Winners and losers in NFL playoffs' divisional round: Bills botch big chance
- - Winners and losers in NFL playoffs' divisional round: Bills botch big chance
Nate Davis, USA TODAY January 18, 2026 at 2:34 AM
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Is it the best weekend on the NFL calendar? Depends on whom you ask, naturally, but the divisional round of the league’s playoff format is pretty great – featuring the top seeds from both conferences along with six other teams that have earned their way to what is effectively the quarterfinal round with a wild-card victory in hand.
This year?
Well, the first game of the 2025 postseason’s quartet most certainly suggests we could be in for another frenetic weekend on the heels of a highly entertaining wild-card round – the Denver Broncos (sort of) surviving the Buffalo Bills 33-30 in overtime at the Mile High City. That game, which included the shocking postgame revelation that Broncos QB Bo Nix suffered a season-ending ankle injury, apparently sucked up all of Saturday's drama − the Seattle Seahawks mopping up with a 41-6 defeat of the San Francisco 49ers in the night game.
Lots of winners and losers on this divisional weekend Saturday, and they are as follows:
makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
" style=padding-bottom:56%>Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
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Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
">Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
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1 / 4Best images of the 2025 NFL season
Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
This postseason has an early chance to be epic. Five of the first seven playoff games have been decided by four or fewer points.
Denver defense
As advertised ... largely. Sure, the Broncos surrendered 449 yards to Buffalo, but they also bagged Bills QB Josh Allen three times. Far more important were the five takeaways, most notably Ja'Quan McMillian's overtime interception of Allen that initiated Denver's game-winning drive.
Marvin Mims
The Broncos receiver, who averaged just 2.5 catches per game during the regular season had a game-high eight receptions for 93 yards. His 26-yard TD catch in the final minute of the fourth quarter temporarily put Denver ahead, even as he appeared to hurt his back. Mims then drew the pass interference penalty on Bills CB Tre'Davious White in overtime that set up Wil Lutz's 23-yard chip-shot field goal for the win.
Sean Payton
Now in his third season as the Broncos boss, his bid to become the first coach to win Super Bowls with different franchise remains alive for at least another week. Denver also broke a 10-year drought between playoff wins.
Sam Darnold
An oblique injury suffered in practice rendered Seattle’s Pro Bowl passer as questionable on the injury report ahead of Saturday’s contest, but Darnold was active … and efficient. He passed for 124 yards and a TD in the Seahawks' obliteration of the Niners, his teammates' heroics largely sparing him of having to do too much − Darnold throwing just 17 passes. Eight days between games should be quite a benefit going into the NFC title game, where Darnold will try to notch the second playoff win of his eight-year career.
Hailee Steinfeld
She couldn’t lose! Either the Bills, helmed by her husband (Josh Allen), were going to take another step toward their first Super Bowl title, or the Broncos – whom the actress cheered to victory a decade ago when they last won the Lombardi Trophy – were going to reach their first AFC title game since the 2015 team was quarterbacked by Peyton Manning and led by its “No Fly Zone” defense.
Rashid Shaheed
Maybe he was the most important acquisition of this season's trade deadline. The Seahawks' multi-talented playmaker took the opening kickoff 95 yards to paydirt. The 49ers never recovered.
James Cook
In one regard, the NFL's 2025 rushing champion was the best player on the field, amassing 141 yards from scrimmage.
Bo Nix
Denver's second-year quarterback had a strong game, outplaying Allen overall with 279 yards and three TDs through the air − Nix's third-quarter interception negated when Allen served up his own two plays later. Nix was in line to become one of the rare second-year passers − think Ben Roethlisberger or Russell Wilson − to win a Super Bowl, except ...
LOSERSBo Nix
... he suffered a broken bone in his ankle that will end his dream of playing on Super Sunday this year. And maybe his team's, too.
James Cook
In another regard, Cook's second-quarter fumble was among Buffalo's costliest, the only one directly leading to a Denver TD. The Bills' record in games in which Cook had at least 100 total yards this season slipped to 11-2.
Buffalo mistakes
Maybe it’s not as simple as five Bills turnovers directly preceding 16 Denver points. But in an OT crusher? Pretty close.
Second-half Broncos
Payton said coming out of halftime that he expected his rested team to have an advantage – at altitude – in the second half. But the Broncos were outscored 20-10 in the third and fourth quarters and were lucky to escape with a victory.
Brandin Cooks
The Bills are the sixth different franchise he's played for ... and sixth with which he won't win a ring, Cooks previously weathering Super Bowl losses with both the Patriots and Rams. But this playoff heartbreaker will likely be as painful as any for the 12th-year vet, whose inability to haul in an overtime rocket from Bills QB Josh Allen resulted in the game's decisive turnover.
Sean McDermott
The Bills have made the playoffs in all but one of their head coach's nine seasons. But he's now 8-8 in postseason, that .500 ledger as average as it seems, Buffalo never able to string enough January victories together to reach the Super Sunday stage for the first time in three decades. McDermott seems quite likely to survive the postseason failures that bedeviled his college teammate at William & Mary, Mike Tomlin ... but for how much longer?
Josh Allen
Jan 17, 2026; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos defensive tackle Malcolm Roach (97) tackles Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) during the second quarter of an AFC Divisional Round playoff game at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
The narrative coming into the 2025 playoffs was that this should be the year for the reigning league MVP and his long-suffering franchise, famous/infamous for its four consecutive Super Bowl losses in the 1990s. (The Bills only championships occurred in the AFL days prior to the first Super Bowl.) After all, Allen and Co. didn’t have to contend with Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs, Joe Burrow’s Cincinnati Bengals – teams that had served more postseason heartbreak to Bills Mafia in recent years – or even Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens in their latest bid to bring Western New York its first Lombardi.
Unfortunately, not to be. Allen dropped to 0-7 all in overtime games during his eight-year career − and is now 0-3 in overtime playoff games. And, though his numbers were largely good Sunday (283 yards and 3 TDs passing, 66 yards rushing), his four turnovers proved a collective mortal blow. His fumbles on the either side of halftime led to two Broncos field goals, and his overtime interception sparked Denver's game-winning drive. Allen also could have put the game away in regulation, but his overthrow of TE Dawson Knox with five seconds to go in the fourth quarter likely cost Buffalo a game-winning TD and forced the Bills to settle for a field goal and overtime.
Going to be another long, cold winter in Buffalo.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL playoff winners and losers: Bills botch their big chance
Source: “AOL Sports”
