ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The venue isn’t the only thing that will be different when the Denver Broncos host the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the playoffs Saturday.
The vibe in Denver isn’t the same as it was a year ago, either.
“We were just kind of excited to get in,” edge rusher Nik Bonitto said of the Broncos ending a long playoff drought last year and joining the postseason party as the AFC’s seventh seed. “We wanted to make some noise when we got in, but we didn’t do that.”
As they were getting drubbed 31-7 by the Bills at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., a year ago, Broncos coach Sean Payton resolved to earn the right to host playoff games at Empower Field at Mile High in the future.
After getting bowled over by Josh Allen and James Cook — the Bills rushed for 210 yards that day — the Broncos bolstered their run defense in free agency by luring safety Talanoa Hufanga and linebacker Dre Greenlaw from the San Francisco 49ers.
“We’re just not the same team that we were a year ago,” edge rusher Jonathon Cooper said. “And with the additions that we added with Dre and Huff, we’re definitely stepping up our game and our defense as a whole.”
Denver also drafted R.J. Harvey, who led all rookie running backs with a dozen touchdowns, and Devon Key had a breakout season on special teams, earning All-Pro honors alongside Hufanga, Pat Surtain II, Quinn Meinerz and Garett Bolles.
The Broncos (14-3) tied a franchise record for victories in a season, won 11 one-score games and recorded 11 comebacks in earning the AFC’s top seed and lone first-round bye this time.
The Bills (13-5) are banged up but coming off their first road playoff victory since 1992, a 27-24 masterpiece at Jacksonville on wild-card weekend. The Bills are hopeful that a playoff field missing Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow might just be the antidote for past playoff short-circuits.
Looking ahead to the rematch, Broncos right tackle Mike McGlinchey said: “We don’t feel as though we were in the position that we were in last year, right? We kind of got into the playoffs, we were excited to be there. And that’s kind of a different mindset than we’re in right now.”
This time, the Broncos have designs on an extended playoff run, beginning with a reversal of fortunes against the Bills.
Saturday will mark the Broncos’ first playoff game in Denver since they beat New England, 20-18, in the AFC championship Jan. 24, 2015, in the 17th and final matchup between Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.
“I expect it to be extremely loud,” Broncos quarterback Bo Nix said. “I expect it to be a great environment. Similar to what it’s been recently of the past several home games, but something tells me it’ll be kicked up a notch. … It’s going to be a fun time.”
Despite a spate of injuries, the Bills were installed as early favorites before that line shifted in Denver’s favor.
“It could motivate us,” Surtain said of Denver’s underdog status to start the week. “But we’ve been been underdogs (before). … We understand what it’s like, but none of that matters. We’ve got to go out there and play our brand of football and play our game.”
Another motivating factor is that 24-point loss at Buffalo in last year’s playoffs.
“Of course, I feel like revenge is definitely something people use to their advantage,” Cooper said. “I don’t know necessarily if that’s our mindset. I really feel like we’re just going to do what we do well.”
Chief among those is rushing the passer.
The Broncos set a franchise record with 68 sacks — and Allen was sacked a career-high 40 times this season.
Asked how long it took for him to get over last year’s playoff loss at Buffalo, Cooper said, “It’s still sitting with me.”
Hufanga said he’s using that loss at motivation even though he wasn’t here.
“I just wanted to play Buffalo just because it was a team they lost to the playoffs last year,” Hufanga said. “It’s always fun when you play a team that you lost to before because it definitely holds a chip on your shoulder. And I’m kind of holding that chip even though I wasn’t here.”
Eighth-year Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton said he’s excited for his first career home playoff game: “I’ve been saying since I got here that we needed to get a home playoff game back in the city. The way that the fans have been showing up, Broncos Country has been bumping.”
And Nix said he’s glad it’s Allen who will have to deal with the crowd noise this time around.
“Last year was a tough environment, tough road experience,” Nix said. “It’s obviously nice to be at home. It’s nice for that challenge to be on the other side. Being able to use verbal cadence, being able to talk, being able to communicate is going to better for us at home.”