The Denver Broncos were trending toward losing in the Divisional Round, as the Bills had taken a lead as the fourth quarter was winding down, but Bo Nix led a go-ahead touchdown drive and got the lead back. After some back-and-forth in overtime, Denver kicked a game-winning field goal.
They'll now host the AFC title game for the first time since the 2015 NFL Season, which was also against the New England Patriots. History is repeating itself a bit, as the parallels between 2015 and 2025 continue to grow. It's not a bad thing, either.
Well, there were some 'controversial' calls by the officials in this game. At least, that's what many Bills fans have been saying. The calls were made correctly by the officials, but that hasn't been a slam-dunk thought among NFL fans. A key Bills offensive starter sounded off after the game and really took some ownership.
Spencer Brown takes ownership after the Buffalo Bills loss against the Denver Broncos
Bills' right tackle Spencer Brown sounded off after the game, and a ton of credit goes to him for being able to say this:
You can’t blame the officials. That’s not what I try to do. But you’re letting the guys play all game long. I was holding the piss out of some people today and they didn’t call it. There was a third down right before we kicked the field goal -- I was holding Cooper hard and they didn’t call that. They were letting the boys play, but that’s a well-coached team. They knew where we were at and where they were at on the field. I think those passes were not really thrown to be caught. I think they were thrown to go out there and make us make a mistake and get a little help from the zebras. I thought they called a good game for the whole time. Those things are going to happen." - Spencer Brown
Spencer Brown's reaction to those penalties against the Bills' defense on the final drive:
— Lance Lysowski (@LLysowski) January 18, 2026
"You can’t blame the officials. That’s not what I try to do. But you’re letting the guys play all game long. I was holding the piss out of some people today and they didn’t call it. There…
Brown definitely seems to add a little bit of a dig at the end of his comments, but he largely took ownership and wasn't up there complaining like former head coach Sean McDermott, or even CB Tre White, who got flagged for pass interference and truly had a tantrum on the field.
It's nice to see a player stand up like this and largely speak the truth. It's insane that there were people disagreeing with the calls that were made, as they were correct. That's easy for us to say since the Broncos won, but it's not like they weren't incorrectly made.