The Broncos set themselves up for a nice week off during the wild-card round, and finally learned who would be their opponent in the divisional round. Denver will host the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, welcoming Josh Allen to Denver after he eliminated them last year. The Broncos will be incredibly rested coming off their bye, but it isn't the same story for the Bills.
The Bills played a grueling game on Sunday afternoon in Jacksonville and definitely earned their lumps on their way out. Buffalo had several players banged up by the end of their game, including quarterback Josh Allen. Allen was in the medical tent being examined for a concussion during the early parts of the game on Sunday, and also saw his knee bend in a way that most shouldn't while being tackled.
The Bills are going to need to travel to Denver, rest up, get healthy, and adjust to the altitude all in a six-day span between their game in Jacksonville and their next matchup in Denver. This feels like a fairly uphill fight for the Bills, and an absurd advantage for the Broncos. If Denver can't capitalize on this, they likely didn't deserve to win in the first place.
The schedule makers are doing the Broncos a major favor with their Divisional Round scheduling
The Bills will play in Denver on Saturday at some time (the kickoff times are yet to be announced), and this is an insane advantage for the Broncos. The Broncos are going to be coming off 13 days off in a row, while the Bills are only getting six days off between their playoff games. The Broncos are going to be at arguably their most rested all season, while the Bills probably are at their most banged up.
This is an incredible advantage for the Broncos, and one they can't let slip away. The Bills have been banged up all year, and saw a few important pieces go down on Sunday in Jacksonville. The status of wide receiver Gabe Davis is in serious doubt, and safety Jordan Poyer also left early with no clear indication of which way his status will go on Sunday. If either is out, this puts the Bills in a major bind heading into play.
They are also missing important depth on the offensive side of the ball, with Ty Johnson being spotted in a walking boot before their most recent matchup. Johnson burned the Broncos for 70 yards of offense last year and made their lives difficult in the return game as well.
The Broncos have an absurd advantage on the injury reports, and need to be sure that this plays to their advantage on Sunday in Denver. If not, this could make for another quick exit for Sean Payton's team at the hands of the Bills.