DENVER (AP) — The Denver Broncos grabbed their biggest win in a decade from Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills but suffered huge losses in the process.
About an hour after sophomore quarterback Bo Nix led the Broncos to a 33-30 victory on Will Lutz’s 23-yard field goal in overtime on Saturday, Denver head coach Sean Payton returned to the postgame podium to announce the shocking news.
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He said Nix fractured his right ankle a couple of plays before Lutz’s punt put the top-seeded Broncos (15-3) into the AFC Championship Game against either New England or Houston.
Nix will have season-ending surgery on Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama.
Backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham takes over for Nix. He’s played just once this season, taking a knee in a Week 8 win over Dallas.
Stidham appeared in 20 games in 6 seasons in the NFL, starting 4 games and winning 1 game.
Nix was injured on a play with the keeper, losing 2 yards and being tackled by safety Cole Bishop. Nix was limping after the game, but there was no sign that he suffered such a serious injury.
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On the next play, Nix threw a long pass to Marvin Mims Jr., which triggered a 30-yard pass interference flag and put the Broncos into field goal range. Knicks then knelt down and tipped the ball in, and Lutz shot to end the game.
The Knicks had more than 20 wins in the first two seasons, tying Russell Wilson’s NFL record. Saturday’s win was his first in the postseason. The Broncos lost to Buffalo last year, but the Knicks have led the Denver Nuggets to the AFC’s top seed this season.
Before news of Nix’s injury broke, Denver was celebrating the Broncos’ first playoff win in a decade.
In overtime, No. 5 guard Ja’Quan McMillian intercepted Allen’s long pass and the Denver Nuggets won the game. McMillian’s pick was the fifth gain of the game for Denver, who previously had a minus-three turnover differential this season.
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McMillian recovered the ball from Brandin Cooks at the Broncos’ 20-yard line, just as Buffalo needed a field goal to win the game (13-6).
Seahawks 41, 49ers 6
SEATTLE (AP) — Rasheed Shahid returned a kickoff for a touchdown and Kenneth Walker III scored three straight points as Seattle advanced to the NFC Championship Game with a dominant win over San Francisco.
Sam Darnold threw a touchdown pass for his first career playoff win in his first season with the Seahawks (15-3), whose chances of advancing to the Super Bowl hang in the balance next Sunday when they face the Chicago Bears or Los Angeles Rams.
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With the Seahawks leading 7-0 13 seconds into the game, Shahid took the opening kickoff and carried it 95 yards into the end zone. It was the fourth postseason kickoff return for a touchdown since 2000 and the longest postseason kickoff return in franchise history.
Darnold, listed as questionable with an oblique injury, led the Seahawks to two more scoring drives before San Francisco scored the first of two.
Last season, Darnold was sacked 9 times in his playoff debut for the Minnesota Vikings in a 27-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Darnold has since completed 12 of 17 passes for 124 yards and connected with Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a touchdown in the star receiver’s postseason debut.
The 49ers (13-6) have never been competitive in the second-most lopsided postseason loss in franchise history. During the 1986 season, San Francisco lost 49-3 to the New York Giants in the divisional round.
The Niners were missing three injured All-Pro players: tight end George Kittle, linebacker Fred Warner and defensive end Nick Bosa.
