Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘Oh, the intensity will be high, with the overheated MVP debate – is it Jackson or Buffalo’s Josh Allen – riding shotgun to this high-stakes matchup that will send one team to the AFC Championship Game, and the other into a long, frustrating offseason. “It’s gonna be a bloodbath, man,” defensive tackle DaQuan Jones said.’

‘“I’ve been saying Ty Johnson’s the best third-down back in football,” Allen said. “The things that he’s able to do for us, the way we can communicate, him in the pass game blocking and running the ball, he does it all. I’m so proud of him. He made a heck of a play. It was fourth down, no point in holding it, taking a sack there. They played man and (I) just gave him a chance.”‘

‘One of the best ways to slow down a great pass rush, which Denver certainly has, is to run the ball and wow, did the Bills ever run it. James Cook had 90 yards in the first half and finished with 120 and a touchdown, Johnson had 44 tough yards, and Allen was his usual dynamic self as he finished with 46.’

‘Nix faces none of the burden or scrutiny Allen will have in this game. The rookie is in gravy time right now, having ended Denver’s postseason drought at eight years with one of the best rookie QB seasons in recent memory.’

‘Sal’s prediction: Bills 24, Broncos 20.’

‘The game will be available locally via the following stations: WROC channel 8 (Rochester area), WIVB channel 4 (Buffalo area), WTVH channel 5 (Syracuse area), WKTV channel 2 (Utica area), WENY channel 2 (Elmira area), WRGB channel 10 (Albany area), and WBNG channel 12 (Binghamton area).’

‘It is incredibly rare for a team to be as healthy as the Bills are as they have only one player – return man Brandon Codrington – who could miss the game with a hamstring injury, and even Codrington has a chance because he’ll be listed as questionable.’

‘The Buffalo Bills may be the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoff bracket and owners of a 13-4 record, but the voters who choose the NFL All-Pro team didn’t seem to be all that impressed.’

‘The Broncos came into Orchard Park last November and hammered the final nail into former offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey’s coffin with a 24-22 victory, during which they held Allen to 15 of 26 for 177 yards, 13 rushing yards, and forced him into three turnovers (two picks and a fumble). And that was a Denver defense that was far less accomplished and effective than the 2024 version.’

‘It is known that four of the teams looking to fill vacancies – the AFC East rival New York Jets plus New Orleans Saints, Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears – have requested permission from the Bills to interview Brady, and for good reason. The only teams that have not called are the Las Vegas Raiders who just fired Antonio Pierce late Monday afternoon, and New England Patriots, most likely because it’s almost a certainty that they want to hire Mike Vrabel, a Patriots Hall of Famer.’

‘Getting off to a fast start would be huge against rookie QB Bo Nix who will be making his postseason debut against a Bills team that has the best home record in the NFL since 2020. When Nix has played with a lead he has been far more effective, and while you can say that about any QB, it’s particularly important for a rookie.’

‘We use the word loss loosely in this case. The team that really lost was the Patriots because by heroically winning their fourth game of a putrid season, they chef-kissed away the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. As a division rival, this made losing the game a very nice consolation prize for the Bills.’

‘Trubisky took over and all in all, it wasn’t too bad. He started poorly by failing to gain a yard on back-to-back QB sneaks which became a turnover on downs, but eventually he settled in and actually looked competent. The numbers weren’t great as he completed 15 of 21 for just 101 yards, but he played turnover-free.’

‘Sal’s prediction: Patriots 20, Bills 13.’

‘Play-by-play: Spero Dedes. Analyst: Adam Archuleta. Sideline reporter: Aditi Kinkhabwala.’