NFL playoffs roll on with Bills-Broncos and 49ers-Seahawks facing off for a spot in the conference title games

Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin carries the ball on the opening drive.

So here comes the No. 1 seed Broncos and second year quarterback Bo Nix, looking to get a first NFL playoff win in his young career.

Denver begins the game’s opening drive from their own 26-yard line, and Nix connects with rookie receiver Pat Bryant for a first down to open the game.

Bryant continues his quick start with another catch after a run from Jaleel McLaughlin, as the Broncos approach the red zone after a third-down completion. This is exactly the type of start Nix would’ve been looking for.

Denver’s quarterback continues that form as he gets 4 yards on a sneak on fourth-and-inches, taking them down to Buffalo’s 14-yard line. A play later, the Bills avoid a disaster when a lost fumble is wiped out by a Buffalo defensive lineman being flagged for offsides.

They should have a touchdown on second-and-six, but a costly drop from Lil’Jordan Humphrey gives the Bills a lifeline. And after Nix’s pass is incomplete on third down, Denver wheel out Will Lutz to kick a short field goal.

Score: Broncos 3, Bills 0

Bills linebacker Dorian Williams is looked at after the opening kickoff.

Buffalo kicked the ball off to Denver to start the first game of the divisional round of the playoffs.

Broncos Marvin Mims Jr. returned the ball to the Denver 26-yard line, but was shaken up on the play.

Buffalo linebacker Dorian Williams appeard to be more seriously injured on the play, and there’s an injury timeout on the field before the first play from scrimmage.

Both players eventually walked off the field under their own power.

Score: Bills 0, Broncos 0

John Harbaugh coached the Baltimore Ravens for 18 seasons, winning one Super Bowl.

A little news from elsewhere in the league: The first big move of the NFL head coach hiring cycle has been made by the New York Giants.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Saturday that the Giants have hired Super Bowl-winning head coach John Harbaugh for their vacancy. They were one of nine NFL teams with an opening at head coach.

“This is the New York Giants,” Harbaugh told Schefter. “I’m proud and honored to the head coach of this historic franchise, and especially excited to work with the Mara and Tisch families. But most of all, I can’t wait to get started with the great players on this football team to see what we can accomplish together.”

The team has yet to formally announce the move. Schefter reported the deal is for five years.

Read more here

We are just moments way from the start of this one in the Mile High City. The teams are on the field and we are awaiting the first kick.

Bills running back James Cook celebrates a touchdown against Denver in last year's playoffs.

The Buffalo Bills beat the Denver Broncos 31-7 in last year’s wild card round, stomping Bo Nix and company to put an end to the quarterback’s impressive rookie year.

Josh Allen threw two touchdowns and James Cook ran from another while their defense held the Broncos in check as they comfortably booked their spot in the AFC divisional round.

Allen was incredibly accurate throwing the ball, completing 20 of 26 passes while also running for 46 yards on the ground.

The only blemish of the day? TV cameras showed Allen receiving some treatment on a bloody nail on his right hand.

Denver had taken the lead on the first drive of the game but after that, couldn’t get anything going on offense, with a missed field goal at the end of the first half their only other successful showing.

Score: Bills 31, Broncos 7

49ers running back Christian McCaffrey leans for a long touchdown catch against the Eagles.

Things were looking dire for the San Francisco 49ers in the first half. The Philadelphia Eagles were ahead 13-7, then Niners star tight end George Kittle went down with an apparent serious Achilles injury.

But the 49ers, who are used to dealing with injured stars, didn’t despair.

The San Fran defense stood tall, preventing the Eagles from finding the end zone for the rest of the game.

And the 49ers put the weight of their offense on their insanely talented running back Christian McCaffrey, who was up to the task.

Still trailing in the 4th quarter, 49ers offensive guru head coach Kyle Shanahan dug into his bag of tricks.

Wide receiver Jauan Jennings took a handoff from Brock Purdy, then lofted a 29-yard throw to Christian McCaffrey streaking down the sideline for the touchdown to take a 17-16 lead.

Later, trailing again, McCaffrey capped a 66-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown catch from Purdy to put the Niners in front for good.

McCaffrey finished the game with 114 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns as the 49ers advance to face their NFC West division rivals, the Seattle Seahawks.

Final Score: 49ers 23, Eagles 19

We know what we’re watching today, but there are a couple tasty matchups on deck tomorrow as well as the NFL’s final four officially gets set.

Here’s the schedule for Sunday:

Bills quarterback Josh Allen pushes for a key first down late in the game against Jacksonville.

The Bills escaped Jacksonville with a victory after scoring the go-ahead touchdown with a minute to go as reigning MVP Josh Allen put the team on his back and carried Buffalo to victory.

The Bills and Jaguars went back and forth down the stretch, trading the lead four times in the final 15 minutes. The Jags had the ball with a minute to go and looked set to end the game with one more last-ditch effort, but another Trevor Lawrence interception by the Buffalo defense ended things abruptly.

Josh Allen ended the game with another excellent game, going 28-of-35 for 273 yards, a passing touchdown, two rushing touchdowns and another 33 yards on the ground.

Final score: Bills 27, Jaguars 24

Bills quarterback Josh Allen throws a pass during Sunday's win against Jacksonville.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen made multiple trips to the injury tent during a physical wild card game against the Jacksonville Jaguars last weekend.

Earlier this week, Buffalo’s injury report listed Allen as “foot/knee/finger,” a testament to the many bumps and bruises he’s nursing at this point in the season. He’ll play, obviously, and continue his quest to seize the moment in a Kansas City Chiefs-less playoff field to finally get his Super Bowl glory.

But, the contact-prone (and some people might say “contact-seeking”) QB will now face a defense that excels at taking down the opposition – literally. The Broncos’ 68 sacks in the regular season were 11 more than any other team and 20 more than any team that made the playoffs.

Allen, the reigning MVP, is the better QB in this matchup, having the edge over second-year Broncos signal-caller Bo Nix, whose only prior playoff start was a loss to Allen and the Bills last season. But not only will Allen face a formidable pass rush, he’ll have to travel to Denver to do so.

The Broncos are healthy, better rested after getting the bye, and for the first time in 10 years, playing a postseason game at home where their acclimation to the mile-high altitude gives them an advantage.

Broncos fans tailgate before the game against Buffalo.

This postseason has already set an NFL playoff record with 12 fourth-quarter lead changes — and that’s before we even get to the divisional round this weekend.

The relative parity in the league paved the way for tightly contested matchups in the wild card round. But ultimately six teams were sent packing and now we get to see the remaining eight, including the two top seeds, duke it out for spots in the conference championship games.

Here are the games we’ll be watching today:

Saturday