The Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson gives his scouting report for Saturday’s divisional playoff game between the Broncos (14-3) and Bills (13-5) at Empower Field at Mile High.

Offense

Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner said Denver quarterback Bo Nix needs to be more aggressive in the playoffs. Expect that to be the case with the Broncos knowing the Bills can put up a good number of points. The Broncos will look to establish the run against a Buffalo team that ranked No. 28 in the NFL in run defense. R.J. Harvey had 12 total touchdowns as a rookie but averaged just 3.7 yards while rushing for 540. The Broncos might give more work to Jaleel McLaughlin, who averaged 4.6 yards per carry while rushing for 187. Denver cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian called Bills quarterback Josh Allen “by far their best player on the field.” The 2024 MVP had a better passer rating (102.2) in 2025 than in 2024 (101.4). With the Bills depleted by injuries at receiver, Allen will look plenty for tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox. Running back James Cook, who led the NFL with 1,621 yards rushing, will look to bounce back after gaining just 46 yards on 15 carries in last Sunday’s 27-24 wild-card win at Jacksonville.

Advantage: Bills

Defense

The Broncos were No. 2 in the NFL in total defense and No. 3 in points allowed while leading the league with 68 sacks, including 14 by edge rusher Nik Bonitto. Denver will take aim at Allen, who was sacked 40 times in the regular season. Cornerback Pat Surtain II, the 2024 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, said he has extra motivation after being relegated to second-team All-Pro. Denver gets back linebacker Dre Greenlaw (hamstring) and defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers (hip) from injuries. Broncos tight end Evan Engram said the Bills “don’t get enough credit for their defense.” They ranked No. 7 in the NFL in total defense. The Bills got a team-high seven sacks from defensive end Greg Rosseau and Friday activated off injured reserve rugged defensive tackle Ed Oliver, who hasn’t played since Oct. 26. Safety Cole Bishop has three interceptions in the regular season and one in the playoffs.

Advantage: Broncos

Coaching

Buffalo’s Sean McDermott has a better career winning percentage (.662) than Denver’s Sean Payton (.630) but has never taken the Bills to the Super Bowl in his eight previous seasons on the job. Payton, in his third Denver season, led New Orleans to a Super Bowl win in the 2009 season. Payton is a specialist on offense and calls Denver’s plays, while McDermott is a defensive specialist. There has been speculation that McDermott could be on the hot seat if the Bills don’t have a long playoff run. They have made the playoffs seven straight times, with their previous deepest runs being two appearances in the AFC Championship Game. It is expected that Payton will open it up more on offense than he did in the final two regular-season games. Denver won 20-13 at Kansas City and 19-3 at home against the Los Angeles Chargers when both foes had a lot of players out and used backup quarterbacks.

Advantage: Broncos

Intangibles

With the Broncos playing their first postseason home game in 10 years, they should be helped by a raucous crowd. The Broncos, the No. 1 seed in the AFC, got a first-round playoff bye, so they will be much more rested than the No. 6 Bills, who will play their second straight road postseason game and come to Denver on a short week. Buffalo, though, has much more playoff experience. Allen has 14 career playoff games under his belt while Nix has just one, a 31-7 wipeout at Buffalo in the wild-card round last year. While that was a tough day for Nix, he has shown an increased level of maturity in his second season as the starter. The Bills have a number of players banged up while the Broncos, helped by the bye week, didn’t have a single injury designation among the 53 players on their active roster.

Advantage: Broncos