Pats Pulpit
The first of two AFC divisional playoff games is in the books, and it saw the top-seeded Denver Broncos fend off the visiting Buffalo Bills in overtime with a final score of 33-30.
This means that the division champion New England Patriots are the last AFC East team left standing in the postseason.
It also means that the team of head coach Mike Vrabel would have to go on the road next week should they beat the Houston Texans and advance to the AFC Championship Game. The Patriots will host the Texans at Gillette Stadium in the divisional round on Sunday.
Denver got off to a slow start, but three fumbles by the Bills — one by running back James Cook and two by quarterback Josh Allen — contributed to them going up 23-10 by the early third quarter. However, the visitors eventually rebounded to score back-to-back touchdowns and regain the lead in the fourth quarter. Even though Denver moved up 30-27 with 55 seconds left, Buffalo scored a late field goal to send the contest to overtime.
There, the two teams exchanged possessions before Denver marched down the field to win on a 23-yard Wil Lutz field goal.
As a result, the Broncos are now waiting to find out who will visit them at Mile High with a Super Bowl berth on the line. Should the Patriots beat the Texans on Sunday, they would travel to Denver with a perfect 8-0 road record in hand.
The two teams have not squared off against each other since the 2023 season, when the Patriots celebrated a 26-23 win in Denver. Since then, however, both franchises have dramatically changed from the head coach and quarterback spots down.
Before that game can happen, however, the Patriots will need to take care of business against the Texans. Kickoff between the second and fifth seeds in the AFC is set for 3 p.m. ET on Sunday.
