After the Buffalo Bills defeated the Broncos 31–7 in last year’s playoffs, Sean Payton set his sights on bringing playoff football back to Mile High. As he strives to become the first head coach to win Lombardi Trophies with two franchises, Broncos legend Peyton Manning has rallied fellow Denver greats to urge the nation to savor the upcoming matchup.

A group of Broncos legends—Peyton Manning, DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib, Steve Atwater, Champ Bailey, and Chris Harris Jr.—came together for a video montage for Broncos Country, reminding everyone that playoff football has returned to Mile High.

“Broncos country, Peyton Manning here, IT’S PLAYOFF TIME.” Manning led the message, with other legends following suit.

“I need y’all to do two things for me: show up early, and be as loud as you’ve ever been,” Bailey said.

The rest echoed the same sentiment.

Manning, in particular, is counting on the Broncos’ win over the Bills. He’s high on current QB Bo Nix, and according to him, the team has a real shot with him. His praise for the quarterback stems from the belief that Nix has done his part well.

“I’m a Bo fan… what he’s done early in his career says a lot about him,” Manning admitted in an interview with Kevin Clark.

Everything Denver has shown this season suggests this team belongs in the Super Bowl conversation. But January football is different, and home-field advantage only works if it feels like it.

The Broncos clinched the AFC West in Week 17, their first division title since that 2015 season. With this playoff berth, they’ve now made the postseason in back-to-back years for the first time since then as well. It’s just the ninth time in franchise history that Denver has earned the AFC’s top seed. It’s rare, and they must capitalize on it.

For much of the season, Denver has looked like the best team in football. A 14–3 record, an 11-game winning streak, and a defense that can tilt games on its own will do that. Compare that to Buffalo, where the team hasn’t looked quite as steady, losing the AFC East to New England for the first time in five years.

The path, at least on paper, has opened up. Denver already took down Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs and Joe Burrow’s Bengals this season, even though neither made the playoffs. They didn’t have to deal with Lamar Jackson, who also missed out. There’s just one name still standing in the way, and that’s Josh Allen.

The Broncos will have to limit Josh Allen’s impact to have a real shot

The Bills may not be playing their cleanest football right now, but when Josh Allen is under center, Buffalo always feels dangerous. There’s a belief with him that no game is out of reach. Just ask the Jaguars, who rolled into last week riding an eight-game winning streak and an AFC South title but left empty-handed.

Allen clutched up again. He finished 28-of-35 for 273 yards and a touchdown, then hurt Jacksonville differently with his legs, adding 33 rushing yards and two more scores.

The second half turned into a slugfest, with both teams trading blows and matching each other with 17 points. But with a little more than a minute left, Allen tucked the ball and powered into the end zone for the go-ahead score. Buffalo maintained the lead and racked up the win.

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On the season, he’s up to 3,668 yards and 25 touchdowns. They aren’t his flashiest numbers, but context matters. Allen has been playing through plenty. He came out of the wild-card win already dealing with a foot issue, then picked up a few more setbacks along the way: a banged-up finger and a tweaked knee during the game.

None of that is expected to keep him off the field against the Denver Broncos. And there’s a little extra edge to this matchup for Allen. This is the franchise that passed on him.

Back in 2018, just two years removed from the Peyton Manning era, Denver held the fifth overall pick in the draft. Josh Allen was there. The Broncos went in a different direction, taking edge rusher Bradley Chubb instead. You don’t need to say much more than that. Quarterbacks remember those moments, and that Aaron Rodgers quote comes to mind.

“Not as disappointed as the 49ers will be that they didn’t draft me,” he said.

However it plays out, this one feels like it has all the ingredients. Allen’s ability to hurt defenses with both his arm and his legs against Denver’s stingy red-zone unit sets the stage for something special. This has all the makings of a classic.