The Denver Broncos earned the first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the entire playoffs thanks to a strong 14-3 season. This bye has allowed Denver to get healthy and to prepare more than usual.
With the Buffalo Bills defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Wild Card Round, the Denver Broncos will now face one of two opponents, and no matter what, the road to Super Bowl LX will not be easy. Fortunately, though, Denver has to win just two home games to make it to the Super Bowl, and that feels very doable.
Let's talk about the two possible opponents that Denver will face in the AFC Divisional Round - the Los Angeles Chargers and the Buffalo Bills.
The Los Angeles Chargers or Buffalo Bills will come to town
Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers are 11-6 for the second year in a row and rested many starters in Week 18, as they used that game as a de-facto bye week, as Justin Herbert notably did not play. If the Chargers beat the New England Patriots in the Wild Card Round, they come to Denver for the second time in three weeks.
LA is the weaker opponent, but getting past New England might be a tall task for the Bolts, so the Broncos might be more likely to face the Buffalo Bills, who they'd host if the Pats beat the Chargers...
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills hosted the Denver Broncos in the Wild Card Round in the 2024 NFL Season, and Denver was able to keep it close, but the Broncos were clearly not yet ready to make a playoff push. Bo Nix was a rookie, and many players on the roster just had not experienced a playoff game yet, or even an away game.
The Broncos actually defeated the Buffalo Bills back in 2023 when Russell Wilson was still in town. The team kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired, so Denver beat Buffalo, and the 2023 Broncos were not nearly as good as they are now. Overall, the Bills would be beatable at home for the Broncos.
A huge advantage that Denver could have in this one is the lack of viable weapons outside of James Cook. The Broncos would be able to handle the below-average Buffalo wide receivers with ease, in my opinion, but you still have to factor in Josh Allen, who is a total game-changer.