo is worse. It's dicey to put my trust in Bo Nix over Josh Allen, but his supporting cast is simply better. While I think this one will be extremely close, I will lean to the home team in another NFL playoff thriller."
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