What Really Happened With the Broncos Score Last Night
Denver is buzzing, but honestly, it’s a weird kind of energy today. If you’re just looking for the score of the Broncos game last night, here it is: Denver 33, Buffalo 30. They won. They’re headed to the AFC Championship.
But man, it’s a bittersweet morning in the Mile High City.
We finally got that high-stakes, heart-stopping playoff win we’ve been waiting for since the Manning era. Empower Field was absolutely rocking. Then, about an hour after Wil Lutz drilled the 23-yard game-winner in overtime, Sean Payton walked back to the podium and basically sucked the air out of the room. Bo Nix has a broken right ankle. He’s out.
✨ Don't miss: Tailslide the Venice Ledge: Why This Spot Defines Skate Culture
Surgery on Tuesday. Season over.
It’s just brutal. You watch a kid like Nix tie Russell Wilson’s rookie/sophomore win record, lead his first playoff comeback, and then find out he was playing on a broken bone during that final drive. It’s legendary, sure, but it feels like the Broncos just traded their soul for a ticket to the next round.
The Wild Momentum Swings
This game was a total rollercoaster. Denver actually looked like they were going to run away with it early on.
They went into halftime up 20-10 after a bizarre but awesome 7-yard TD pass to Frank Crum. Yeah, the backup tackle. Nix finding an offensive lineman for a score is peak Sean Payton weirdness, and we loved it. Then the third quarter happened.
Josh Allen started doing Josh Allen things. He’s a monster. Even though Denver’s defense forced five turnovers—five!—Allen still managed to claw the Bills back into the lead. When Dalton Kincaid caught that 14-yarder to put Buffalo up 24-23, you could feel the "here we go again" vibes starting to settle over the stadium.
The Clutch Factor (and the Cost)
Nix didn't blink. He led an 8-play, 73-yard drive that culminated in a 26-yard strike to Marvin Mims Jr. that should have been the dagger.
But Buffalo is resilient. Matt Prater, of all people, came back to haunt his old team with a 50-yarder at the buzzer to force overtime.
In the extra period, Ja'Quan McMillian made the play of his life. He intercepted Allen on a deep ball intended for Brandin Cooks. It was Buffalo's fifth giveaway. That set the stage for Lutz, but it was during the preceding plays that Nix took a hit on a keeper. He limped. He stayed in. He even threw the pass that drew a 30-yard interference penalty to get them into range.
He finished 26-of-46 for 279 yards and three scores. And now, he’s done.
Why This Score Matters More Than the Stats
A 33-30 win usually means a party in LoDo. Instead, the conversation has shifted entirely to Jarrett Stidham.
Payton says "Stiddy's ready," but we’re talking about a guy who has one kneel-down snap this entire season. One. He’s being asked to lead a team into the AFC Championship against either New England or Houston.
It’s a massive ask.
👉 See also: Bellerive CC St Louis: Why the Green Monster Still Matters
The defense is clearly championship-caliber. You don't take the ball away from Josh Allen five times if you aren't legit. Baron Browning and Nik Bonitto were in the backfield all night. If the Broncos are going to reach the Super Bowl, it’s going to have to be on the backs of that secondary and the pass rush.
What You Need to Know Moving Forward
If you’re tracking the score of the Broncos game last night to see what’s next, keep these dates in mind.
The AFC Championship is set for next Sunday, January 25, 2026. Kickoff is at 2:00 PM CST right here at Empower Field. Denver is the #1 seed, so they have home-field advantage throughout, but they’ll be doing it with a backup quarterback.
It’s "next man up" in the most painful way possible.
Next Steps for Broncos Fans:
- Watch the injury report: Keep an eye on the specifics of Nix’s surgery on Tuesday to see if there’s any miraculous (though unlikely) recovery timeline for a potential Super Bowl appearance.
- Scout the backup: Rewatch Stidham’s 2023 starts. He’s more mobile than people think, but the playbook is going to look a lot different than it did with Bo.
- Tickets: If you’re planning on going to the AFC Championship, prices are actually dipping slightly this morning because of the Nix news. Now might be the time to grab a seat if you’re a believer.
The score says Denver won, and in the record books, they did. But for the fans in the stands last night, the win came with a very heavy price tag.