What we're watching
• NFL playoffs’ divisional round: The second weekend of the NFL playoffs are here and the stakes are only getting higher.
• Broncos holding onto their lead: The Bills cut into the Denver lead with a touchdown pass from Josh Allen to Keon Coleman in the third quarter, but the Broncos still have 23-17 lead after the Buffalo turnovers. The teams are trading turnovers in the third quarter and the game is getting nuts.
• 49ers-Seahawks: It’s the rubber match for these two teams after they split their two meetings during the year. Both teams have won on the road, but the top-seeded Seahawks will be looking to take advantage of a 49ers team that’s playing without star George Kittle.
• Follow along: CNN Sports will be providing live updates and analysis from both games.
Nix stifled by Bills defense, comes up scoreless
Let’s all breathe. After another Josh Allen turnover, Bo Nix has a lifeline and takes to the field looking to make up for his earlier miscue.
But, after finding Marvin Mims for 19 yards, the drive is stifled at Buffalo’s 40-yard line by consecutive incompletions from Nix.
The Bills are getting a lot of pressure on defense, and reigning MVP takes to the field again now looking to take the lead.
Score: Broncos 23, Bills 17.
Josh Allen throws his an interception, ending playoff streak
After the Bills pick off Nix, it’s looking, for like a second, as if Buffalo is going to turn the tide of the game.
But instead they just turn it over. Again.
The broadcast had played up pregame that Josh Allen entered with a record-streak of six-straight playoff games without an interception and at least two total touchdowns. But on the second play of the drive, facing second-and-14, Allen throws deep downfield for an interception.
Score: Broncos 23, Bills 17
Nix intercepted as turnover show continues
Bo Nix and Denver’s offense will be tested now. Holding a narrow six-point lead, they will need to manage the coming drives efficiently.
But Nix is picked off! The second-year quarterback feels the pressure and his pass is intercepted by rookie defensive tackle Deone Walker!
An awful outcome for the No. 1 seed.
Score: Broncos 23, Bills 17
Allen and the Bills claw back a touchdown after a brutal few minutes
For a minute there it looked like Mile High City might as well be planet Krypton for Josh Allen.
Turnovers have proved to be the difference in the game until this point, with Broncos scoring 13 unanswered points in under four minutes before this drive.
But facing a full momentum meltdown, the Bills go 73 yards on nine plays for a touchdown, culminating in a 10-yard pass to Keon Coleman, who had a ball hit him in the hands but failed to catch a touchdown earlier in the game.
Score: Broncos 23, Bills 17
Broncos capitalize off another Bills miscue to extend lead
After yet another Bills fumble, Nix and the Broncos offense have a chance to make it a three-score game.
After RJ Harvey picks up six yards on a catch and run, Denver are stifled on back-to-back plays before they bring out Will Lutz to kick a very short field goal, which he makes to extend Denver’s lead to 13.
A crucial defensive stop there from the Bills.
Score: Broncos 23, Bills 10.
Josh Allen fumbles ball. This is a different post than the one that ended the first half
Ok so the first half didn’t end on a high note for the Bills. Denver scores twice in the final 22 seconds of the game thanks to a fumble by Josh Allen. Surely the second half will get off to a better sta–
Oop. Nope. Fifty-two seconds into the second half and Allen has turned over the ball yet again. His second in just three snaps spanning halftime. The Bills’ third of the game.
Score: Broncos 20, Bills 10
Back underway in the second half
The Broncos kick the ball off to the Bills and we are back underway in the second half of this game.
Big moment for redemption now for Josh Allen.
For your halftime entertainment, here's Wolf Blitzer in an incredible hat
I don’t really have much to add to this photo but it’s halftime and we all need something to give us a bit of a breather after those shocking final seconds.
So here’s a screengrab from moment near the end of Friday’s “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown.”
Wolf Blitzer, Buffalo legend.
Halftime score: Broncos 20, Bills 10
In the blink of an eye, Broncos take a 10-point lead
Josh Allen takes the snap after the Broncos kick off and decides to scramble with the ball. He makes it a few yards and the ball is punched out! It rolls down the field and the Broncos jump on it with two seconds left!
Out comes Will Lutz to kick a 50-yard field goal.
He makes it with ease and, somehow, the Broncos are up two scores at halftime after being tied at 10-10 with just 0:30 remaining in the half.
Score: Broncos 20, Bills 10.
Nix impresses as Broncos take touchdown lead before halftime
How’s your two-minute drill, Bo Nix? Buffalo took over eight minutes off the clock with that scoring drive, leaving Denver’s offense with 2:17 to respond before halftime.
Nix opens the drive well with completions to Evan Engram and Marvin Mims.
After setting up a third down, Nix manages to move the chains again and, crucially, stop the clock on a six-yard rush with 0:56 left.
Following a holding penalty on Denver, Nix moves the chains again as he finds Mims again down to Buffalo’s 29. The second-year quarterback has shown some fine poise in this first half, and is driving his team down the field as halftime approaches.
And he keeps that theme up fantastically, dropping back and sending a beautiful ball to find Lil’Jordan Humphrey for the touchdown! Broncos take a lead ahead of half.
Score: Broncos 17, Bills 10.
Denver wide receiving corps wearing thin with numerous injuries
Denver is right in the thick of things in their divisional round clash with Buffalo, but the injuries are starting to pile up in their receiving corps.
Pat Bryant is out of the game with a concussion and Troy Franklin is questionable to return with a hamstring injury.
This is in addition to Marvin Mims Jr., who was shaken up on the opening kickoff and was slow to get up after a play on the Broncos’ current drive and appeared to be favoring a knee.
Score: Bills 10, Broncos 10
After dropped would-be touchdown, Bills settle for a field goal
Josh Allen attempts a long downfield pass to Brandin Cooks that’s incomplete to open the drive. So they return to what’s worked so far in this game: Handing it off to James Cook, who runs for a gain of nine, and then Allen ran it the rest of the way himself for a first down on third.
Cook has another five-yard run, plus a 24-yard catch-and-run to bring the Bills further down field.
The Broncos, who led the NFL with an average of four sacks a game in the regular season, demonstrate that strength on the next key series. Allen’s 42nd sack of the year — a career high — goes for a loss of seven. A seven-yard pass (to Khalil Shakir) and a 15-yard pass (to Brandin Cooks) erases that loss, but then Keon Coleman drops a would-be touchdown and the Bills have to settle for a field goal.
Score: Bills 10, Broncos 10
Broncos capitalize on fumble to take lead
Denver will look to capitalize on that Bills miscue as Bo Nix takes over at his own 31-yard line.
After McLaughlin gets 13 yards on a first down rush and Harvey gets 12 more to enter Bills territory, Nix drives a pass into Marvin Mims for a 27-yard gain down to the Bills 16. Denver are responding well here.
And just like that that, they’re in the end zone! Nix rolls out on play action and finds second-year offensive tackle Frank Crum, who gets into the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown.
Score: Broncos 10, Bills 7.
Bills’ running game looks great, until a fumble and a turnover
After a 23-second drive from the Broncos to open the second quarter, the Bills start their dive at their 37. A five-yard run and a 26-yard run to open the drive looks promising, but then James Cook gets hit by Alex Singleton, fumbles, and Denver recovers the ball.
It’s a slightly longer possession than the Broncos managed — but equally unproductive.
Score: Bills 7, Broncos 3
Bills linebacker Dorian Williams taken to local hospital with neck injury
Buffalo Bills’ Dorian Willams, who was injured on the opening kickoff of the game, has been ruled out for the rest of the day with a neck injury, the team has announced.
CBS’s Tracy Wolfson reported that, after walking off the field, Williams was eventually carted back to the locker room, where imaging was performed on his neck. Williams then walked to an ambulance under his own power and was taken to a local hospital for further evaluation, per CBS.
Score: Bills 7, Broncos 3
Broncos go three-and-out with three incompletions
So after that impressive start from Josh Allen and the Bills, Bo Nix will be looking to pump some energy into the crowd on this responding drive.
And that they do, though maybe not as intended, as Nix fumbles a hand off to running back RJ Harvey, but somehow recovers it and throws the ball out of bounds as the first quarter ends.
And after an incompletion on second down, Nix sends a rope into number one receiver Courtland Sutton but he can’t quite hold on as the Broncos go three and out.
Not a good response there from Denver’s offense.
Score: Bills 7, Broncos 3
Bills march to endzone on their first drive of the game
Facing a Bronco defense that ranked second against the rush game in the regular season, the Bills opened their first drive with a 24-yard run from James Cook.
On the very next play, quarterback Josh Allen went back to Cook for a 10-yard rushing gain and another first down. Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II, last season’s defensive player of the year was injured on the play, but returned before the drive was complete.
The first pass of the game to Khalil Shakir netted another first down.
On third-and-6, at the 11-yard line, Allen scrambles for what looks like a first down. Officials say he’s a few inches short, but a tush push on the next play gets them to first and goal.
Allen made a five-yard pass to Mecole Hardman for the game’s first touchdown.
Score: Bills 7, Broncos 3
Denver defensive centerpiece Surtain comes off field with apparent injury
Buffalo running back James Cook is running angry early in the game.
On a 10-yard pick-up, Cook ran right over Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II. Surtain popped back up, but looks wobbly and dropped to one knee.
Trainers attended to Surtain on the field and then walked him off and into the medical tent. Surtain looked unsteady on his feet coming off the field.
No word yet if Surtain will be able to return to the game.
Score: Broncos 3, Bills 0
Bills hold Broncos to field goal on 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
Eventful opening kickoff results in multiple injuries
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
