Bills face Broncos in Denver's first home playoff game since 2015 season

Buffalo (13-5) at Denver (14-3)

Saturday, 4:30 p.m. EST, CBS.

BetMGM NFL Odds: Broncos by 1 1/2.

Against the spread: Bills 9-8-1; Broncos 7-9-1.

Series record: Bills lead 22-17-1.

Last meeting: Bills beat Broncos 31-7 in wild-card round on Jan. 12, 2025, in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Last week: Bills beat Jacksonville 27-24; Broncos had first-round bye as AFC No. 1 seed.

Bills offense: overall (4), rush (1), pass (15), scoring (4t).

Bills defense: overall (7), rush (28), pass (1), scoring (12).

Broncos offense: overall (10), rush (16), pass (11), scoring (14).

Broncos defense: overall (2), rush (2), pass (7), scoring (2).

Turnover differential: Bills plus-1; Broncos minus-3.

Josh Allen. The Bills quarterback has been strong in the postseason, and last week won his first playoff game when trailing in the fourth quarter. Allen has an 8-6 postseason record and has thrown for 26 TDs, scored another nine TDs rushing, and also has one receiving TD versus just four interceptions and two lost fumbles. He’s 7-3 in the playoffs when not committing a giveaway and he hasn’t turned over the ball in six straight postseason outings since an interception in a 27-10 loss to Cincinnati in the 2022 divisional round.

QB Bo Nix tied Russell Wilson's NFL record with 24 victories in his first two seasons but he's 0-1 in the playoffs as he aims to join fellow 2024 draftees Drake Maye and Caleb Williams, who earned their first playoff wins over wild-card weekend. Nix also has the third-most TD passes (54) ever by a QB in his first two seasons. And he's the fourth QB with 25-plus TD throws in his first two seasons and the fourth QB in history with 700-plus completions in his first two NFL seasons.

NFL rushing leader James Cook versus Denver's run defense that ranked second in the league. After the Bills ran all over the Broncos for 210 yards in the playoffs last year, including 120 from Cook, Denver bolstered its defense in free agency by luring S Talanoa Hufanga and ILB Dre Greenlaw from the San Francisco 49ers. Hufanga was a second-team All-Pro in his first season in Denver and although Greenlaw has dealt with injuries all season, he's back for the playoffs. DL Zach Allen led the league in QB hits (47) for the second straight season and is the only defensive lineman other than J.J. Watt to have 40 or more QB hits in back-to-back seasons.

Bills: Coach Sean McDermott ruled out S Jordan Poyer (hamstring) and CB Maxwell Hairston (ankle). … WRs Gabe Davis and Tyrell Shavers landed on IR this week because of knee injuries. ... WR Curtis Samuel (elbow), DT Ed Oliver (left bicep) and S Damar Hamlin (pectoral) are considered questionable as they’ve resumed practicing while still on the injured reserve list. … LB Terrel Bernard’s status is uncertain because of a calf injury. ... There’s little question of QB Josh Allen’s status, despite injuries to his right foot, a finger on his throwing hand and left knee.

Broncos: ILB Dre Greenlaw returns from a pulled hamstring he sustained Dec. 21 in the closing minutes against the Jacksonville Jaguars. ... DL John Franklin-Myers (hip) has been a full-go at practice this week. ... TE Lucas Krull (foot) and LB Drew Sanders (ankle) have been practicing in hopes of returning after long layoffs.

The Bills have won both of their previous playoff games against the Broncos. Buffalo defeated Denver 10-7 in the 1991 AFC championship game and 31-7 in a wild-card game last year. Both of those games were played in Buffalo.

The Bills set a franchise record by qualifying for the playoffs for a seventh straight season. In beating Jacksonville, Buffalo became one of just four NFL teams to win a playoff round in at least six consecutive postseasons, joining Dallas (1991-96), New England (2011-18) and Kansas City (2018-24). ... Buffalo seeks to advance to consecutive AFC championship games for the first time since a four-year run spanning the 1990-93 seasons. ... Buffalo defeated Baltimore 27-25 in last year’s divisional round and is 2-3 in the divisional round under coach Sean McDermott. ... McDermott has an 8-7 playoff record in nine seasons in Buffalo and is three wins short of matching the team coaching record set by Hall of Famer Marv Levy (11-8). ... Including playoffs, Allen’s record is 47-10 when he doesn’t commit a turnover, and he is 10-0 this season. He’s 49-35 in games he has a giveaway, including 3-5 this season. ... RB James Cook, the NFL’s rushing leader this season, was limited to 46 yards rushing last weekend. Buffalo is 5-3 when Cook is held under 100 yards rushing, and 8-2 when he tops 100 this season. ... Last weekend, 11-year LB Shaq Thompson had has first interception in five career playoff outings, and second-year S Cole Bishop had his first interception in four career playoff games. ... Buffalo allowed 24 TDs rushing, the second-highest total in team history, but has not allowed one in its past three outings. ... The Bills improved to 6-2 when allowing 150-plus yards this season after allowing 154 to Jacksonville. ... This is Denver's first home playoff game since the AFC championship following the 2015 season when they beat New England 20-18 to advance to Super Bowl 50, where they defeated the Carolina Panthers for their third Lombardi Trophy. ... Sean Payton is trying to become the first head coach to lead two teams to Super Bowl titles. He won a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints following the 2009 season. ... Six Broncos earned Associated Press All-Pro honors this season: DL Zach Allen, LT Garett Bolles, RG Quinn Meinerz and special teams ace Devon Key were all first-teamers. CB Patrick Surtain II and S Talanoa Hufanga were second-team selections. ... The Broncos led the league with 68 sacks, ranked second in total defense (278.2 yards per game) and rushing defense (91.1 yards per game). They ranked third in scoring defense at 18.3 points per game and their 94 pass breakups also was No. 3 in the NFL. ... The Broncos allowed a league-low 23 sacks, tied with the Los Angeles Rams and the plus-45 sack differential is the highest in a season in NFL history, surpassing the 1977 New England Patriots at plus-44.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen gets up after collecting a first down near the Jacksonville Jaguars end zone later in the second half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) passes against the Los Angeles Chargers during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

It was at a relatively minor event in upstate New York in September 2022 that Ilia Malinin, the self-anointed “Quad God" who was fast becoming the biggest name in figure skating, finally landed the jump that so many people had thought impossible.

Others had tried quad axels in competition over the years. All of them had fallen. That extra 180 degrees of rotation — necessary for the only jump in skating that starts with a forward-facing entry — proved to be a half-revolution too much.

So when Malinin landed it inside the arena made famous by the U.S. hockey team's upset of the Soviets at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, it not only sent shockwaves through the tight-knit skating community but made headlines around the world.

“My mind was just blown,” said two-time Olympic skater Jason Brown.

Yet by conquering the gravity-defying jump, Malinin also raised an important question: What comes next?

The six main jumps in figure skating have been standard since the early 1900s. The only difference between then and now is the number of revolutions. Dick Button landed the first double axel in 1948, and the first triple jump four years later. Kurt Browning landed the first quad, a toe loop, in 1988, and it was 10 years before Timothy Goebel landed the first quad salchow.

By landing the quad axel, Malinin may have maxed out the boundaries of human performance. Most sports scientists agree that the speed and amplitude necessary for five-revolution jumps truly is impossible, leaving figure skating at a crossroads, where a dearth of innovation threatens to take the shine off a sport already fighting to maintain popularity.

“I think it's kind of natural that we were going to get to this point,” said Malinin, the overwhelming favorite to win gold for the U.S. at the Milan Cortina Olympics. "But I haven't reached my top, whether it's in the technical and how much I can jump and spin, but also in the creativity.”

Malinin, 20, points to his signature “raspberry twist,” a somersaulting spin unlike anything that anybody else does. He created it himself, and it tends to bring down the house whenever he throws it down near the end of his programs.

Yet the flashy maneuver also underscores one of the inherent problems with trying to be creative: It doesn't get rewarded.

The International Skating Union has rigid requirements for both short programs and free skates, and it rarely pays off to deviate too far from the script. Malinin might not get a lot of extra points for landing his raspberry twist, for example, since it is not one of the six standard figure skating jumps, but a failure to land it could cost him dearly.

“Absolutely, there are a lot of things I've wanted to try,” Malinin told The Associated Press, “because I think it would be really cool and appealing. But it's a bigger risk for the program itself, and the system and scoring means it doesn't make sense.”

In other words, what's the point in trying to innovate?

“There are so many rules in your programs that you don't have too much wiggle room,” said Alysa Liu, the reigning world champion. “A lot of these rules really restrict us. Like, all of our spins look the same now, but they could look so different."

“One of my training mates, Sonja Himler, does these incredible programs," added Amber Glenn, a three-time U.S. champion, and along with Liu one of the favorites to win Olympic gold for the American team in February.

“Like, she spins the other way, jumps the other way — really cool things that, you know, someone who's watched a little bit of skating will be like, ‘Oh, I’ve never seen that before,'” Glenn said. “Whereas if I go and do, you know, the norm, and do it well, versus what she does, my scores will be better, even though what she does is way more impressive, in my opinion.”

Justin Dillon, the manager of high performance at U.S. Figure Skating, acknowledged having had hard conversations with some skaters about their programs. They may have planned something unique or interesting, but the risk wouldn't be worth the reward.

“I encourage individuality, and bringing it to the ice,” Dillon said, “but if they do something so avant-garde that it doesn't check those boxes, then it really doesn't serve them. It doesn't always mean throw it out, but what can we do to make it a home run?”

To its credit, figure skating's governing body has loosened some restrictions in recent years. The backflip, which was long banned in competition because of its inherent danger, is allowed now, though it also doesn't carry a whole lot of scoring weight.

Is that hold-your-breath element of risk and uncertainty the next big step in skating?

“I mean, you're cringing. It legit scares me," Glenn said of the backflip. “If you can do it, great. I think it's so fun. I want to learn it once I'm done competing. But the thought of practicing it in like, a warmup or in training, it just scares me.”

Brown has never been able to consistently land quad jumps in competition. Instead, he relies on near-perfect execution of triple jumps, along with arguably the best artistry in figure skating, to consistently challenge for podium placements in major competitions.

Maybe, Brown mused, the next innovation in figure skating has nothing to do with extreme feats of athletic ability.

“I have so much respect for the ways in which people are pushing the sport technically,” he said, "but I think the more that people fixate on executing an element, the less risk people take artistically, because they’re already taking these risks technically. And it is very hard to do both. So maybe the next step for figure skating is to reward the story we're trying to tell."

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Amber Glenn skates during the "Making Team USA" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Amber Glenn skates during the "Making Team USA" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Ilia Malinin skates during the "Making Team USA" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Ilia Malinin competes during the men's free skate competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Ilia Malinin competes during the men's short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)