It has happened again.
The Buffalo Bills ended up not being the team of destiny in the 2025 NFL postseason. Their hopes of a Super Bowl trip ended at the hands of the Denver Broncos in a 33-30 final on the road in a whirlwind game.
The contest included controversial calls and gritty play by the Bills and quarterback Josh Allen, but Buffalo fell short again.
With that, here are Bills Wire’s five takeaways from the Bills’ loss to the Broncos:
Clutch… to get there
Before getting to the bad news, credit where it’s due: The Bills fought their way back and made a game of it.
Trailing 23-10 just after the half, Allen willed his team to a 24-23 lead. Then trailing 30-27 with under a minute left, Buffalo pushed it contest into overtime.
Controversial calls and the Broncos doing just enough concluded in a Bills loss.
Classic Bills defeat
The Bills were on the wrong end of a tough call in overtime that could have given them the win.
On a deep pass from Allen to wide receiver Brandin Cooks, it looked like a 50-50 decision. Was it a completed pass? The call ended up being an interception for Broncos defensive back Ja’Quan McMillan.
That flipped the outcome.
Defense throws it away
While the interception was a questionable decision, the pass interference penalties against the Bills defense late were not.
Buffalo could question the first one called on cornerback Taron Johnson which gave up 17 yards. The second on Tre’Davious White near the goal line? That looked pretty clear.
The Bills defense dropped the ball in crunch time.
Turnovers
It was not just the defense having issues in Denver.
The Bills offense had five turnovers. That does make it more impressive that Buffalo managed to force overtime while putting up 30 points.
But five giveaways? Allen had two interceptions and two fumbles. Running back James Cook added another fumble.
You don’t win many of those games.
Now what?
The path was there for the Bills.
Now what? Where do they go now? Could a big change be on the way?
Welcome to the 2026 NFL offseason, Buffalo.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: 5 takeaways from the Bills’ 33-30 AFC divisional loss to the Broncos
Reporting by Nick Wojton, USA TODAY / Bills Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
