Empower Field at Mile High hosted the AFC Divisional Round showdown between the Denver Broncos and the Buffalo Bills, and Broncos Country set the tone early. Fans were already tailgating by 8 a.m., turning the parking lot into a full-blown rally long before kickoff. By the time Denver pulled off a 33–30 overtime win, the energy inside the stadium matched the moment. And after the game, Broncos offensive tackle Garett Bolles made sure to give the home crowd its due.

“It was electric,” Bolles said when asked how great it was to win a playoff game in front of the home crowd. “Our fans are great. Broncos Country showed up big time tonight. It was loud, probably the loudest I’ve ever seen it since I’ve been here. I’m just beyond grateful. God is good.”

For Bolles, the win carried extra weight. A former first-round pick in 2017, he’s been in Denver for nearly a decade and played through the franchise’s playoff drought that stretched back to its 2015 Super Bowl win. That drought finally ended Saturday night at home, in overtime, with the crowd fully behind him. The game itself, though, wasn’t clean. There were injuries, stretches of inconsistency, and a major scare involving Bo Nix.

Still, when it mattered most, Denver found a way. The Broncos advanced to the AFC Championship Game, and Bolles didn’t hesitate to credit the collective effort behind it. Offensively, the results were mixed. Nix finished 26-of-46 for 279 yards with one interception and became just the second quarterback in franchise history to throw three touchdown passes in a postseason win. The efficiency was there, but the balance wasn’t.

The biggest concern came in the run game. Earlier in the week, head coach Sean Payton said he planned to remind himself to “run it” against Buffalo’s struggling run defense, which ranked 28th during the regular season. Yet Denver’s running backs carried the ball just nine times through the first three quarters and finished with only 70 rushing yards and no touchdowns.

The defense, however, delivered exactly what was needed. All season, the emphasis had been on forcing takeaways, and the unit answered on Saturday. The Broncos forced five turnovers, the second-most in franchise postseason history, including Ja’Quan McMillian’s overtime interception that kept the game alive. They finished with three forced fumbles and two picks, flipping momentum when it mattered most.

And looking at it all, Garett Bolles was clear about how he views this group.

“This team is special,” he added. “I don’t even know what to say. I’m emotional. I’m just super proud of this team, the way that we battled tonight. Obviously, we got up on them, and then they came back, and we had to go through some adversity tonight. Obviously, the ball fell in our hands, thank goodness, and that’s just the nature of this playoff’s role.”

Next up, Denver will face either the New England Patriots or the Houston Texans in the AFC Championship Game. The optimism is real, but so are the concerns, especially with multiple injuries now in play as the Broncos prepare for their biggest test yet.

The Broncos will play the championship game without their QB and the WRs

The Broncos picked up their first playoff win in over a decade, but it didn’t come without consequences. For starters, the Broncos suffered a massive blow at quarterback. Second-year QB Bo Nix went down with what will be a season-ending injury after breaking his right ankle, according to Coach Payton. Nix was hurt on a keeper that resulted in a two-yard loss, where he was tackled by Bills safety Cole Bishop.

Initially, there was little indication that the injury was serious. That changed after the game, when Payton confirmed Nix will undergo surgery on Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama. Unfortunately for Denver, that wasn’t the only concern coming out of the win. The Broncos are now also facing the possibility of playing the AFC Championship Game without two wide receivers.

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Pat Bryant got off to a strong start, catching three passes on the opening drive, but later exited with a concussion. The situation is especially concerning given that Bryant suffered another concussion just weeks ago during the loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. On top of that, Troy Franklin didn’t make it to the finish either, leaving the game with a hamstring injury. As things stand, there’s a real chance Denver lines up next week without both receivers.

If that happens, the Broncos would be down to Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims Jr., and Lil’Jordan Humphrey as the only wideouts on the active 53-man roster. The team could look to elevate options from the practice squad, but for now, the depth chart is thin. At the end of the day, the Broncos won against the Bills. But the win came at a steep cost.