- - Bills vs. Broncos score, live updates: Josh Allen, Bo Nix kick off divisional round with rematch of last year's wild-card blowout

Yahoo Sports Staff January 18, 2026 at 1:34 AM

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Buffalo and Denver kick off the divisional round of the playoffs from the Mile High City on Saturday. This is a rematch of last postseason’s wild-card matchup, which the Bills won easily, 31-7. That game was in Buffalo; this time, the Broncos have home-field advantage and the experience of another year under head coach Sean Payton, in which Denver won 14 games and claimed the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

Buffalo took a step back this season, finishing in second place in the AFC East despite winning 12 games. The quick turnaround of the New England Patriots forced the Bills into a wild-card spot for the first time since 2019. If Buffalo is going to advance to the AFC title game for a second consecutive year, it’ll need to get running back James Cook back on track after a 46-yard performance against the Jaguars last week. Josh Allen may need another Superman performance — having just posted three touchdowns against Jacksonville in the wild card — to overcome the Broncos.

The Broncos had a stellar season in year three of the Sean Payton era, setting a new single-season career high for him as a head coach with 14 victories. Now, Denver needs to exercise a demon from last year in getting past Buffalo. Statistically, quarterback Bo Nix regressed a bit with a heavier load, leading the league in pass attempts (612), but the team's win total increased by four games. The biggest question mark is whether this defense can contain Allen and keep him in the pocket.

How to watch Bills vs. Broncos divisional-round matchup

Bills-Broncos start time: 4:30 p.m. ETLocation: Empower Field at Mile High | DenverTV channel, live stream: CBS, Paramount+, NFL+

Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more as the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos open up the divisional round.

Live1 update -

Sun, January 18, 2026 at 1:34 AM GMT+5:30Sean LeahyInactives for Bills vs. Broncos

Inactives for today's game.@UBMDOrtho | #BUFvsDEN pic.twitter.com/bYEsqnFe5c

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 17, 2026

👀 our inactives for #BUFvsDEN. 📰 » https://t.co/A39rHrNNBs pic.twitter.com/yAGLSLPmCf

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) January 17, 2026

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Source: “AOL Sports”