Bills’ hook-and-ladder game: How a brave fourth-quarter call helped Buffalo force overtime against the Broncos originally appeared on The Sporting News. Click here to add Sports News as your go-to source.
A tense fourth quarter between the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills wasn’t enough to produce a winner, but that might not have been the case if not for the Bills’ gutsy play down the stretch.
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On second-and-10, with Josh Allen still on his side, he found Khalil Shakir on a short pass that looked like it would set up a crucial third down. But Shakir instead passed the ball to Ray Davis, who put Buffalo within field goal range.
While the Bills were targeting the game-winning touchdown and ran several drives to try to achieve that goal, the hook-and-ladder play effectively set up Matt Platt’s game-tying field goal.
Here’s what you need to know about the Bills’ memorable hook-and-ladder game in Denver.
More 2026 NFL Playoffs:
Bill’s Hook and Ladder game
It was Allen, Shakir and Davis that held the Bills to 24 yards and field goal range against the Broncos.
Hook-and-ladders have become more and more common in the past year or two, and the Bills have busted them before. Brady energized the Bills with a hook-and-ladder against the Houston Texans earlier this season, although Buffalo still lost.
While it’s not fourth-and-27 this time around, it could bring more pressure as the season approaches.
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More: How Josh Allen’s fumble changed playoff game against Broncos
Who plays Bill?
Joe Brady, in his second season as the Bills’ full-time offensive coordinator, said the hook-and-ladder approach helped Buffalo extend Saturday’s game.
Brady replaced Ken Dorsey for the 2023 season and saw an immediate improvement in results, focusing more on the running game and passing the ball in the air rather than relying too heavily on Stefon Diggs.
Brady followed a similar approach after Diggs was traded at the end of the season and has attracted head coaching interest from teams with vacant positions the past two years.
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More:Why the Broncos passed on Josh Allen in the 2018 draft
Joe Brady coaching history
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2013-14: William and Mary (LBs coaches)
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2015-16: Pennsylvania State University (Graduate Assistant)
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2017-18: New Orleans Saints (offensive assistant)
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2019: Louisiana State University (offensive coordinator)
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2020-21: Carolina Panthers (offensive coordinator)
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2022-23: Buffalo Bills (quarterbacks coach)
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2023 to present: Buffalo Bills (offensive coordinator)
Brady’s profile skyrocketed after 2019, when he coordinated one of the most prolific offenses in college football history with Joe Burrow, Justin Jefferson and Jamal Chase at LSU.
That success earned him a job as Matt Rhule’s offensive coordinator with the Carolina Panthers, but he was fired during the 2021 season and didn’t return as coordinator until Dorsey was fired in Buffalo two years later.
How old is Joe Brady?
Brady will be 36 years old at the beginning of the 2025 season. Considering how young he is, a head coaching opportunity may be inevitable in the next few years.