Buffalo Rumblings
The Buffalo Bills are riding high after a gritty 27-24 Wild Card victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars last Sunday, marking their first road playoff win since the 1992 NFL season. Quarterback Josh Allen’s late-game heroics, including a game-winning drive capped by his own touchdown plunge, propelled the team forward despite a banged-up roster and a sluggish running game. The win showcased Buffalo’s resilience but also exposed some concerns, particularly on the ground, offensively and defensively.
Now, advancing as the six seed, the Bills head to Denver to face the top-seeded Broncos in the AFC Divisional Round. Sean Payton’s group, fresh off a bye, has a ferocious pass rush that led the league with 68 sacks in 2025, which will likely try to do what the Jaguars did to Allen last weekend.
Heading into this matchup, let’s break down the top three Bills players and coaches trending up and those trending down, based on their Wild Card performances. Selections draw from watching the tape, and also looking at key stats and advanced metrics such as Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades, adjusted completion percentage, and big-time throws. These trends highlight who stepped up in the pressure cooker of playoff football, and who needs to rebound against a Broncos defense that allowed the 12th-fewest passing yards (3,606) and held quarterbacks to just 311 rushing yards all season.
No surprise here — Allen was Superman in Jacksonville, accounting for 90% of Buffalo’s total yards (306 of 340) and all three touchdowns. He completed 28-of-35 passes (80%) for 273 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions, while adding 11 carries for 33 yards and two scores, including the decisive one-yard Shnow Plow with 1:12 left. His 133.0 passer rating when trailing underscored his clutch gene, and he engineered his first career postseason game-winning drive (not really, but actually the first one that wasn’t wasted).
Advanced metrics shine even brighter: Allen posted a 94.0 PFF overall grade (highest among Wild Card quarterbacks), with an 88.2% adjusted completion rate, three big-time throws, and zero turnover-worthy plays. Despite absorbing heavy hits (including a concussion check, smashed throwing-hand finger, and knee tweak), he was sacked only once, scrambling effectively against a Jaguars defense that pressured him on 36.8% of dropbacks.
Josh was coming from what certainly were a long two weeks since missing a game-winning throw against the Philadelphia Eagles, and questions about his health were pretty valid. Despite being beaten up even more in Jacksonville, he was still capable of putting up one of the most impressive pure quarterbacking performances of his career, playing within the structure of the offense, laser-focused pre- and post-snap, and making great decisions and accurate throws all afternoon.
Add Allen’s dual-threat dominance (4,247 total yards and 39 touchdowns all-time in the regular season), and he is the engine for a potential upset in Denver, where he’ll need to exploit the Broncos’ vulnerability to mobile quarterbacks.
The second-year safety sealed...
