DENVER (AP) — The Denver Broncos wrangled their biggest win in a decade from Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills but suffered an enormous loss in the process.
About an hour after second-year quarterback Bo Nix led the Broncos to a 33-30 win on Wil Lutz’s 23-yard field goal in overtime Saturday, Denver coach Sean Payton returned to the postgame lectern to deliver the stunning news.
He said Nix broke his right ankle a few plays before Lutz’s kick sent the top-seeded Broncos (15-3) to the AFC championship game against either New England or Houston.
Nix will have season-ending surgery Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama.
Backup QB Jarrett Stidham takes over for Nix. He took just one snap this season, a kneel-down in a blowout win over Dallas in Week 8.
Stidham has appeared in 20 games in six NFL seasons, starting four and winning one.
Nix got hurt on a keeper where he lost 2 yards and was tackled by safety Cole Bishop. Nix was limping after the play, but there was no indication that he suffered such a serious injury.
On the next play, Nix threw a deep pass to Marvin Mims Jr. that drew a 30-yard pass interference flag and got the Broncos well into field-goal range. Nix then took a knee to center the ball for Lutz’s game-ending field goal.
Nix tied Russell Wilson’s NFL record with two dozen victories in his first two seasons. Saturday’s victory was his first in the playoffs. The Broncos lost last year at Buffalo but Nix led Denver to the AFC’s top seed this season.
Before word of Nix’s injury broke, Denver was jubilant over the Broncos’ first playoff victory in a decade.
Denver’s game-winning drive came after nickel back Ja’Quan McMillian intercepted Allen’s deep pass in overtime. McMillian’s pick was Denver’s fifth takeaway of the game after they were minus-3 in turnover differential during the season.
McMillian wrested the ball away from Brandin Cooks at the Broncos 20-yard line when a field goal would have won the game for Buffalo (13-6).
SEAHAWKS 41, 49ERS 6
SEATTLE (AP) — Rashid Shaheed returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, Kenneth Walker III rushed for three scores and Seattle advanced to the NFC championship game with a dominant victory over San Francisco.
Sam Darnold threw a touchdown pass and got his first career playoff win in his first season with the Seahawks (15-3), who will host either the Chicago Bears or the Los Angeles Rams next Sunday with a trip to the Super Bowl at stake.
The Seahawks led 7-0 13 seconds into the game thanks to Shaheed, who fielded the opening kick and took it 95 yards to the end zone. It was the fourth kickoff return for a touchdown to open a playoff game since 2000 and the longest postseason kick return in franchise history.
Darnold, who had been listed as questionable because of an oblique injury, guided the Seahawks on two more scoring drives before San Francisco got on the board with the first of its two field goals.
After he flopped in his playoff debut last season with the Minnesota Vikings by taking nine sacks in a 27-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Darnold completed 12 of 17 passes for 124 yards and connected with Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a touchdown in the star receiver’s playoff debut.
The 49ers (13-6) were never competitive in the second-most lopsided playoff loss in franchise history. San Francisco lost 49-3 to the New York Giants in the divisional round in the 1986 season.
The Niners were missing three injured All-Pros: tight end George Kittle, linebacker Fred Warner and defensive end Nick Bosa.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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