The Denver Broncos are heading to the AFC championship recreation for the primary time since profitable their final Tremendous Bowl 10 years in the past, however they will not have Bo Nix beneath 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 quick once more, with questionable officiating enjoying 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 ultimate collection. Coach Sean Payton mentioned 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, quite a lot of groups,” Payton mentioned. “I do know he feels the identical means. So be careful. Simply watch.”
No. 2 seed New England (15-3) hosts No. 5 seed Houston (13-5) on Sunday, with the winner prone to be favored on the highway in opposition to the Broncos. Within the NFC, No. 2 seed Chicago (12-6) is a house underdog in opposition to No. 5 seed Los Angeles (13-5) within the second recreation Sunday.
The Seahawks acquired 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 mentioned of the protection. “They’ve stepped up each single recreation for us. Can’t say sufficient nice issues about that protection. It was robust in coaching camp and OTAs going up in opposition to 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, dropping their first look after they had been within the AFC.
Denver’s final victory within the AFC championship got here in Peyton Manning’s ultimate 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 beneath 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 will 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 rapidly reviewed the play and upheld the decision, a call that McDermott criticized after the sport. The Broncos took over at their very own 20.
“It was a somewhat speedy unfolding of the evaluation, if there was a evaluation, and so I known as a timeout to attempt to gradual it down,” McDermott mentioned. “It might appear logical to me and make quite a lot of sense that the pinnacle official would stroll over and need to go and check out it. … That’s too massive of a play, in my estimation, too massive of a play in a play that determined the sport, doubtlessly as effectively, to not even gradual 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 enjoying soccer, pouring their guts out to not even say, ‘Hey, let’s simply gradual this factor down.’ That’s why I’m bothered.”
Two pass-interference penalties on Buffalo gave the Broncos 47 yards and arrange Lutz’s profitable 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 acquired an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty.
Because the NFL expanded the playoff area to 14 groups in 2020, just one staff 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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