OFFENSE — F
The Broncos came out smoking in the opening minutes when Bo Nix threw a 43-yard touchdown to Troy Franklin on Denver’s first drive.
From there, however, it was tough sledding for Sean Payton’s unit. The Broncos’ possessions after that looked like this: Punt, punt, missed field goal, punt, punt, turnover on downs, downs.
They failed to get a first down on half of their eight offensive possessions. They rushed 17 times for 79 yards and just never were able to wrestle control away from Buffalo in any way, shape or form. Denver finished 2 of 9 on third down and with just 224 yards of offense on a measly 42 snaps. Ouch.
DEFENSE — F
This figured to be a massive challenge for Vance Joseph’s group. But the way in which Buffalo’s offense overwhelmed the unit behind quarterback Josh Allen will still be a bitter way for the offseason to arrive. The Bills scored on six of their first seven possessions. The only times they didn’t register at least three first downs on a drive were on a three-play touchdown drive and while running out the clock at the end of a dominant outing. The Broncos sacked Allen twice but the Buffalo offensive line had the upper hand the entire day. They protected Allen nicely and powered a massive, 200-plus-yard rushing outing. This Broncos defense was a really good one. Most of the pieces are back next year. But they got bullied by the No. 2 seed on Sunday.
SPECIAL TEAMS — C
Some good and some bad from this unit today. The good: Riley Dixon finally showed off his throwing ability and helped Denver convert a first-half fake punt with a 15-yard completion to Marvin Mims Jr. Mims also downed a punt at the 1-yard line. He made a big mistake late in the first half, though, retaliating and getting a personal foul after taking a big shot and also having the Bills’ long-snapper stand over him and taunt him. Just can’t do that. And you also can’t miss a field goal when it’s there for the taking. Wil Lutz missed a 50-yarder that would have tied it before the half.
COACHING — C
The Broncos were big underdogs going into this one. They came out with swagger and landed a big opening blow. Those are all hallmarks of a Sean Payton team. So, too, was the gamble on special teams that bought his team an extra possession. But the little stuff — churning out first downs, controlling the clock, controlling tempers — cost Denver. Payton this week showed his team a highlight reel of all the little things that matter that much more in the postseason. But these are lessons that can’t be fully learned in the meeting room. Denver’s young team and rookie quarterback on Sunday saw what it takes to compete for big things in the AFC. Coaching can prepare a team for some of that, but the rest has to be baked in by experience.
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