DENVER BRONCOS

NFL announces date and time for Broncos return to playoffs vs Bills

Jan 5, 2025, 6:57 PM

DENVER—The Denver Broncos playoff drought is over and they will meet the Buffalo Bills in the NFL’s Wildcard Weekend to start their chase of Super Bowl LIX.

The Broncos and Bills will kick off on Sunday, Jan. 12 at 11 a.m. mountain time with the game being broadcasted by CBS. The NFL announced this news on Sunday night a few hours after Denver clinched the seventh and final seed in the AFC. The 38-0 win over Kansas City punched the Broncos ticket to the postseason at 10-7, ending a nine-year drought that dates back to the team’s last Super Bowl win to finish off the 2015 season.

Meanwhile, the Bills have made the playoffs in five straight seasons and six of the last seven. Their current streak is largely thanks to former Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen who has a shot at winning the NFL’s MVP Award. Allen led Buffalo to a 13-4 season, with the team losing a meaningless game to the Patriots 23-16 on Sunday. Buffalo chased the Chiefs for the top spot in the AFC but fell short. Speaking of falling short, the Bills have lost in the divisional round of the playoffs the last three seasons after going down in the conference championship game back in 2020.

For Denver, it’s rookie Bo Nix leading the charge for Sean Payton’s Broncos crew. The second-year head coach of the Orange and Blue is seeking to become the first whistle-blower to win a Super Bowl for two different franchises. But the Broncos are just as known for their defense, who were top-five in the league in points allowed this season.

The far-out forecast for Buaffalo calls for a high near 30 under mostly cloudy skies next Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. But with this far out it’s tough to tell and NWS is predicting a snowstorm on Saturday. Thus, and unsurprisingly for upstate New York in January, weather could be a factor.

The Broncos are expected to be heavy underdogs in the game, though they were just that last year when the team went to Buffalo and upset the Bills 24-22.

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