Overreactions for NFL divisional spherical: Bo Nix damage buries Broncos; Josh Allen fumbles greatest shot

The NFL playoffs are all gasoline, no breaks. After a chaotic Wild Card Weekend, the divisional spherical has carried the baton and continued the insanity as we inch nearer to Tremendous Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California. 

Proper out of the gate, we had been handled to an instantaneous basic between the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Payments, which wanted time beyond regulation to find out a winner. Whereas Denver was capable of outlast Buffalo and ship Josh Allen packing, the victory got here at an incredible price as quarterback Bo Nix suffered a season-ending ankle damage throughout time beyond regulation. Within the later recreation on Saturday, the Seahawks protection flexed its defensive dominance, maintaining the 49ers out of the top zone in a 41-6 thumping. 

There’s by no means a boring second within the NFL, and the storylines are persevering with to pour out of those playoff showdowns. However what are we to make of all of them? Beneath, we’ll navigate the noise and decide which takeaways from Saturday’s matchups are actuality and that are mere overreactions. 

Broncos’ Tremendous Bowl hopes are achieved after Bo Nix’s damage

Overreaction or actuality: Actuality

After the excessive of seeing Will Lutz’s game-winning subject objective safe Denver’s place within the AFC Championship, the Broncos hit the bottom of lows within the moments after the time beyond regulation victory. Sean Payton introduced that Bo Nix suffered a damaged bone in his ankle that can require surgical procedure and finish his season. The Broncos say that Nix suffered the damage on the second-to-last play of time beyond regulation. 

Payton informed reporters postgame that Jarrett Stidham will get the beginning within the AFC Championship subsequent week, which shall be held in Denver at Mile Excessive. Whereas the Broncos could have home-field benefit and boast among the best defenses within the NFL, this damage successfully ends any goals of hoisting a Lombardi Trophy. 

Stidham has been with the Broncos since 2023, so he is accustomed to Payton’s offense, however being thrust right into a convention championship is just too tall a activity. The 29-year-old performed one snap this season, taking a knee in October. He hasn’t thrown a regular-season cross since 2023. Irrespective of if it is the Houston Texans or New England Patriots who advance to satisfy them within the AFC Championship, it is exhausting to think about a situation the place Stidham helps orchestrate a victory outdoors of the protection pitching a shutout. 

Josh Allen fumbles greatest probability at profitable Tremendous Bowl

Overreaction or actuality: Actuality

Josh Allen and the Buffalo Payments have squandered what is going to seemingly be their greatest alternative to make and win a Tremendous Bowl. It goes past simply dropping to the Denver Broncos within the divisional spherical. Buffalo entered the 2025 season as the most important favourite to win its division, however let go of the rope and noticed the Patriots leapfrog them. That compelled Allen and Co. to enter the postseason as a wild-card entry and go on the street, creating an much more tough path. 

After all, this was additionally a postseason that didn’t embody Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, or Lamar Jackson, three quarterbacks who’ve been main roadblocks to the Payments in years previous. It is exhausting to think about that trio not being within the playoffs over the following few years, including much more hurdles to what’s an more and more aggressive convention. 

It is truthful to marvel if the window has closed for Buffalo earlier than they may even break by. 

Josh Allen is solely answerable for the loss to Denver

Overreaction or actuality: Overreaction

Do not get us mistaken, Josh Allen is a primary wrongdoer as to why Buffalo’s season is over. The defending NFL MVP did not look the half within the loss to Denver, committing 4 turnovers (two fumbles and two interceptions). His back-to-back fumbles sandwiched in between halftime had been egregious, and he appeared to drive the ball down the sector on his two interceptions, together with the choose in time beyond regulation that helped arrange Denver’s game-winning drive. 

Nonetheless, the loss would not fall completely on Allen’s shoulders. There is a big-picture drawback in Buffalo, because the group didn’t encompass its franchise cornerstone with the expertise to recover from the sting. Allen’s two interceptions had been on passes to wideouts Brandin Cooks and Curtis Samuel. Cooks arrived as a free-agent signing in late November, whereas Samuel was activated off of IR simply earlier than this contest. That exhibits simply how skinny the Payments had been at receiver, and it is price stating that lack of firepower in a shootout loss like this. 

All through the season, it felt like Buffalo was leaning an excessive amount of on Allen to easily throw on the Superman cape and can them to victory, relatively than giving him the instruments (weapons) to place them in the very best place to succeed. It made him press on this recreation and burned a golden alternative at a championship. 

Sean McDermott is on the recent seat

Overreaction or actuality: Actuality

It is slightly late within the head coach hiring course of with John Harbaugh (Giants) and Kevin Stefanski (Falcons) already being employed, so Sean McDermott’s job might be protected for 2026. Nonetheless, the Payments head coach is probably going going to be sitting on one of many hottest seats within the NFL subsequent season, and if Buffalo would not meet expectations once more, adjustments might be on the horizon. 

McDermott has the second-most wins (98) by a head coach to by no means make a Tremendous Bowl look since 2000. He additionally has probably the most playoff wins (8) and not using a Tremendous Bowl look by a head coach all-time. 

Whereas that is definitely productive to continuously being within the hunt, it is not maximizing what Buffalo has in Josh Allen throughout his prime years, which may make the Payments brass contemplate a change. 

Seahawks do not want Sam Darnold to win

Overreaction or actuality: Overreaction

The main story coming into this divisional spherical matchup was the standing of Sam Darnold, who suffered an indirect damage through the week, which left him questionable. Darnold in the end suited up and began, however he dropped again to cross simply 17 occasions within the blowout win over San Francisco. Whereas Darnold was environment friendly with these alternatives (12 completions for 124 yards and a landing), Seattle did not ask him to do an excessive amount of. The protection did many of the heavy lifting, suffocating the Niners to the tune of simply six factors scored. In the meantime, Kenneth Walker III carried the load offensively with 19 carries for 116 yards and three touchdowns, whereas including three catches for 29 yards receiving. 

Frankly, the Seahawks did not want Darnold for this recreation to win. Nonetheless, that does not imply they will not want him within the NFC Championship or, probably, Tremendous Bowl LX. Pretty much as good as this protection has performed for Seattle, they will name on Darnold to make performs in some unspecified time in the future over these subsequent few weeks, so getting him to full well being shall be crucial. 

Accidents had been lastly an excessive amount of for the 49ers to beat

Overreaction or actuality: Actuality

The 49ers ran right into a buzzsaw within the Seahawks within the divisional spherical, however the blowout loss does spotlight how their mountain of accidents got here dwelling to roost. They merely could not sustain. With out George Kittle on offense, they could not discover any semblance of a rhythm offensively, and even noticed Christian McCaffrey get dinged up on this loss. Defensively, not having the likes of Fred Warner and Nick Bosa plagued all of them season, and Seattle had no drawback shifting the soccer, notably on the bottom. The Seahawks could have gained this recreation regardless, however had San Francisco been at or near full energy, I do not suppose we’re this large of a lopsided closing rating.