Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The playoffs are finally here, as the Buffalo Bills get ready to compete in their sixth-straight postseason, starting on Sunday when they host to the Denver Broncos in the Wild Card Round at Highmark Stadium.
This Broncos team, as a whole, has had many bright spots throughout the year on both sides of the ball.
However, Denver's defense has been special with a potential Defensive Player of the Year candidate in cornerback Patrick Surtain II. Also on the defense is linebacker Nik Bonitto, who is third in the NFL in sacks.
The Broncos defense has combined for 63 total sacks, which led the entire league in the regular season.
"They're built the right way. They've got a great defensive line, and they have a No. 1 corner," said McDermott during his weekly appearance on the "Extra Point Show" on WGR. "Usually, when you have those two combined, you have a chance to have a great defense, and that's what they do. They have a really good defense. They get after the quarterback, they're able to stop the run, and then they're able to take away because of their No. 1 corner, your best receiver. That's a good combination."
One of the biggest storylines heading into this game, from a national perspective, is the Bills facing rookie quarterback Bo Nix in his first NFL playoff game. Not many rookie quarterbacks have won their first playoff game in their first year in the league, but Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud was able to accomplish that feat last season in a playoff win over the Cleveland Browns.
Despite being a rookie in the NFL, Bills head coach Sean McDermott knows Nix has plenty of experience playing some high level football, even dating back to his college days.
"He picked up six years of experience in college at a high level. It's a high level of competition right from the start of the playoffs and Wild Card Weekend here in Buffalo," McDermott said with Sal Capaccio. "I think it's a great example of what the league is, and how hard it is to win. And a Wild Card game like this, you're saying, 'Hey, this is a really good team.' A highly ranked defense, and they've got a great punt returner in [Marvin] Mims, Pro Bowl punt returner. And then the way their offense has been playing, it's going to be a heck of a challenge for us here."
With the amount of sustained success the Bills have had over the past few years, a trip to the playoffs is almost a given, at this point. That, paired with most of the same players returning to the Bills every year, allows the team to develop a level of consistency when preparing for these games.
"I believe you evolve over the years. You're always trying to figure out how you can put your team in the best position to perform at their best, and then you learn every year," McDermott said. "I think when you do that, it really sometimes comes down to consistency and trying to get the players in a spot where they're calm and can execute at a high level."
Kickoff on Sunday is slated for 1 p.m. EST, and you can hear all of the play-by-play action on the official voice of the Bills - WGR Sports Radio 550 - with Chris Brown, Eric Wood and Sal on the call.