The Broncos have clinched the number one seed in the AFC for the playoffs this year, and after having a bye, will play their first playoff game at home this Saturday! The number one seed in each division receives home field advantage for the entirety of the playoffs and a bye week for the Wild Card games (meaning they don’t have to play the first playoff game).
The Broncos have had an historic season this season, tying the franchise record for most regular season wins with 14 and winning the AFC West for the first time since 2015, the same year the Broncos won Super Bowl 50.
This playoff berth will be the second one in the past two years coming after an eight year playoff drought. Both years playoff clinching teams are led by former University of Oregon Quarterback Bo Nix, one of the most elite defenses in the league, and future Hall-of-Fame Coach Sean Payton. Our team is also led by 6 Pro-Bowlers this year: Cornerback Pat Surtain II, Outside Linebacker Nik Bonitto, Offensive tackle Garett Bolles, Offensive Guard Quinn Meinerz, Wide Receiver Courtland Sutton, and Defensive Tackle Zach Allen.
This Saturday, the Broncos will face the Buffalo Bills. We have faced the Bills twice in the playoffs in franchise history, the 1992 AFC Championships and last year in the Wild Card Round. Both games resulted in a loss for the Broncos and were both played in Buffalo. This coming game on Saturday will be the first playoff game against them at home, and the Broncos certainly have a true home field advantage considering that the Bills have only won a few times at Mile High Stadium against the Broncos. On top of this, the fans at Mile High have been really loud this year and the Bills will have to play at altitude, already giving us a huge advantage. Despite these factors, the Broncos are going into this game as underdogs because of how well the Bills have played, led by Quarterback Josh Allen.
The Bills have a strong passing defense but one of the weakest run defenses in the league. The Broncos need to use this to their advantage and run the ball, despite our run offense being one of our biggest weaknesses. The Bills also have a strong defensive line, so Nix will have to run to avoid being sacked. Nix has shown his worth when it comes to rushing, especially since he has five rushing touchdowns this year and 356 total rushing yards, but he will have to be willing to take some hits in order to gain more yardage when he does have to run.
Sacking Allen will be big in this game, especially since he is a double-threat Quarterback who has a cannon for an arm and is very mobile and quick. Pressuring him to throw incomplete passes, interceptions, running for shorter yardage, and sacking him will be the key things to keep him from making big plays and getting the Bills points on the board. The Broncos have one of the best all-around defenses in the league, ranking top three in run defense, defensive line, and pass defense, so we should be able to rush Allen and defend his receivers.
In the end, fans should be excited to watch the Broncos play this weekend. Their chances of winning are pretty good, despite being an underdog. If you are a fan, cheer hard for them this weekend and let’s see if they can beat the Buffalo Bills!
Her Side of the Field 
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