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Jeff Legwold, ESPN Senior Writer
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — As the crowd sang along to “Shout” each time the Buffalo Bills scored Sunday, the Denver Broncos were left with a clear and painful football message ringing in their collective ears about a season in which an eight-year playoff drought came to an end.
The Bills’ 31-7 win in Sunday’s AFC wild-card game in Highmark Stadium was the last, and perhaps most resounding, statement that while the Broncos were indeed back in the postseason, the gap between them and the AFC’s elite is still fairly wide.
“We weren’t good enough. … We didn’t coach well enough,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said. “… We didn’t execute well enough and it’s frustrating. … You’re constantly evaluating where you’re at, where you need to go. My mind’s always thinking about what we still need, what’s missing.”
The Broncos were outgained 471-224 Sunday. The Bills rushed for 210 yards — the most given up by the Broncos defense this season — and Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen, one of the leading candidates for the league’s MVP award, was ruthlessly efficient and largely unhindered with 318 total yards.
Allen finished 20-of-26 passing for 272 yards to go with two touchdowns. He also had 46 yards rushing.
The Bills kept the ball for 41 minutes, 43 seconds in the game, and the Broncos had just 58 net yards on offense in the second half.
Denver also had just 53 combined scrimmage yards from running backs and tight ends Sunday — the fewest in a playoff game since the 2007 Seahawks (45, vs. Packers), according to ESPN Research.
“Now we know, it’s not a good feeling,” Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II said. “… All the guys … we know what we need to do better so next time around we won’t have this feeling again.”
It was all a rather stark reminder that the Broncos could get back to the playoffs with wins over the less fortunate. However, they had only one win this season against a team that finished with a winning record (and played its regular starters).
To advance, to avoid days like Sunday, they will have to be better against better teams.
In addition to Allen, the Broncos faced — and lost — to the who’s-who of AFC quarterbacks this season in Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert (twice). The fact Mahomes and Herbert reside in the AFC West as well only exacerbates the Broncos’ issues.
“Our trajectory is going up,” Broncos quarterback Bo Nix said. “… We definitely have to score more than seven points in these tough games. We went to Baltimore and only scored 10, we scored seven here today, we kind of didn’t finish against Kansas City. … We have to find ways to score, keep momentum our side. … And we have to go get key road victories.”
Added Surtain: “We’re not that far off. … We’ve got to do it consistently,” Surtain said. “… Even when we have our lows, knowing how to win through adversity, not have it affect our play … understanding how to finish.”
The Broncos on Sunday had survived the Bills’ early intent to punish Denver’s run defense. The Broncos, with a 43-yard touchdown from Nix to fellow rookie Troy Franklin to finish their first possession of the game, briefly led 7-0 and 7-3.
Despite allowing 100 rushing yards in the first quarter, Denver still trailed just 10-7 at halftime. But when Allen hit a sliding Ty Johnson in the back of the endzone for a 24-yard score on fourth-and-1 with 3:06 left in the third quarter, it all seemed to unravel for the Broncos.
The Bills led 13-7 at the time, but Allen kept the play alive by eluding one Broncos defender after then another before firing the line drive to Johnson near the endline. The play was reviewed to see if Johnson had stayed in bounds.
“I saw what you saw,” Payton said. “[The review] went to New York.”
Added Surtain: “When they reviewed it, I thought it was out, but great throw, great catch. Not much can be said about that.”
From that moment on, the Bills went about the business of closing the deal as they went touchdown and field goal on their next two possessions.
“Always a bitter pill to swallow, but (the pill) will go down,” Payton said. “But it’s got to fuel you, light a fire, in the direction we need to go. One of the things we learned early on is we’ve got to find a way to play these (playoff) games at home. That’s another thing that’s at work. … We have to have a good offseason.”
Defensive end Zach Allen thinks the loss will fuel the Broncos’ players.
“I think it’s pretty easy,” Allen said. “Obviously we didn’t get the job done. It stings right now. It sucks, but you’ve got to get back on the horse. … That’s playoff ball. Any little mistake can make or break the game.”