The Denver Broncos are heading to the AFC championship recreation for the primary time since successful their final Tremendous Bowl 10 years in the past, however they will not have Bo Nix below heart after the second-year quarterback broke his right ankle.
Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks are going to the NFC title recreation after dominating the injury-riddled San Francisco 49ers.
Josh Allen and the Buffalo Payments fell brief once more, with questionable officiating taking part in a task.
Wil Lutz kicked a 23-yard area purpose in extra time to elevate the Broncos to a 33-30 victory on Saturday, sending Denver to the convention title recreation for the twelfth time in franchise historical past. The Broncos are 8-3 in these video games.
The No. 1 seed Broncos (15-3) will host the Texans-Patriots winner on Jan. 25 at 3 p.m. EST. Seattle (15-3) will host the Rams-Bears winner within the Championship Sunday doubleheader.
The Broncos will not have Nix, who was injured on Denver’s closing collection. Coach Sean Payton stated Nix may have surgical procedure on Tuesday. Jarrett Stidham, who’s 1-3 in seven seasons, will begin the AFC title recreation.
“I really feel like I’ve a (No.) 2 (quarterback) that’s able to beginning for a handful of, a lot of groups,” Payton stated. “I do know he feels the identical method. So be careful. Simply watch.”
No. 2 seed New England (15-3) hosts No. 5 seed Houston (13-5) on Sunday, with the winner more likely to be favored on the street towards the Broncos. Within the NFC, No. 2 seed Chicago (12-6) is a house underdog towards No. 5 seed Los Angeles (13-5) within the second recreation Sunday.
The Seahawks bought a 95-yard kickoff return for a landing from Rashid Shaheed to open the sport and by no means trailed in a 41-6 rout of San Francisco (13-6). Seattle’s stingy protection held Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey and the Niners to 236 yards and compelled three turnovers.
“They’re unbelievable,” Darnold stated of the protection. “They’ve stepped up each single recreation for us. Can’t say sufficient nice issues about that protection. It was powerful in coaching camp and OTAs going up towards them. However I’m glad they’re on our facet.”
It is be Seattle’s fifth journey to a convention title recreation and first in 11 years. The Seahawks are 3-1, shedding their first look once they had been within the AFC.
Denver’s final victory within the AFC championship got here in Peyton Manning’s closing season. The Broncos defeated Tom Brady and the New England Patriots 20-18 on Jan. 25, 2016. A stifling protection shut down Cam Newton and led Denver to a 24-10 win within the Tremendous Bowl.
Allen and the Payments (13-6) once more had been denied a possibility to win the franchise’s first Lombardi Trophy. Buffalo has been knocked out within the divisional or championship rounds in six straight seasons below Allen and coach Sean McDermott.
Allen and Nix traded go-ahead landing passes within the fourth quarter and Buffalo’s Matt Prater kicked a 50-yarder to ship it to extra time.
After the Broncos punted on the opening drive, Allen threw a deep cross to Brandin Cooks that may have put the Payments in field-goal vary, however Ja’Quan McMillian snatched it away for an interception as each gamers tumbled to the bottom.
Officers shortly reviewed the play and upheld the decision, a choice that McDermott criticized after the sport. The Broncos took over at their very own 20.
“It was a quite speedy unfolding of the evaluation, if there was a evaluation, and so I known as a timeout to attempt to sluggish it down,” McDermott stated. “It could appear logical to me and make numerous sense that the pinnacle official would stroll over and wish to go and try it. … That’s too large of a play, in my estimation, too large of a play in a play that determined the sport, probably as effectively, to not even sluggish it down. … I’m standing up for us. What went on, that’s not the way it ought to go down in my estimation. These guys spend three hours on the market taking part in soccer, pouring their guts out to not even say, ‘Hey, let’s simply sluggish this factor down.’ That’s why I’m bothered.”
Two pass-interference penalties on Buffalo gave the Broncos 47 yards and arrange Lutz’s successful kick. Tre’davious White, who was known as for the second that moved the ball to Buffalo’s 8, threw his helmet down in disgust whereas arguing and bought an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty.
For the reason that NFL expanded the playoff area to 14 groups in 2020, just one group in every convention will get a bye. These No. 1 seeds at the moment are 9-3 within the divisional spherical. The 2022 Chiefs are the one No. 1 seed to win the Tremendous Bowl in that span.
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