The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen highlighted a pivotal on-field matchup: Bills tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox against the Broncos’ linebackers. Last season in the playoffs, Buffalo gassed the Broncos for 210 rushing yards and repeatedly targeted Broncos linebackers with running backs and tight ends (7 catches for 101 yards). Kincaid has missed some games but is trending up and figures to be central to Buffalo’s plan. Denver has given up the ninth-most yards to tight ends and the eighth-highest TE yards per reception (10.7), and while the Broncos play a lot of man coverage, their linebackers aren’t elite in man coverage; Greenlaw should help, though he’s a better zone defender. 🧠💥
Payton’s answer about attacking downhill also went viral. When asked by The Denver Post’s Luca Evans about Greenlaw’s downhill attack, Payton fired a blunt, humorous line: “You want him to attack downhill? Like, what do you know about attacking downhill in the run game? You don’t know.” Evans later joked that Payton essentially told him he shouldn’t play middle linebacker. 😄🎤
The game context adds drama: the Broncos went 14-3 in the regular season to secure the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage, including a bye. Buffalo travels as the No. 6 seed after a 27-24 Wild Card win over the Jaguars. The Bills-Broncos showdown is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on Saturday and will be on CBS. 📺🏟️
Bottom line, Greenlaw’s return matters, especially against a TE-forward Bills attack. Denver hopes his presence—and the ongoing matchup with Kincaid and Knox—helps them win their first home playoff game since 2015. It’ll be a test of how well the Broncos’ linebackers can handle zone concepts and TE-centered schemes in a high-stakes playoff environment. 🛡️🎯
