DENVER — For a moment, Bills wide receiver Brandin Cooks had the outcome of the AFC Divisional matchup between Buffalo and the Broncos in his hands.
Cooks appeared to hold every advantage in his coverage against Broncos cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian on a Josh Allen deep ball: a step on McMillian early in the route, no defensive help in coverage and the ball in his grasp. A successful catch would have advanced the Bills to about the Broncos' 20-yard line and allowed Bills kicker Matt Prater to attempt a comfortable field goal in a sudden-death situation. When the two tumbled to the ground in a tangle, the raucous home crowd at Empower Field at Mile High fell into a hush, unsure of whether Cooks completed the catch or McMillian saved the game for the Broncos.
McMillian bounced off the grass, holding the ball above his hands and the referees signaled that, yes, McMillian had succeeded in tearing the football — and momentum in the playoff matchup — away as Cooks was in the process of completing the catch. The home crowd's initial confusion erupted into thunderous euphoria in the stands as McMillian's interception became official.
"You'll go five, 10 years before you see a turnover like that one, and that ended up being a game-changer," Head Coach Sean Payton said. "That was a tremendous play."
The Broncos' offense capitalized on McMillian's interception as quarterback Bo Nix led a six-play, 75-yard game-winning drive culminating in a Wil Lutz 35-yard field goal to secure a 33-30 overtime win and the Broncos' spot in the AFC Championship Game.
But the pick was just one of a staggering five takeaways by the Denver defense. The Broncos intercepted the reigning MVP in Allen twice, outside linebacker Nik Bonitto forced two Allen fumbles and inside linebacker Alex Singleton punched the ball free from Bills running back and 2025 rushing champion James Cook, lifting the Broncos to a plus-four turnover margin. The Broncos also denied Allen from completing any of his nine passes of more than 20 air yards, per NFL's Next Gen Stats, including interceptions on two of those attempts.
"That's what we needed in those crucial moments in the game," cornerback Pat Surtain II said. "We stepped up when called, and that's big-time. Shoutout to Nik, P.J., 'Mac' on that incredible interception, all those guys for making plays when we need it."
For most of the Broncos' regular-season slate, low takeaway numbers emerged as the unit's lone uncharacteristic trend. Prior to Denver's regular-season finale against the Chargers, the Broncos did not record more than two turnovers in any of their games, prompting Payton to make taking the ball away a point of emphasis.
Denver's defense heeded the call against the Chargers, tying a season-best with two takeaways, but the Broncos took the focus to another level against the high-powered Bills offense and turned the game on the "avalanche of turnovers" tight end Evan Engram hoped for in the aftermath of the Broncos' Week 18 win.
Inside linebacker Alex Singleton started the run, jarring the ball free from Cook's grasp in the second quarter with the Bills ahead 7-3 and deep in Denver territory. Safety Talanoa Hufanga pounced on the loose football, and quarterback Bo Nix capitalized by leading a touchdown drive on the Broncos' ensuing offensive possession.
"I was just doing my job, and that's what everyone on this defense did tonight," Singleton said. "It was just guys doing their job over and over again, and just making the plays when we've got to make the plays. For me, it's a clean tackle but it's [Hufanga] getting on the ball. It's guys just on this defense being relentless to the football no matter what the situation is and making plays when we need them."
Just before halftime, the Broncos seized a 17-10 lead on a Bo Nix touchdown pass to Lil'Jordan Humphrey with 22 seconds remaining. Outside linebacker Nik Bonitto wasn't content to go into halftime with the lead, though. Bonitto utilized his knowledge of Allen's tendencies of scrambling with one hand on the football and forced Allen to fumble, and a recovery by Devon Key allowed Lutz to kick a 50-yard field goal on the half's final play.
Fresh out of the halftime break, Bonitto struck again. The Pro Bowl pass rusher strip-sacked Allen deep in Buffalo territory — Bonitto's second forced fumble in a span of three Bills offensive plays — and defensive tackle Malcolm Roach recovered the free football. Four plays later, a Lutz field goal extended Denver's lead to 23-10 in the third quarter.
The Broncos converted their five takeaways into 16 points. Safety P.J. Locke's interception in the third quarter was the only Broncos takeaway that Denver's offense did not turn into a score.
"Takeaways are such a big part of a football game," Bonitto said. "The way we did it today and just how we were able to capitalize off of them offensively, and us just playing complementary football is a big reason why we won today."
In a back-and-forth final quarter of regulation, the Bills overcame their hosts' plus-three advantage in the turnover margin to force overtime, and Buffalo took the field on the second possession of overtime needing only a field goal to win and advance. After Allen rallied Buffalo to two first downs, the Broncos looked to their defense for a third-and-11 stop.
The Bills dialed up a max protection to enable Allen sufficient time to take a shot deep downfield, and Allen identified Cooks downfield in single coverage with a slight lead on McMillian. Careful to avoid pass interference but aggressive in making a game-changing play, McMillian tore the ball free from Cooks' grasp for the fifth and most pivotal takeaway of the game.
"They were trying to game me," McMillian said. "If he would have caught that, that's game. Kick the field goal, win the game. My motto is in the biggest moments, I'm ready for it. I want [those] guys to throw the ball to me. I'm going to try to make a play, and that's what I did."
An AFC Championship Game matchup against the winner of tomorrow's Patriots-Texans game is McMillian's and the Broncos' prize for their clutch play. With seven takeaways in a two-game span, the Broncos defense believes that a former weak link has become a strength.
"We knew at some point it was going to turn for us," Locke said of earning turnovers. "Getting takeaways is being opportunistic. We're finally getting in that position and it's starting to turn our way. … Now, they're starting to bounce our way. Perfect timing, I'll say that."
