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At one point, the Buffalo Bills almost seemed like a team of destiny.
With no Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson or Joe Burrow in the playoffs, quarterback and reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen appeared to have the best road possible to finally making it to the Super Bowl.
But after controversial officiating in overtime, the Bills’ season again ended in heartbreak with a 33-30 loss to Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos.
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Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills walks off the field after being defeated by the Denver Broncos in overtime of the AFC divisional playoff game at Empower Field at Mile High on Jan. 17, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
This marks the sixth consecutive season the Bills were ousted prior to making the big game, and Josh Allen, who committed four turnovers, wore the loss, and his emotions, on his sleeve.
“It’s extremely difficult. Feel like I let my teammates down today,” Allen said at his postgame conference, wiping away tears while still in his jersey.
Offensive lineman Dion Dawkins has been blocking for Allen since the quarterback got drafted in 2018. Already emotional, he couldn’t bear to hear that Allen took the blame.
Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills walks off the field after the NFL football divisional playoff game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field At Mile High on Jan. 17, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Logan Bowles/Getty Images)
When he was told that Allen felt he let his teammates down, Dawkins tearfully turned back toward his locker, ending his media session. But he whispered under his breath, “He didn’t let us down.”
Brandin Cooks, who was part of the controversial interception, also got teary-eyed upon hearing Allen’s reflection on the game.
“Nah, nah. He’s been carrying us all year,” Cooks said. “The way I think about it is somebody [has to] step up to alleviate that from him. When you’re great and you feel like you have to do so much, you have the opportunity to be able to force some of those things. That’s what I think about Josh. He’s the greatest quarterback in this league. Everybody else around him gotta come up to make plays so he doesn’t always have to be the one to feel like ‘Man, I gotta win this game.’
“We all feel that way, you know? You work so hard. Personally, just so thankful to be able to be a part of this. I look back like, what could I have done to be able to alleviate some of that pressure from him?”
Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills congratulates Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos after overtime in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Empower Field At Mile High on Jan. 17, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
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The Broncos will face the winner of the New England Patriots and Houston Texans for a trip to the Super Bowl in Santa Clara.
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