Mile High Report
Just days away from their biggest game in a decade, the Denver Broncos are wrapping up their final preparations to take on the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional Round. The stakes couldn’t be higher, and the Broncos will have a lot to accomplish in order to secure a victory against the Bills. Without question, several individual standout performances will have to happen. After all, big time players make big plays in big games.
With that in mind, I thought it would be the right time to do a series of roundtable questions with the Mile High Report staff ahead of Saturday’s gridiron matchup. The first question I asked the staff was: “What Broncos players have to step up the most vs. Bills?” Much to my surprise, all those who participated had a different answer.
Tim Lynch
Bo Nix. The defense is going to have problems with Josh Allen at times, so it’s going to come down to Bo and the offense to make the plays to keep the game in hand.
Ross Allen
I really need Alex Forsyth to have a game closer to his one against the Chiefs rather than his against the Chargers. He did not have a strong outing in pass protection against Los Angeles, and the Bills are no slouches up front defensively. If Forsyth can get things cranking again then there should be plenty of offensive success to be had in the trenches.
Adam Malnati
Nik Bonitto and Jonathan Cooper. Getting to Josh Allen will be a big part of the defensive success. The dirty little secret here is that the Broncos, while being great at harassing quarterbacks, they haven’t been getting as many sacks. Making Allen’s life miserable would go a long way to ensuring the Broncos score more points than the Bills.
Sadaraine
Courtland Sutton’s time is now. The playoffs are here, and it is high time he figures out how to be a consistent pass catcher for this offense. His drops have been a significant contributor to the lackadaisical production from this offense. This team needs him to become a consistent #1 WR for them if they are going to have success against the Bills.
Christopher Hart
Throughout the week, numerous staffers talked about the importance of establishing the run as a primary point of attack and emphasis against the Bills’ defense. One of the big reasons Denver lost to Buffalo in last year’s Wild Card Round was because they got ran over. They gave up over 200 yards on the ground and were on the field defensively for nearly 70-percent of the game.
This year, the Broncos need to be the team to control the clock and pace of the game. Keep Josh Allen off the field as much as possible. That’s why I’m hoping Jaleel McLaughlin can step up and be a focal point of the offense on Saturday. He hasn’t gotten a significant number of carries, but he has made the...
