The Denver Broncos will have a huge test against the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card Round. Let's talk about why Denver could win. There may not be a bigger underdog in the NFL than the seventh seed in the NFL playoffs. Wild Card teams have made playoff runs and won Super Bowls before. It's not likely that Denver wins the Super Bowl, but you just never know.
One thing is certain - the Broncos are built the right way. They're built from the inside, out, so it's no surprise that they have been this good this year. And heck, if nothing else, they could keep this game close. The Buffalo Bills are very, very good, but again, you just never know what could happen.
Let's get into three early reasons why the Broncos can beat the Bills in the Wild Card round.
3 early reasons why Broncos can beat Bills in the NFL Wild Card Round
They did it in 2023...
I mean, they literally did it last year.
It was two different teams who are both in better positions than they were when the teams met back in 2023, but the Russell Wilson-led Denver Broncos were able to get into a position to kick the game-winning field goal. It was a huge win for the Broncos and part of that insane winning streak that got them to 6-5 after a 1-5 start.
I mean, the last time these two teams met, the Broncos got the best of their opponent. Many of the same players from last year are still on their roster this year, so it's not like this team is going to be playing in this game blind.
Buffalo Bills are no strangers to playoff heartbreaks
The Buffalo Bills, in each of the last three playoffs, have gone 1-1 in the postseason. In 2021, they lost in an overtime game against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round. In 2022, they lost in the Divisional Round against the Cincinnati Bengals in blowout fashion. In 2023, they lost by three points against the Kansas City Chiefs in the... Divisional Round.
So yeah, it's likely that Buffalo makes it past the Denver Broncos, but they just can't finish the job in the playoffs, and the Denver Broncos are one of those really frisky playoff teams. They have the best pass rush in the NFL and a rookie QB who is hitting his stride. Buffalo understands what's at stake, and I think that could benefit Denver.
Overthinking and overcompensating is absolutely something that happens. Buffalo's recent playoff heartbreaks could continue in 2024.
The Denver Broncos don't know any better
I liken this to the 2021 Cincinnati Bengals, who broke out and went 10-7 in the first year the NFL moved to a 17-game season. Second-year QB Joe Burrow had come back from a torn ACL in his rookie season and played out of his mind. The Bengals rode into the postseason as a Wild Card team and were able to win three games, beating the Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans, and Kansas City Chiefs to advance to the Super Bowl.
I mean, the Bengals simply didn't know any better - this team had never been in that kind of position before. This is kind of the opposite of a team overthinking and overcompensating since they have been there before - kind of like I just referenced with the Buffalo Bills above.
The Denver Broncos have not made the playoffs since 2015, so this current team is brand-new to postseason action. They don't know any better, and as Sean Payton has said, there is something to say about a team being young and hungry.