The Denver Broncos ran into a buzz saw during Wild Card Weekend, falling to the Buffalo Bills, 31-7, on Sunday to render the franchise's first postseason berth in eight seasons into a one-and-done appearance.
A one-sided loss concluded what was indeed a successful season for the Broncos, who were led by a rookie quarterback who produced Denver its first winning season in seven years -- and first playoff berth since they won Super Bowl 50. But Bo Nix wasn't looking for silver linings following a disappointing exit.
"The cliché, good answer would be, we had a winning season, we made it to the playoff, we did something we haven't done in a while, we competed hard against teams that are really good and we just kind of prove to ourselves that we belong in some of these games," Nix said. "But you play this game to reach the highest level and so, I don't want to be complacent. I don't want to ever just be comfortable, satisfied and happy with something that looks good on the outside. You play this game to win, and everybody is working for a Super Bowl, and we owe that to ourselves because of the time we put into it."
Denver's venture into Buffalo as a heavy underdog couldn't have started any better.
Nix launched a 43-yard touchdown pass to Troy Franklin on the fifth play of the game, providing instant hope for the seventh-seeded Broncos. But any consistent output on offense or splash plays, for that matter, ended there against a stout and experienced Bills defense.
What ultimately prevented Denver from building off an early lead was its inability to run the ball, especially on first down. That certainly put the pressure on Nix, who was faced with countless third-and-longs and unable to find a consistent rhythm within the Broncos' offensive operation.
The Bills, meanwhile, dominated on the ground to the tune of 210 rushing yards, which was instrumental in the great disparities of the game's final totals in offensive yards (471 to 224), plays (72 to 42), first downs (26 to 13) and time of possession (41:13 to 18:17).
"He hung in there, he battled," head coach Sean Payton said of Nix's performance. "There's some third downs I'm sure he'll want back; some plays he'll want back. It's pretty tough to play that position when the opponent's rushing the ball the way they are and you're not having the consistency."
Seemingly aware of what was happening to his team, Payton opted for trickery early in the second quarter -- a successful fake punt where Riley Dixon tossed a 15-yard pass to Marvin Mims Jr. for a first down which crossed midfield. But the Broncos were unable to take advantage as the drive fizzled three plays later and ended in a punt. A missed field goal by Wil Lutz as the first half ended was another missed opportunity.
The Broncos entered halftime facing a 10-7 deficit, but their short-lived drives on offense persisted in the second half. With two three-and-outs in the third quarter and the Bills putting together long, fruitful drives, the Broncos had six plays to show for entering the final frame. That forced Denver to go for it on fourth-and-long on their only red-zone possession of the game in the fourth quarter, down 21-7, and after forcing a stop, the Bills proceeded to take nearly seven minutes off the clock on the ensuing possession to make it a three-score game and essentially ice the result.
"We got beat today and, especially in the postseason, that's always a bitter pill to swallow," Payton said. "And yet, it will go down, and it's got to fuel you and light a fire in the direction we need to go. One of the things we learned early on is we got to find a way to play these games at home. That's another thing that's important."
Nix finished 13-of-22 passing for 144 yards and a TD with no turnovers and led this team with 43 rushing yards, production often derived from broken plays influenced by the Bills' pass rush. While his mistakes were limited, Nix couldn't get the Broncos moving consistently with his arm and it made for a long day as the offense watched much of the one-sided affair from the sideline.
Still, the Broncos can hold their head high knowing they have a young QB to build off, and improving on the foundation laid in 2024 begins now.
"It's a lot to grow from, a lot to build from," Nix said. "I'm excited to be here at this time because our trajectory is going up. I'm excited for a lot of things we have out in front of us. We have a lot to look forward to that I'm pumped about."