Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - It was another dominating victory for the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, as they kicked off their latest playoff run this past weekend with a 31-7 win over the Denver Broncos in the AFC Wild Card Round at Highmark Stadium.
After finishing the regular season as the No. 2 seed in the AFC standings for the fourth time in the last five seasons, it slotted the Bills in a matchup with the Broncos, who were making their first playoff appearance since they won Super Bowl 50 in 2015.
Despite Denver delivering the opening blow with a 43-yard touchdown pass from rookie quarterback Bo Nix to fellow rookie Troy Franklin, it ended up being the only time the Broncos were able to put points on the board all afternoon.
Even though Buffalo got off to another slow start and only led the game 10-7 going into halftime, the Bills turned on the jets in the second half, with Josh Allen, once again, leading the way in the "everybody eats" offense. The Bills ended up producing 21 points in the final 30 minutes in order to punch their ticket to the AFC Divisional Round.
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As the road to New Orleans continues, the challenge for the Bills only increases from here, as Buffalo will get ready to next host the reigning NFL MVP in Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.
Over the last few seasons, the AFC Divisional Round has been a sore spot for the Bills. In their last three trips to the NFL's second round of the playoffs, the Bills have come away winless in games over the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021 and 2023, and the Cincinnati Bengals in 2022.
The last time the Bills were able to earn a win in the Divisional Round and make the trip to an AFC Championship Game came in 2020 when Buffalo beat this same Ravens squad in Orchard Park. This time, though, the contest will take place in front of a full 72,000-plus fans at Highmark Stadium rather than 7,000 fans during the COVID year.
This game Sunday evening will also be a rematch of a Week 4 matchup between the two teams in September at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. That night was not a great one for the Bills, as another slow start got Buffalo too far behind at halftime, and it resulted in a 35-10 loss.
The difference from that game in Week 4 to now is the Bills should be much healthier on the defensive side of the football. Buffalo was without three key players in linebackers Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard, as well as nickel cornerback Taron Johnson, and all should be ready to play in the Divisional Round.
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After Buffalo's domination of the Broncos, Howard Simon was back on the mic Tuesday, and beaming with more confidence in the Bills than the week prior.
In his latest edition of "Howard Picks the Bills", Howard has the battle of the two front-runners for NFL MVP in 2024 going in favor of Allen, thus putting the Bills back in the AFC Championship Game.
And just like in 2020, the win will set up a trip to Kansas City for the Bills to face the Chiefs for the right to go to New Orleans for the Super Bowl. Despite the Chiefs having the Bills' number in recent years in the playoffs, Howard foresees Buffalo exercising some demons by knocking off Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium, and securing their spot in Super Bowl LIX at the Caesars Superdome.
In the Big Game, it will feature, yet, another rematch on the 2024 regular season schedule, as Buffalo will match up with the NFC champion Detroit Lions, who will make their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.
But like the regular season in Detroit, Howard has the Bills beating the Lions in a high-scoring affair in order for Buffalo to lift its first Vince Lombardi Trophy in franchise history!
Be sure to follow along on X, formerly known as Twitter, for the latest picks from Howard by using the hashtag #HowardPicksTheBills. You can also track all of Howard's picks throughout the season with Brayton Wilson's picks tracker on X: @BraytonJWilson.
You can listen to, as well as watch the latest edition of "Howard Picks the Bills" below: