Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - BRONCOS POSTCAST: Bo Nix, Denver Broncos fall short vs. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

Episode Date: January 12, 2025

The Denver Broncos season has come to an after they lost to the Buffalo Bills Sunday, 31-7. Josh Allen and the Bills' offense dominated the time of possession battle and scored 31 unanswered points in the win. James Cook rushed for the 120 yards as the Broncos defense struggled to stop the run all day. Bo Nix and the offense got out to a hot start, scoring a touchdown on the first drive. Aniello Piro is joined by Cody Roark, Sayre Bedinger and Anthony Blevins to break down the game on today's Locked On Broncos SQUAD show.  Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Turbo TaxReady for stress-free taxes and the most money back, guaranteed? Head over to TurboTax.com today and get matched with your Expert—who’s ready to take your taxes off your plate, so you can focus on your day. LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFL. Terms and conditions apply.PrizePicksDownload the app and use code lockedonnfl to win $50 instantly when you play $5. You don't even need to win to receive your $50 bonus, it's guaranteed! Prizepicks. Run Your Game.Click Here: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFLGametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms Apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.FanDuelYou can start the season with a big return on FanDuel. New customers can place a FIVE DOLLAR bet and you’ll get started with TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS - if you win or lose your first FIVE DOLLAR BET ! Visit FANDUEL.COM to get started.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You are Locked-on Broncos Postcast, powered by Mile High Sports, part of Locked-on Sports, Denver on the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. It is your Locked-on Broncos postcast, but it's also a squad show joined by my man, Cody Ward from the standard Locked on Broncos podcast show. You all know and love him. Sarah Bettinger will join us in a little bit. And special guest on the program this afternoon, as well as Dr. Anthony Blevins, kind enough to give us a few minutes of his time talking all things NFL.

And unfortunately for Broncos country out there, folks, it is not a good outcome as they fall to the Buffalo Bills. 31 to 7. Look like it might be a fun afternoon after the way that Broncos started that game out with that early touchdown, Bow Nicks to Troy Franklin, but all bills from there are 31 unanswered points. But we're going to kick back. We're going to relax, have some fun here on your lockdown Broncos postcast.

So make sure to hit that like button. that subscribe button as well. That way you guys never miss an episode of the show. But guys, I'll start with Cody. We'll go to Anthony after that. Tough loss for the Broncos. Yeah, look, tough loss. I think frustrating considering how promising of a season it was

in the developments that we've seen with the third youngest roster in the NFL here at the Denver Broncos. And look, early on, they made it very interesting. The Broncos, I thought they couldn't have gotten off to a better start offensively with a, you know, a long touchdown there to Troy Franklin. And, you know, you go up 7-0 on the road against the bills. That's a good feeling to have. But then it's like, all right, well, now you have to factor in the next part.

Can you stop Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills? And unfortunately, Denver's run defense. They got ran through, you know, all throughout the entire day. I mean, the bills had over 471 yards off offense in this game. 210 of that came on the ground between obviously James Cook, Josh Allen, Ty Johnson. It just Denver struggled in this. And hats off to the Buffalo Bills.

I mean, I think one difference that we saw, and obviously, Coach Plebens, you saw this as well. Well, that bill's O line is huge. They're physical. And I think that honestly was a little bit of the difference maker here in this game, especially considering that the bills own the time of possession really from start to finish. I mean, 41 minutes TOP compared to Denver is that? I mean, not a great formula right there.

Yeah, when you lose time of possession that bad, you're not going to win the football game. It was indicative of the score. It was 31, 7, you know, it was 40, almost 42 minutes of time possession. You don't have a ball enough to score enough points to keep up in that situation. And when you hold the ball that long, on the flip side of a Denver, they don't get off the field on,

I mean, they don't stay on the field on third down. I think there were two of, there were two of nine on third down. And then on the flip side defensively, you don't get off the field on third down. Buffalo, they were 50 some percent. So that's a recipe for disaster all the way around. And when you can't stop the run,

you can't get off the field on third down, can't stay on the, to fill on third down. You end up with a score like that, 31 to 7. Yeah, you know, and it was a frustrating game. Like I said, it started out kind of hot there. And real quick, let me also tell you about our friends over at Fanduil, who's the presenting sponsor of this show, guys. You can get started with a big return on Fanduil. New customers can place a $5 bet and you'll get started with $200 in bonus bets. If you win or lose your first $5 bet, just visit Fanduel.com to get started. But coach, I'm curious to get some of your

insight here because like I said, it felt like, like the Broncos got out to that sizzling start, you know, you see Troy Franklin get the touchdown pass, bow nicks in the offense, kind of, you know, doing their thing out of the gate. But, you know, something that I hear a lot, I'm sure you hear a lot and is also probably the truth is you can kind of script those, that first driver to and try to figure out exactly what you want to do and try to pinpoint some weaknesses of the opposing team before the game kind of settles in. How did you read the Broncos start in this matchup compared to their finish? I thought coming into the game, based off that first drive, they knew exactly what

they were going to get on defense. You know, they got the big play for the touchdown, and then, and that was it. Buffalo came to the sideline. They were grouped. They settled down, and they made some adjustments. And it looked like from that point on, Denver had no rhythm on offense. They didn't look like they knew exactly what they were seeing. And Bo Almighty was not very strong today.

It just, just nothing other than his legs, that was the best part of the offense for Denver today. was him scrambling, getting out of the pocket, getting outside of the pocket and making throws on a run. But I kept waiting from them to speed the tempo up, do a little no huddle, change the view and the look, because that's what puts the defense on their heels is when you go no huddle. The quarterback can see it because the defense is standing out there. They're waiting for the call, but they're all in their alignments, and you can kind of see it.

But they never did. I think one of the bigger issues, too, with this team, and AP, we've been talking about this all year long, especially over a mile high sports. The lack of a run game has hurt the Broncos consistent. Look, I don't know exactly how many games it has been, but when Bo Nix has been your leading rusher, you know, at the quarterback position in a good portion, probably more than half of your games this season, that's not an ideal formula. You know, obviously, we love the ability that Bo can create with his legs, you know, create those

opportunities. But the fact that you're not getting a consistent enough production in the run game with your running backs, that's problematic. And look, Javante Williams had a couple of runs just wasn't good. It hasn't been a great year for Javante. He finished the year with 513 yards rushing in 18 games. That's not a great formula. And they made the decision today to make rookie running back,

Audrey Kestmay, who is a, he's a load. I mean, he's big, he's stocky, he's hard to bring down. They made him in active in favor of Tyler Badee, who obviously, you know, loved to see him back after that scary injury he suffered back in week four against the Jets, springy, flashy, you know, you make the decision to make him out. active. And then you only give him two carries, two carries eight yards. As coach was saying before we went on air, he's like, hey, at least I finished

to the 4.0 average. You love to see that. But Day, is got some flash. He's got some spring to you. But the fact that Denver can't run the ball is problematic. And look, I think right before halftime, this is really where things got away from. This kind of reminded me a little bit of the Baltimore game. Denver didn't allow a touchdown necessarily, but they had like negative momentum going into halftime, right? I think Bow Nix did a great job. They led the offense downfield to get into a field goal range there. Will Lutz kick, bounces off the right, upright, and then you go in a half time instead of being tied 10-10, you go down 10-7, and the bills come out and they gash you on their

opening drive. And that right there is hard, especially for the defense, you know, it kind of just sucks the wind out of you. This defense ran out of gas in the last month and a half. You know, they got off to such a great start early on in the season. They're able to get out to the quarterback. And look, they were able to sack Josh Allen a few times today, which he was the least sack QB coming into this game.

But when you're giving up, eight of 50s. on third down. You're, you know, you're getting gashed in the run game and you're giving up big chunks. And even allowing them convert on fourth down. I mean, the bills were two for two on fourth down with push pushes here in this game. And one of those touchdowns came on just a ridiculous throw and scramble by Josh Allen where, you know, the running back got, you know, a knee in bounds there. It's just debilitating. It just kind of highlights a little bit of the problems. I think the Broncos had had here with this team in the last month and a half, specifically on defense. It just hasn't been good enough. And that's,

I know something that Sean Payton is highlighted, has been a little bit of a problem, but you need to have complimentary football. You know, if you're getting great contributions from your special teams, but your offense is inconsistent, your defense is inconsistent. You're not going to win a lot of games, especially when you get in the playoffs, it's not a formula to win there either. Yeah, no, I mean, I completely agree with you. And you make a couple of good points.

We'll touch on the run game as well, which was virtually non-existent for the Denver Broncos today, but frankly, that's been the case for them all season. I mean, Bo Nix was their leading rusher once again in this game here today. but we talked about it earlier in the show. I mean, the time of possession battle, 4, 14, 43 for Buffalo compared to just 18, 17, for Denver. And I want to run with your point that you made, Cody, because it did look like Denver's defense was on skates a little bit, right?

Just catching their breath, you know, down after down, play after play. And the reality of the situation was to me, guys, and I'm curious to get your opinion, Buffalo beat Denver in every facet of the game. Offense, defense, special teams. And look, Buffalo was expected to, you know, Josh Allen's likely going to be the MVP. You know, they're one of the favorites to go on and potentially win the Super Bowl.

I mean, Buffalo is a very good team. Whereas Denver, I think, and we'll talk about this season as a whole towards the end of the show, you know, they're still growing. They're still kind of coming into their own as a football team and whatnot. But coach, I mean, for Buffalo to go out there and for lack of better phrase, kind of flex all over the Denver Broncos, I mean, outside of that first touchdown of the game, it was the Buffalo Bill's game to lose. Well, I mean, if you really think about it, I mean, this was supposed to happen probably this way.

Buffalo is a favorite to go win the Super Bowl. They've been a favorite all year to win the Super Bowl, and they played that way all year. So I don't know if, you know, I don't know if I had 31 to 7 on my bingo card, but, you know, maybe 28 to 14 was on my bingo card, you know. So I think Buffalo just showed everybody how good they really are. And the difference between a number two seat and a number seven seed,

there's a big difference there. And I think you saw it today. You talked about it, Cody. that offensive line, they were dominant all day. Josh Allen had all day to throw the ball. You know, they sacked him two times. But for the most time, he had all day. On the touchdown pass, it was like, yeah, he was back there 10 seconds.

And then finally somebody came open. So that's the recipe for disaster. You can't ask the D.Bs to cover that long without pass rush. So, and that's been a strength of the Denver defense most of the year is their pass rush and the pressure packages in order, you know, they've been able to get sacked. And coach, you obviously know this coaching defense. And obviously this was when I was a defensive coordinator, this was also a tough thing too because when you face an offense,

and I look at Buffalo, they were probably more well-balanced offensively this year than I think they have been in all of Josh Allen's career. They have a legit run game. They have like Amari Cooper, he's not a true number one anymore, but Amari can still produce. You got a young guy in Kalil Shakur who can obviously play well for you. You got a rookie and Keon Coleman who's impressive.

You got obviously Dalton Kincaid at the tight end position who can make plays. And obviously you've got, you know, Matt Collins, who can make some place for his well, bring some toughness and some grit there. You have that balance. And so when you're facing a QB like Josh Allen, who you know, you have to account for him on every blade of grass on the field because he can roll all the way out and throw it across his body for 70 yards for a touchdown. If you don't have your scramble drill rules intact there.

But also when you have a running back like James Cook who can gash you a little bit, and then you have a quarterback in Josh Allen who can use his legs, it's really hard to say, like, how do you stop this bill's offense? Because they hit you with one thing. You try to adjust to that. Then they hit you with something else. As a defensive coach, that's one of the hardest things they have to adjust to. And also when you're getting chunked, it's also hard sometimes, too,

to just get everyone on defense to pause from and say, hey, catch your breath. Let's refocus. It's hard when the flow of the game is going as fast as the bills dictated it. Yeah, and I'll tell you this, it really starts really up front, like with any defensive coordinator. You have to stop the run. You've got to stop James, James Cook from getting out there. And then you deal with everything goes from there.

You know, you get them in a situation where you know they're going to pass. You get them in long yarders. But if it starts with stopping the run, and that's something different did not do today at all. At no point in time did they stop the run today? Yeah. And I mean, James Cook, I believe, off the top of my head, 120 rushing yards here.

Let me pull that up for you for the Buffalo Bowles. Yeah, 23 carries for 120 this afternoon for James Cook. who's been an absolute pheno, I believe what, 16 touchdowns in the regular season. He gets a 17th in the middle of this game here today. I mean, Josh Allen, as Cody mentioned, you know, you kind of have to account for him as a passer and as a runner. He has 46 yards on the ground himself. And really, you know, it wasn't a leader in the pack today, I would say from Buffalo

in their receiving core. I mean, Curtis Samuel led the way with three for 68. You had clear Shakir with six for 61, Dalton Kincaid at a three for 47. So it felt like Buffalo just did a really good job of kind of targeting some soft spots that they identified within this Denver Broncos defense. And to your point, Cody, it's a defense that's been up and down for the last month and half really started the first two-thirds of the season on a high note. But there's been some holes.

There's been some flaws. You know, there's also been some injuries that they've had to account to. But in my opinion, one guy that got picked on all day today was PJ Locke. I thought it was a rough day at the office for PJ. Yeah, I mean, it's tough too. Like being a back-end safety, right? The common shell we see in today's NFL is a too high shell. and obviously you get a lot of robber cover cover.

You know, a lot of teams, unless they're a heavy cover four base team, they're going to keep their safeties back there. But you're always going to roll a guy down there. I feel like in plays where Josh Allen extended with his legs, that's where like the safety, your eyes. I mean, not only that, like you have to read run. Like you're reading the guard to see, hey, is this run or pass? And you have to be like, I have to play and react quickly to coming up against the run.

Oh, and then also like I have to be able to get into my drop. And I think communication, especially between the safeties and the linebackers, that's just been something that's been off for them the last handful of weeks. And obviously, you've seen a couple of breakdowns in coverage, even by Pat Sartan in this game. It's just, it was one of those things where I look at Buffalo, they have a built-in margin for error versus a team like Denver. You can't really make those types of mistakes against them and expect to sustain for 60 minutes.

And certainly that was something that kind of reared its head because, all right, hey, you go up 7-0, but then it gets out of hand for you. You know, all of a sudden you make it 7-3 because you force them to a field go, which is great. Like you stopped the bleeding a little bit. They settled for a field goal. Denver's red zone defense held up. But it was the other areas of the field, the big chunk plays that really hurt the Broncos in this game.

Death by a thousand paper cuts. You know, and like you said, you couldn't find a way to stop the bleeding. And that is a little problematic. I think this game is going to force them to really take a look at what they want to do personnel-wise this upcoming season. Definitely a rough game for PJ Locke. And obviously, I think his story has been incredible for the Broncos. And, you know, me getting the chance to know PJ and see that. from being an undrafted guy to making it to an NFL roster,

becoming a starter, you're in a contract extension. It's great. But, you know, I think is the system, right? And it's not just on player execution. Are the coaches putting these guys in a position to succeed and vice versa? Players have to execute.

But I think there are a lot of questions here about how Denver's defense and personnel wise, how they're going to move forward here. And certainly this performance, especially on the back end there was a little rough. Yeah. And I mean, let's talk about this now.

you know, Vance Joseph, right? You know, I know there's some people that have been kind of going back and forth with him in the comment section as we're alive. If you're on lock down Broncos, appreciate you all as always. Look, I think obviously compared to last year, this defense took a step forward. And frankly, I think the defense as a whole is still a good unit. I'm not trying to take anything away from them. But you kind of alluded to the last month, month and a half has been a little up and down. I mean, for lack of better phrase and the reality situation is they were picked apart here today, 31 to 7.

So I know that what, Vance has already interviewed with the Jets. I'm sure he'll probably get another handful of head coaching interviews in this cycle as well. So do you guys expect for Cody? I know you're in and around the team every day. Like are we expecting advanced Joseph return? And if he is back, how do you think this defense tries to make some adjustments moving into next year? Well, I think there's a lot of speculation.

You know, I don't know if you guys saw the clip on the broadcast of there was like one moment of the camera panned advanced Joseph and Sean Payton right next to each other. You know, it looked heated. But coach, you know this as well as anybody. Like during a game, you're going to have some heated moments with your coach. or it just may be like an animated discussion. We don't know what was said. I certainly I think people are going to,

I've already seen it on Twitter. People are going to look at them like, oh, trouble in paradise. It happens. And look, Vance is responsible for the defense. And there's things that Sean could do to help the defense out as well.

And when you're going three and out really quickly, it doesn't help your defense, you know, if they've been on the field a little bit. There's got to be balanced. There's got to be give and take here. I think what Vance has done from last year, from that 70 point game to the dolphins to this year,

it's been incredible. The Broncos were, you know, a top five defense for a large portion of the season. And obviously, they were top five in a lot of categories going into this game. But they regressed in their past coverage. You know, and one of the things that Vance Joseph told us several weeks ago was, you know, this late in the season, all of your warts are on film. You know, but as a coach, you got to find a way to, okay, if these are our warts, how are teams attacking us? How am I going to adjust to that? And how might a team adjust to whatever adjustment we make?

It is so hard. And coach, I want to throw this to you here. being a defensive coach. People say like going to halftime making an adjustment, people don't realize it is hard to make adjustments in the NFL, like in any football game, especially going to half time because you have a

limited amount of time. It's not like you can pull up a whole arsenal sit and watch film and say, all right, this is what they're doing, here's how we adjust to it. How does that process play out? You've been in an NFL locker room. Obviously, you're obviously coaching for the Birmingham Stallions as well. What is that like from a coach's perspective?

Well, it's quit because you only get 12 minutes of half time. So by the time you get in there is 10, then you got to come back out at about two or three. So you only got a few minutes. So those adjustments for the coaches, you've had those conversations going into the half already. And you know right now, this is what we're going to try. We're going to try this front. We're going to try this defense. And you got to hit it really, really quick to get it going. And then you come out in the second half and you try to adjust and see what they've adjusted to. And you see if it met. I mean, like you're almost throwing seeing whatever you throw on the wall, see if it sticks, and then you go from there.

But those adjustments happen really quick, but it's only a matter of what the players can handle. Because sometimes the stuff that's been in the arsenal that you haven't worked in a couple of weeks, they may have new guys in the locker room that are on the team. They haven't seen it, haven't repped it, and you throw it out there, and that's just another bust that's about to happen. So, yeah, I think that's some good points for sure. And I don't know, man, it's frustrating. It's frustrating.

And I'll save some of the optimistic thoughts for the end of the show, right? We've got to react to what is a crushing for the Denver Broncos and their fans. But this season is still very much a success, right? You know, a lot of people did not expect the Denver Broncos to even be near the playoffs, let alone get in the playoffs. So I think all things consider, like I said, we'll save some of those big picture thoughts for the end of the show. But tonight it is on this afternoon, rather, is an unfortunate. loss for Denver as they fall to the Buffalo Bills 31 to 7 in Wildcard weekend. Real quick,

before we go to break, Cody, anything else you want to kind of add from the defensive schematics point? I thought coach made some good thoughts there. Yeah, I mean, look, you know, you have your foundation of your scheme. And really it was, hey, we got to create pressure, but it's like against the guy like Josh Allen, the challenge is you can't rush too far up field. You can't crash too hard inside because he has the ability to dip up underneath and take it, right, especially if if they're offense when they go empty or if they're drawn your linebackers out in coverage or drop into a zone, that's really where if you're going to rush with four, you have to maintain that push. And I think that the Buffalo builds offensive line, you know, while Denver's trenches have improved this like this entire season, I think they've made some great addition. Zach Allen's had a terrific year, John Franklin Myers, Johnson Cooper, Nick Benito.

That bill's offensive line is the best it has been in Josh Allen's time here. and for a team that for them going into this off season after they trade away Stefan Degas, they're like, all right, hey, the bills are going to rebuild. They passed on Xavier Worthy in the NFL draft. People are like, oh, okay, this Bill's team, they might just, you know, rebuild for a year and then reload. They actually made a decision. They went against the grain on what people thought was the popular move, and they stayed true to who they are. And it's got them here in the postseason.

Look, let's also be very clear. This Buffalo Bills team, even though they're the number two seed, they're the old, like, they've beaten the number one seed Kansas City Chiefs. They've beaten the number one seed Detroit Lions. in the NFC. This is a good football team. And obviously they're going to run up into a challenge against Lamar Jackson, the Ravens who the Ravens beat them pretty badly early on

the season. That'll be a matchup that could. You know, I know votes who are in front in, but it could change people's perspectives on who the MVP truly should be next week. And unfortunately, Denver's promising season ends, you know, in disappointing fashion. But as you mentioned, there are a lot of things to be optimistic about surrounding their future. Yeah, no, I agree. And get your popcorn ready.

That game next week between Buffalo and Baltimore. Man, is that going to be a fun one. Man, that's going to be fireworks. So looking forward to that. Okay, let's hit a quick break when we come back. I see we got our guy, Sarah Bedinger, there in the back. We'll load him into the show. We'll get his thoughts on the game.

And let's talk a little offense, man. I thought the receivers, you know, some drops out there today. Cody, you talked about the running game. Let's kind of hone in on the offense as a whole here for the Denver Broncos as they unfortunately lose to the Buffalo Bills. Your final score this afternoon, 31, 27. We'll hit a quick break. Come back and do just that right here on.

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ever miss an episode. And of course, you guys are used to Cody Rourke and Sarah Bedinger, do a great job on your locked on Broncos postcast. And our guy, Coach Anthony Blevins, kind enough to give us a few minutes of his time here talking all things Broncos as they unfortunately fall to the Buffalo bill this afternoon, 31 to 7, your final score. But, Sarah, I want to toss it to you, my friend. I know you were obviously watching the game. You and Cody have been locked in on the Broncos for a long, long time now. I don't have them back in the playoffs, but a tough loss today.

Yeah, I'm like the living embodiment of the meme with the, you know, the mask with the smile on it. And then behind it, the guys like, you know, crying just like tears, you know. I'm the living embodiment of that right now. But obviously, I think going into this weekend, like we understood the Denver Broncos, what the situation that we're in. I heard you guys talk about it in the previous segment, like almost felt like they came into this game playing with a little bit of house money, obviously making the playoffs,

despite expectations being so low, despite nearly 90 million in dead cap money this year, the Broncos exceeded expectations and they found a franchise quarterback in the process. Like when you've got Bo Nicks in the house going forward, you can build around somebody. And the Broncos have been building around nothing over the last handful of years. They've been building around, you know, hopes and dreams or around, you know, this might work out or, you know, we need to build around Russell Wilson, who's at the twilight of his career, and it's not really, we don't like to coach, we don't like the offense. And so all of these different things, like, I think the optimism that I've had all

week, guys, is the fact that going into the off season, like, there's no wishless that me as the quintessential armchair GM can make that is bigger and crazier than what Sean Peyton and George Payton are about to dream up for this team around Bo Nix. Like I'm fired up that a loss like this, just like Super Bowl 48, is going to fuel those guys to build the best possible roster around their new franchise quarterback. Yeah, the future is bright, guys. And, you know, for all Broncos country out there, that's, you know, down and out. I was actually with my boss at My Life Sports and some of our coworkers. I mean, I haven't seen Denver this pumped up for the Broncos in a long, long time.

And the future's in good hands with Sean Payton, you know, with VJ, you know, so there's a lot of good stuff. But, coach, I want to get your opinion here as we kind of talked about. going into the break. You know, Cortland Sutton today, five receptions for 75 yards. Troy Franklin scored that first touchdown finishes with two for 54. But a couple of tough drops I felt like, you know, Cortland missed a big one over the middle. Devon Valet, a couple of drops in this game as well.

I mean, what do you kind of chalk that up to? Is that just Buffalo's defense being good? Is that maybe some postseason jitters? Kind of give me your evaluation of the Broncos passing game today. Probably a combination of all the above, to be honest with you. Because once you get to the playoffs, things get a little bit heightened. You get a little bit of nerves, especially when you haven't been there. The crowd's a little bit, you know, more energized.

You know, it's Bill's Mafia, all the stuff that's tied into that. And that crowd in Buffalo, that's a great place to play. I don't know if you've ever been there, but that's a great place to play, great place to go watch a game because their crowd is so into it. It's loud. It's a phenomenal atmosphere. So I think to your question, there's a lot that plays into that. Then also, you know, the weather actually looked nice, but it could have been some win, could have been some things that were going on as well.

But like as an NFL receiver, you have got to make some of those catches. Those were easy catches for NFL receivers. So, you know, and that's unacceptable. You got a rookie quarterback going into his first playoff game. You have got to help him out and you've got to make those catches for him. You know, that's how you get going. That's how you, you know, when Denver's not able to run the ball, That's how you're able to make plays, stay on the field on third down, and do some of those things.

So, you know, like we talk about it, the receivers, but it was a, you know, all three phases lost. You know, it was offense, not good enough, defense not good enough, special teams not good enough. It was all three phases lost, but those receivers have to make catches for a young quarterback in that atmosphere. And that will grow the confidence of the offense and keep them going. I'll say one thing, too, one thing that kind of really reared its head in this game. something we've been saying all year long because, you know, we talk about comparisons to the Thief of Joy, this, that, and the other. I think today's game was a great example of showing that, like, Bo Nix doesn't have, like, the best overall weapons around him in comparison to some of

these other guys in the playoffs and some of these other teams. Like, you give him, like, give him Caleb Williams weapons. And I guarantee, like, this Broncos offense would have looked more dynamic. If you'd be a Kenan Allen or Roma Dunezze, you give me a DJ more, like, I'll be happy with that. Like, that's something you want to be able to take in with you. You know, Cortland, and has been the number one receiver all year long. And certainly, you know, the way that defenses are playing him a little bit more bump and run, outside leverage, safety over the top, exactly how I predicted it would kind of go out in today's game there with Benford on him and then Taylor Rat playing over the top,

wherever Cortland was lined up. And so Denver tried to move Cortland around from not only just playing on the outside, but they brought him condensed towards the line of scrimmage, towards the offensive tackle a little bit just to try to get him to work in space, maybe on some rub patterns there. But you mentioned there was one drop that Cortland had in this game that I feel like definitely halted some promise on a drive, you know, and it was, it went right through his hands. It would have been a first down. They would have been in, in Buffalo territory. You never know what could happen in a situation like that. Instead, you end up punting the football

away. Okay, now you give Josh Allen the bills another opportunity. Rookie Devon Valet had a rough game in his game. You know, three drops for him on the afternoon, you know, especially a couple ones that would have put them in field goal position at least. And you never know. The tide, when the game is close like that, it could make a difference. And then obviously, Troy Franklin had one to open up the Denver's first offensive drive of the second half there, third and five. You have that drop. You know, that right there can halt your moment. Then you punt in the way.

You go three and out to open up to the second half there and the bills go down and score again. And all of a sudden, now it's 21 to seven. That right there is just, Sean Payton talks so much about the hidden yards. And I just think that Denver's overall weapons offensively, you have some good players, but you don't have enough around Bow Nix right now for him to truly thrive and take off. The fact that we also talked about that you have a lack of a run game, that makes it so hard. Like, coach, from a defensive game plan standpoint, when you're going up and you're scheming throughout the week, like, hey, we're going to face an offense that really they just can't run the football.

How easy does it make you for you and your defensive coaches? How easy does it make the game plan for you guys? Oh, it makes it simple. You know, because like if I know you can't run the ball, like, yeah, obviously we're going to spend some time working on defense, run gas, stuff like that. but I'm going to take away all your, you know, all your receivers on the outside. Take away all the, your chest pieces, if you will, you know, take away your queen, your rook. I'm going to take all that away from you and I'm going to make you beat me doing something that you don't do well and that will be running the football. Yep.

I think that's a great point you make. And as I mentioned, you know, Bo Nix was the Buffalo or was the Denver Broncos leading Russia today against the Buffalo Bills, four carries for 43 yards. I mean, but peanuts, you know, for the most part. after that. Javante, seven for 29, Tyler Badegh, two for eight. I mean, really nothing worth talking about outside of the fact that there was no rushing attack, which, Sarah, to your point, you know, we'll see what Sean Payton and George Payton decided to do in the offseason, but I would imagine that, and I understand that running back has become so devalued over the years in the NFL, but that has got to be priority number one. I mean, tight end as well, obviously

wide receiver depth, inside linebacker, something you're looking at as well, but I mean, and that's the other thing to what Cody said, man, like, this is a lot. is a rookie quarterback. And again, the expectation this year we talked about at the Mile High Sports Studios is figure out if you've got a guy in Bow Nix. Like figure out if you can build around this guy for the long haul. And they have figured that out for sure. I think making the playoffs is the cherry on top to an extent. But the running game today, abysmal, all season has been abysmal. They've got to figure it out. Yeah, that's why they tried to go get Josh Jacobs in the off season, right? It was Sean Payton doing his little recruiting

bit all the way back when he was part of the media still at the whole media row and things like that. I mean, you try to go get a guy like that because teams are going to take away the deep stuff in today's NFL. They're playing the two high safeties all the time. And so you've got to be able to run the ball, gain yardage after the catch. That's why running quarterbacks are so effective if they can get to that second level. So I feel like, man, it's just personnel. Just imagine that the 2013 Broncos only had Eric Decker and a bunch of Andre Caldwells. That's what the Broncos are doing out there. Not that Andre Caldwell deserves to be catching strays on the show here today. because he did his part for that team.

But it's kind of like personnel-wise, that's what we're talking about. Like there's no Demarius Thomas. There's no Eric Decker even. West Welker. He can be that. Sutton could be that Eric Decker type to where you leave this guy one-on-one the course of the game. He's going to absolutely cook your defensive backs. But teams taking away Cortland Sutton, nobody else is stepping up consistently for this Broncos team.

And that is, it's driving me nuts, guys. I don't know if you could tell. We've talked about it. ad nauseum on lockdown Broncos this year. And I can't wait to talk more about it this offseason because, like I said, it'll fuel this front office to go out and fix what is obviously the biggest need on this team, talent at the skill positions, go out and get those guys. Let me highlight something here real quick, right?

Denver finished this game with 224 total yards of offense. Bo Nicks accounted for 187 yards of that 224. Riley Dixon 15 on a fake punt. What right there just tells you there's not enough. production offensively. And so much of that too, I think when we go back and watch, it's going to be like, who's going to step up? You know, and you have some tough decisions coming up. Look, Cortland Sutton, he's entering the final year of his deal in 2025. What does that look like? Do you get him a new extension? Who do you bring in to help him? You're going to be dealing

with that final $32 million of dead cap from the Russell Wilson release this upcoming season, but you're going to have way more flexibility to maybe make a couple of big purchases in the off season in terms of upgrading several positions. And then you have an arsenal. of draft picks as well. That has to be like this year, I understand Denver's going to have to make some defensive changes in terms of personnel. They're going to make some adjustments.

Maybe Justin Simmons returns. I think that could be a real possibility this off season. We'll tease that later on here. But offense has to be the priority here for this team because that's going to be the foundation of what keeps Denver in it sustainably while Boe is on a rookie deal. Yeah, and I agree. And that's the advantage that Broncos do have moving forward is that rookie deal of Bo Nix.

We know that it could be just so crucial when you can build around a quarterback before he absorbs, you know, what inevitably becomes, you know, a majority of the salary cap there when he is going to keep growing every year, too, because he's TV rights. Yeah, that's kind of the reality situation. But coach, I want to get your opinion because Sarah brings up a good point about, you know, taking away Cortland Sutton and that kind of, you know, makes the Broncos have to reinvent the wheel here a little bit. Was it as simple as Buffalo taken away Denver's top option at receiver and forcing them to run the ball? Or do you think they ran some stuff schematically that threw Bo Nix in the offense for a world?

I think they did do some things schematically, especially after that first drive that may have confused Bo. But it really was, Buffalo was better than Denver. That's what it really boiled down to. I don't think the schematics, at this point of the year, you're not doing anything that you really haven't seen. You may do it a different way, may do it out of a different personnel package or things like that.

but at the end of the day Denver was not good enough to compete with Buffalo and it showed. I think it's that simple. Like to be honest with you guys. And I know we talked about it earlier in the show. Like I think it's Buffalo.

I understand there's Kansas City who I know Bronco fans don't want to talk about. I mean, I've seen Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. You know, they've been in these spots before, but they haven't shown us the ability to kind of get over that home.

This might be the year. That's what I'm saying. And I mean, it feels like, and I know you made the point earlier too, Cody, that like maybe some people thought it might be a retooling type of year for the Buffalo bills where it's been anything but that but and look there's no moral victories like I know some people are like well I want the bills to win the Super Bowl now so we could say we lost to the champs like I never subscribe to that thought no I just think that this Buffalo Bill's team is an absolute

force to be reckoned with yeah they are which is like that's the that's the frustration here is that like you got people dancing on the Broncos grave right now when everybody saw like the talent discrepancy between these two teams although I think I will say and you guys can tell me if you think I'm crazy for this. I think this Broncos team is better than the one that beat Buffalo last year. I mean, in terms of personal on the roster, in terms of what we saw over the course of the season, like, I think this is the first time in three playoff opportunity or four. This was the fourth opportunity that the team that led the NFL with the least amount of sacks allowed, which is the Buffalo Bills, got beat the team that had the most sacks in the regular

season. That's happened three other times. Every other time, the team with the most sacks has won that game. I think Denver's pass rush let them down in this game. I think that obviously on the back end of things like Pat Sartan, a couple of lapses from him, PJ Locke, huge laps on the Ty Johnson catch, the linebackers and the safety still having communication issues to me, it looks like. I mean, I certainly haven't played in a long time and I don't know at the NFL level, the communication aspect. So maybe coach can sound off on that. But I feel like this team was better than the one last year that won. It's just that the bills, Josh Allen has reached a new level. Like James Cook wasn't as good last year as he is this year. And they didn't have to filter their offense

through Stefan Diggs, which helps them tremendously. So I just feel like Denver is closer than this score indicates to being able to compete in these types of games. It's going to, it's going to require, though, going out and getting those guys. And I'll say this, playoff football is one in the trenches. Buffalo O-line is better than Denver. over the line. And it wasn't even close and it showed you today how they were able to run the ball, dominate the time of possession. These were, this is where games are won in the playoffs. If you want to go to the Super Bowl, it's done through the O-line. We can talk about the quarterbacks. We can talk about the running backs. It starts up front. It starts with being

able to protect the quarterback, run the football. Defensively, it starts with being able to stop the run and it starts with able to get pressure on the quarterback when you can only send four. So I think the day was just an indication of Buffalo being very good up front. They're all from the line just being dominant up front. Yeah, I agree. Let me rip off some stats here real quick. I mean, just to show you how dominant this game was for the Buffalo Bills,

obviously your final score 31 to 7. But I mean, 26 first downs for Buffalo compared to just 13 for Denver. I mean, they essentially doubled up. up in plays. Buffalo had 72 plays compared to Denver's 42, which we know is attributed to the time of possession. I mean, 471 yards of total offense for Buffalo compared to 224 for Denver. I mean, I can go on and on, guys. I mean, every single stat skews in favor of the Buffalo bills for the most part, except for penalties. Denver only committed three, whereas Buffalo had the seven there. So I guess that's, you know, you like that. You don't want to lose via penalty.

No. Except one that extended their touchdown drive, the Brandon Jones personal foul. that that was at a critical point in the game, wasn't it? I mean, that was the drive where they got the touchdown, right? So, I mean, shoot, it feels like at the worst possible times, you mean, your missed field goal by Will Lutz, the penalty by Brandon Jones, obviously the drop pass on your first possession in the second half when you're still down by only six points.

Like that type of stuff, it's just those little things that the bills did not do, that the Broncos did that buried them in this game. Yeah, and look, Denver will be better because of this, right? Like, I mean, as we've talked about, And we'll talk about some big picture thoughts when we come back from the break here in just a moment. But, you know, this Broncos team wasn't going anywhere like news flash. I know that we all love to, you know, be optimistic and, you know, all that kind of stuff. Right, we could do it if we could do this and that and this and that.

It's hard, man. And playoff football is a different beast as coach knows and everything else that kind of comes along with it. And so it's building blocks, right? They're on level one now, right? Or level two, right? You got over the hump. You've got your quarterback. You've got your coach.

You like your defense. Right now it's time to kind of continue to build for the future. And this is kind of a stripe that they'll be able to wear on their shoulder here as they try to build for this, you know, Super Bowl run here, hopefully sooner rather than later. So we'll see if the Broncos can take a lesson tonight in the loss and try to build forward for 2025 and beyond. But Anilo Piro, Cody Rourke, Sarah Bedinger and coach Anthony Blevins here on your Lockdown Broncos podcast, the squad show post game version. And why don't we hit our final break when we come back?

We'll get ready to put a bow on the show, as Cody Rourke knows I like to say. And we'll talk a little bit. picture. You know, what is the future look like for the Denver Broncos? What positions of need? Who are some guys maybe that the Broncos could go after? As, unfortunately, it's offseason mode now, folks. That's where we're at. As the Denver Broncos lose to the Buffalo Bills on Wildcard weekend, your final score 31 to 17. Okay, we'll hit a quick break. Come back and do just that right here on your locked on Broncos podcast. All right, you guys, real quick, let me tell you about our friends over at FanDoo. Because from big upsets, not today.

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And I always like to say it when I do the Fandu read, I'm an active Fanduil user. It is my personal favorite sports book. I'm still kicking myself for not betting Derek Henry to go off last night because he did. But you know, that's what it's all about. So be sure to check out our friends over at Fanduel guys. Get in on the action and let them know that locked on Broncos sentia. All right, we're all back. Welcome on back into your Lockedon Broncos postcast.

Elopiro, Sarah Bedinger, Cody Rourke and Coach Anthony Blevins, all here on your Locked on Broncos and Locked on Sports Denver. YouTube channels, make sure to hit that like button and smash that subscribe button. That way you guys never miss an episode of the show. I'm going to throw it out to any of y'all. So feel free to kind of jump in. Give me, we don't got to go crazy here, but give me kind of your quick summary of this Bronco season.

And we can go around because I'll start, I said, regardless of what happened on the football field today, this has still been a tremendous season. Cody, I remember you and I at Broncos training camp, you know, you had that incredible clip that we put out at Mile High Sports talking about how they could win 10 games. And everyone thought you were crazy for that take. And here they are, 10 games later, a playoff or 10 wins later, a playoff appearance later. Obviously an unfortunate outcome today, but Cody, the future is bright for this Denver Broncos team.

Yeah, I would say, I would say promising is if we're going to go with a one word theme, promising. Yeah, and certainly there's a lot that this team is going to have to address personnel-wise. They're going to have to get experience in some other positions. They're going to have to have some playmakers on the offensive side of the ball to help out Bo Nix. You know, Bo can't just be the offense himself. Well, it's great to have the answer that, hey, you got your franchise quarterback. How are you going to build around him to give him the pieces he needs to have that sustainability to have a long career? You know, in the way that we've seen with guys like Josh Allen, that we've seen with Patrick Mahomes,

Joe Burrell certainly. I know that's a talking point in Cincinnati is how they're. going to try to keep that team together with Jamar Chase and T. Higgins and all that with all the money that Joe Burroughs making. You have to figure out what that plan is for your guy. And certainly for Denver, you have to upgrade to several positions here. I think running back has to be addressed tight end. The Broncos don't have a relevant passing game or a relevant tight end in the passing game right now. So you got to address those two positions, but you also need to add another playmaker opposite of Cortland Sutton. So it's a multifaceted thing that I don't feel like you can just

do one move and say, all right, hey, it's going to be better. You have to make a handful of moves here to do it. The season for them, I mean, think about it. They're a heartbreaking, blocked field goal against the Chiefs winning 11 games this year. Denver is ahead of schedule and the rebuild. I'd say that. It's promising, but with great power comes great responsibility. You exceeded expectations this year.

How do you make sure those things keep progressing forward? That's going to be so much on the coaching staff, the front office, and the mindset of the players. I know this. You know, I've seen it as well. A lot of heartbroken players inside that Broncos locker room right now, but I know just knowing these guys, knowing how resilient a good bunch of them are, I know this is going to be motivation for them.

Can they find a way to get this taste out of their mouth next year? Yeah. For me, it's building. I mean, they've, you know, they're in the foundation of a building process. And, you know, for them to get in the playoffs this first year or second year on the Sean Payton, I think it's amazing, to be honest with you. the way they've done it in a division that's,

that's extremely tough. You know, like you got, you know, obviously Denver is there, Vegas, but Kansas City and the Chargers, you know, three of the three or the four teams, one of the playoffs. So I think, like, they have nothing to be ashamed of.

I think they have everything to look forward to. Get some more pieces, get a receiver, as Cody mentioned, a running back, a tight end. And then do some things defensively. Like, I think they could be right there, you know,

in the AFC championship, game next year. I don't think they're that far away. You know, and it may seem crazy, but I don't think they're that far away, but they've got to do some, some things to help vote NICs in the passing game. They've got to solid a run game. And then they've got to, they've got to do some things differently on defense a little bit. But I don't think that this is a total reveal where you scrap everything. You just start adding little pieces, add a nil here, hang a pitcher here, do some things there, and I think they could be in the ASC championship game next year. I want to piggyback off of what coach just said because, like, for me, I'm the type of person that like, okay, we bought a house a few years back.

And obviously you get excited about the idea of building a house. But like in the interim of like, hey, it's going to be probably over a year before the house is built. I'm like, I'm terrible at like envisioning. Okay, what is the like, what's the house even going to look like? You know, you see the foundation get put in. And even after that, it's like, it's still hard for me to get excited. If you like renovate and redo a room and my wife's like, hey, I, want to put this over here and I want to rearrange the couch over here. I'm like,

that sounds great, I'm sure, but I have no idea what you're talking about. I need to like see it happen in order to get excited about it. Right. It's the same way with this Denver Broncos team. It's like over the course of the off season, you're cutting Russell Wilson and taking 85 million in dead cap. You're you're trading Jerry Judy for day three picks. You're cutting Justin Simmons as a captain of this team for eight years. Like what's the what is the vision here? And I think to, to coach's point about building something, like you can see behind me if you're watching the show. Like I'm rocking the Bow Nix jersey.

I've got the Nick Bonito jersey back there. I've got four kids. I would have had zero jerseys in their closet or my closet before the year. Now you got jersey guys on this team. Like you got two candidates for defensive player of the year. You've got a franchise QB. You've got guys that you can actually say. Five all pros?

Five all pro players. Like we can build around these guys. We've got something to. build upon like the vision is coming into fruition like the wood of the house is up and you can start to see the rooms like oh okay i get it this is where my bedroom's going to be this is going to be the office like now i can start to see what is happening like this is the vision of the builder and it's coming into picture it's coming into frame that's what i would say is so exciting about this current broncos team right now yeah and i know i think a lot of broncos fans that were maybe

skeptical of the sean peyton hire when it happened i mean i don't think you can be skeptical anymore. Like the guy knows how to win, right? And I understand that the last few years down there in New Orleans didn't go according to play and took his year off and now he's back. But one thing that I know, and I think Cody knows about this being up close and personal with him at, you know, covering the Broncos force at my high sports as well. This dude has a chip on his shoulder. You know, I mean, he wants to show that he's not washed. I don't think he is at all. But some people think he's, you know, not the Sean Payton that one in New Orleans. Oh, he only won Super Bowl. One Super Bowl. He's not that good of a coach, right? I've heard those takes being thrown out there.

Sean Payton, I don't want to say he's desperate to win because he's not, but he is going to do everything in his power to get this Denver Broncos franchise back on track. And to the point that you guys both made, Coach and Sarah, nobody thought they were going to be here, man. I mean, their win total before the year was five and a half. They doubled that up. They get to the playoffs, right? To Cody's point, they're a missed fuel or the blocked fuel away from beating Kansas City,

collapsed against the Chargers, bad loss against the Bengals. I mean, this could have been a 12, 13-win team. You know, if everything went according to plan. And that's with a rookie quarterback that, frankly, in the first quarter, almost half of the season, I wasn't really sure on. I was like, oh, like, I don't know, there were some pretty ugly moments, but you saw as this season went along, to Sarah's point, the foundation being built, the vision kind of coming together for this Denver Broncos team. So while Broncos country is probably sad and upset and frustrated in this very moment, smile because this team is coming, man. They are building something special out there at Dove Valley with Sean Payton and company. Again, we'll see what happens with defensive coordinator.

Advance ends up getting poached by another team for a head coaching job or maybe taking another job elsewhere, whatever it might be. But, you know, like what was the term that Steve Smith used when describing Jerry Judy, Judy, call him a jag, just a guy. And no disrespect to any of the other. I remember that. That was crazy. I was crazy. But it's just a lot of guys right now.

Like to Cody's point, like they don't have a lot of that top tier elite level talent. They'll be able to get that through the draft. No running game, no tight end game. I mean, there's so much room for improvement with this Denver Broncos team. Yeah, and look, they're going to have a handful of free agents, too. Javante Williams will be a free agent. I think the biggest in-house free agent option that Denver is going to have to take care of, I think is going to be DJ Jones.

He's been so important for them inside the A gap, just being able to clog there. And certainly linebacker, both linebackers right now that started in this game here for the Broncos today are going to be free agents and co-finding. Barton, Justin Sternard. And then you obviously got Alex Singleton coming off of a torn ACL. And that position right there looks very questionable. Justin Simmons will be a free agent. And part of me feels, and I'm calling it here early,

part of me feels that he will come back to Denver on a one or two-year deal. It won't be for as much money as obviously Denver previously had him for. But I think he still lives in Denver. He loves it. He's going to plan on retiring here one day. I think they bring him back on the back end of the secondary there at safety. But yeah, Denver, they're not there. yet. And that's okay. But, you know, there are going to be a lot of people, and as Sarah said it

earlier, there are a lot of people dancing on the Broncos grave. We've already seen some comments here saying, well, this is why people wanted the Bengals. And well, guess what? It doesn't matter what you want. It matters that the Bengals didn't win enough games to get into the dance. So miss me. Don't lose to the Patriots week one. Fine as simple. That's all you had to do. You had to beat the New England Patriots who fired their coach in one year, one and done. And you're complaining that you didn't make it into the dance. Yeah, you know what? You should have won more games in September, October, November. talented team absolutely you know we can acknowledge that about that but denver once they load up

once they get some more weapons around bow nicks and they identify and if like and this is a big thing can sean peyton get out of his way in a sense because i feel like at times he has been in his way and things sometimes it gets a little too eager on some things but when he reflects on this season what is he going to learn about himself what he can do better and how is he going to carry that for it it's hard as a coach because i mean the game when you get caught up in the game and you've been doing this for so long, it's hard to say like, all right, I've got to be better at this. I'm going to change this because we are creatures of habit, like coaching. We follow a routine.

We stick to a schedule. And that right there for Sean, how is he going to reflect on himself, say, hey, how can I be better? How can I put this team in a position to succeed? The fact that he's done it with this team and this roster, considering what we saw from Nathaniel Hackett and this team, the widespread changes that Peyton has made, that's where I have confidence that the Broncos are going to get on track here. and they're going to be a team that is going to be a tough out inside the AFC for the next three or four years if they do it the right way. Yeah, no, I completely agree. And obviously, you know, it's kind of back to the drawing board here.

NFL draft will be here before we know it. So we'll see. But unfortunately, once again, here, folks, a 31 to 7 loss for the Denver Broncos as their season comes to a close. But still, as well kind of said here, plenty to be optimistic about moving forward. But kind of in conclusion for today's show, at least in regards to this game against the Buffalo Bills. time of possession critical. Again, 41, 43 for the Buffalo Bills compared to just 18, 17 for the Broncos. James Cook ran wild.

Josh Allen's probably going to win MVP. So look, Denver was also an eight and a half nine point underdog in this game, right? Like Denver was not supposed to win this game, not trying to make any excuses. And obviously Buffalo covers the spread in that sense. But I think a lot to take away, a lot to build upon for the Denver Broncos now as we move forward into the offseason. But before we get out of here, let's have some fun. So now that we can kind of take our blinders off here a little bit, what do you all think? Buffalo Bills, you think they got what it takes to go to the Super Bowl?

I mean, give me some thoughts on the rest of the NFL playoffs. I think it's tough. I think absolutely they can. So much depends on what they do against Baltimore. I think Baltimore offensively and looking at what they did against Pittsburgh and looking to have like just the hesitation that Lamar Jackson created and the linebackers for Pittsburgh and the D line, like especially on Derek Henry's big. touchdown run he had. That's what makes the

Ravens, I think, the most dangerous team right now. And certainly, I think that's going to be a fun matchup. When they played head to head earlier, Baltimore blew out the bills. I mean, they manhandled them. They took care of business. And this is the, this is a thing for Lamaris. Can you finally get over that hump here and advance even further? And obviously, the Kansas City Chiefs are going to take on the Houston Texas. I think, I'm curious to see how the, how the Chiefs look coming off of, you know, this layoff that

they've had and considering that what we saw from Texans against the charters looked like the team we saw last year, not the team from the Texans that we saw a large portion of this year. They turned it on. So I think the AFC playoff is going to be fun. I think that I think the Super Bowl winner is going to be in the AFC this year. That's how I feel. What y'all think. Well, for me personally, I'm all in on Baltimore. Like, you know, until they get beat, somebody's got to change in my mind. I'm all in on Baltimore. Lamar Jackson, Derek Henry. What they've done, the second half of the season, has been incredible. And it's not just so much the offense. It's the defense. The defense is back to playing

Baltimore-Raven defense that they're solid, they're tough, and they're going to be a hard outfit for anybody. So I think it's going to be a rematch of an AFC championship game from last year, Kansas City and Baltimore, obviously different locations being Kansas City. I think that that's my favorite to win the AFC is Baltimore. And I'm going with the Eagles. on the NFC. I think the way they run the football with Seekwon. I love Sequin. I was in New York with him for a few years. So I'm a little bit biased in this pick. You know, I want to see Seacquan do great, but I'm all in on the Eagles. I love the way they play and what they're doing. And, and again, they're playing really good solid defense. Vic Fangio coming up from Miami last year

has really revamped this whole franchise. So that's my idea, my Super Bowl pick is the Eagles. and the Baltimore Ravens. I love it. I just got handed a crazy stat from the Powers that B. It's five. The Ravens somehow lost five games this year. I have no idea how it happened. It's the craziest stat of the entire NFL season, how that happened.

How did they win five or lose five games, excuse me, this whole year? I don't know how it happened that five times they were outscored by other teams. Every time I watch the Ravens, I completely agree with you guys. even in their losses, I'm like, wait, how did that just happen? It's like you've got to get lucky to get the ball last against this team. And at the risk of completely overlooking the Buffalo Bills on their home field in the divisional round, where they haven't lost this year. They only have lost one game over the last two years of Buffalo Bills have.

And it was the Broncos last year. I don't know how anyone's going to stop the Ravens. I felt the same way last year. So I guess we'll see what happens. But I kind of just want to put it out in the universe that the Chiefs are going to run the table and easily beat everybody so that, you know, hopefully it doesn't happen. Hopefully the opposite happens, right? But yeah, I feel like I'm with you guys.

Like the Ravens, I don't know if it's, I don't think it's a flavor of the week, but I mean, it just, it just feels like they're the most complete team in the NFL. And I just think it's wild. It's wild to me that they've lost five games. So not to give nobody in the NFC a shot. I think the Eagles could do it this year. I think absolutely. I'm with, uh, with coach on this one.

at the Super Bowl matchup is a couple of bird teams, the Eagles and the Ravens. And I think Lamar Jackson is kind of absolutely just wipe the floor with everybody in this playoffs. I think he's the most motivated I've ever seen. Again, can't believe they've lost five games this season. Well, remember, they started off going to. Yeah, they had a chance to beat Kansas City opening week Thursday night. You know, they beat them if, you know, likely if his shoe size is.

This is much smaller, you know. So I'm with you. I think it's going to be fun. I think it's going to be exciting. But Baltimore looks like the most complete team, you know, offense, defense special teams right now. They're playing on a different level. So, you know, just watch out from New Orleans.

Philly, Baltimore, New Orleans, like all birds. I can't believe I'm going to be the only one that even mentions the Detroit Lions. The current betting favorite. to be the NFL Super Bowl champion. I think really. That's the thing. I have no dog in this phone. I don't.

And I would just love to see Detroit at least get there. I mean, how cool would it be, though, if we got a Detroit Buffalo, two teams that have never won, you know, and you know that someone's going home a champion for the first time. But I agree with y'all, man. Baltimore's going to be a tough out. Buffalo's a tough out. Eagles a tough out. Even though I'm not exactly an eagle supporter myself.

But that's a conversation for another day. No, man. But we'll see. It's all heat up here right now as NFL postseason is well. underway. And unfortunately, the season coming to an end here for the Denver Broncos is they fall to the Buffalo Bills 31 to 7, your final score here today on Wild Car Weekend. But guys, this was awesome. This was super fun. Looking forward to doing it again. Coach, wish you nothing but the best on your endeavors. I know you're doing some other shows with the Lockdown Network. So best of luck to you over

there. And I know Cody and Sarah, y'all got Broncos country and good hands with your-all-off season long. Every day. Exactly. And for me, I got Nuggets. They played today. I don't think I'll be able to double-dip, unfortunately, but I've got Lockdown Nuggets postcast all year long. So come on over to your Lockdown Sports Denver YouTube channel. Got Rockies, got buffs, and got Broncos as well. So it's been a fun year of Broncos talk. And like I said, Cody and Sarah will have you covered all throughout the offseason and coaches doing this thing as well with Locked on Sports.

But I think it's going to do it for us, fellas. So any closing thoughts from any of y'all before we get out of here? No, just the promising off season ahead. And look, every single day all year long, for the true fan, there's never an off season. We're going to have an episode of Lockdown Broncos for you ever. every single day. Plus some exciting stuff as well.

Free agency, the Combine, NFL draft, OTAs, you name it. We're going to have you cover all the way here. Can the Broncos rebound and use this as motivation? It's going to be the storyline and the theme of the offseason. Love it, man. Absolutely love it.

Well, tough loss today for the Broncos, but a bright future ahead for sure. For Sarah, for Cody, for Coach Blevins, I'm anilo Piero. Thank you guys so much for tuning in to your locked-on Broncos squad show. And we'll do it again soon and enjoy your off season. And go Broncos go.