DOWN X DOWN › week 16 › Bills at Broncos
Updated Nov 2, 5:48 PM ET
2026

Week 16 · Friday 4:30 PM ET · Empower Field at Mile High

BUFvsDEN

Bills offensevsBroncos defense

Season numbers through Week 8: 7 games for Bills, 8 for Broncos. Ranks are out of 32; #1 is the best offense or the stingiest defense.

Keys to the game · where this matchup tilts, from the season numbers4 reads
01
Biggest edge

Backs catch passes

Broncos give up 48 yards a game to running backs (31st), against a league average of 32. Bills' running backs produce 46 (7th).

02
Opportunity

Short middle is open

Broncos are worst against short middle throws, allowing +0.27 EPA per attempt. Bills send 16% of their throws there.

03
Watch out

Wideouts get blanketed

Broncos give up 131 yards a game to wide receivers (9th), against a league average of 147. Bills' wide receivers produce 145 (17th).

04
Wash

Success rate

Call this one even. Bills succeed on 49% of plays (4th) against a defense that allows 40% (6th).

Players to watch

The series · Bills and Broncos since 1999, and this season's records12 meetings

The series is even at 6–6 since 1999 (they first met in 2002). Jan 17, 2026, at Empower Field at Mile High: the Broncos won 33–30 in overtime. Bo Nix started at quarterback for the Broncos and Josh Allen for the Bills; Sean Payton and Sean McDermott coached.

Bills at home4–3the Bills' record
In Denver2–3the Bills' record
Most pointsBills 48 · Broncos 332020 · 2025
Biggest winBills by 29 · Broncos by 112020 · 2005
Playoffs1–1the Bills' record

The last 5

2025 · Wk 20 · OT · playoffsBUF 30 at DEN 33
2024 · Wk 19 · playoffsDEN 7 at BUF 31
2023 · Wk 10DEN 24 at BUF 22
2020 · Wk 15BUF 48 at DEN 19
2019 · Wk 12DEN 3 at BUF 20

2026 records

BillsBroncos
Overall6–16–2
Division0–12–1
Conference4–13–1
Other conference2–03–1
Home3–14–0
Away3–02–2
Last 5WLWWWLWWWW
StreakWon 3Won 4
Points a game33.3 – 25.921.5 – 20.6

Every meeting since 1999, regular season and playoffs, from nflverse's game list, which starts in 1999; the all-time series goes back further. Franchises that moved count as one team (the Raiders, Chargers and Rams). Home and away are from the Bills' side. Records are this regular season.

The lineups · Bills offense against the Broncos defenseDepth charts
Broncos defense · 3-4 DBills offense · 3WR 1TE73Dawkins70Anderson66McGovern64Torrence79Brown86Kincaid17Allen4Cook2Moore0Coleman10Shakir96Uwazurike93Jones99Allen0Cooper15Bonitto40Strnad49Singleton21Moss2Surtain29McMillian9Hufanga22Jones

Bills offense · 3WR 1TE

  • QBJosh Allen#17 · 135/205 · 1793 yds · 11 TD · 5 INT
  • RBJames Cook III#4 · 138 car · 707 yds · 7 TD · 12 rec
  • WRDJ Moore#2 · 16 rec · 260 yds · 2 TD · 27 tgt
  • WRKhalil Shakir#10 · 27 rec · 354 yds · 1 TD · 38 tgt
  • WRKeon Coleman#0 · 20 rec · 287 yds · 3 TD · 27 tgt
  • TEDalton Kincaid#86 · 27 rec · 401 yds · 2 TD · 35 tgt
  • LTDion Dawkins#73
  • LGAlec Anderson#70
  • CConnor McGovern#66
  • RGO'Cyrus Torrence#64
  • RTSpencer Brown#79

Broncos defense · Base 3-4 D

  • RDEEyioma Uwazurike#96 · 15 tackles · 1 sack
  • NTD.J. Jones#93 · 16 tackles · 1 sack · 1 PD
  • LDEZach Allen#99 · 25 tackles · 4.5 sacks · 3 PD
  • WLBJonathon Cooper#0 · 4 tackles
  • SLBNik Bonitto#15 · 17 tackles · 3.5 sacks
  • RILBJustin Strnad#40 · 38 tackles · 0.5 sacks · 2 PD
  • LILBAlex Singleton#49 · 98 tackles · 2 sacks · 2 PD
  • RCBRiley Moss#21 · 24 tackles · 1 INT · 7 PD
  • LCBPat Surtain II#2 · 29 tackles · 2 PD
  • NBJa'Quan McMillian#29 · 25 tackles · 2 sacks · 1 INT · 7 PD
  • SSTalanoa Hufanga#9 · 22 tackles · 1 sack · 2 INT · 3 PD
  • FSBrandon Jones#22 · 54 tackles · 2 INT · 5 PD

Starters from each team's current depth chart (nflverse, from ESPN), drawn in the offense's base three-receiver set against the defense's base front. The nickel back, the extra defensive back most teams use against three receivers, is drawn lighter. Left and right are as the offense sees the field. The toggle at the top flips which offense is drawn.

Head to head · BUF offense against DEN defense
StatBUF BUF offFavors BUF · Favors DENDEN DEN def allowsNFL avg
Overall
EPA per play
+0.18#1
-0.03#12+0.00
Success rate
49%#4
40%#644%
Yards per play
6.5#2
5.2#105.4
Explosive play rate
15%#1
9%#159%
Passing
Pass EPA per dropback
+0.23#4
-0.06#6+0.03
Sack rate
6%#13
7%#147%
Running
Run EPA per carry
+0.02#6
-0.02#26-0.08
Yards per carry
4.5#7
4.4#224.1
Money downs
3rd down conversion
47%#6
43%#2241%
Red zone TD rate
72%#3
48%#861%
Targets by position
WR yards per game
145#17
131#9147
TE yards per game
64#9
68#2655
TE targets per game
7.1#19
8.8#277.6
RB receiving yards per game
46#7
48#3132
Where the ball goes · EPA per throwDeep is 15+ air yds

Bills: EPA per throw

Left
Middle
Right
Deep
-0.138% of throws
+1.408% of throws
+1.215% of throws
Short
+0.4627% of throws
-0.1216% of throws
+0.2236% of throws

Broncos: EPA allowed per throw

Left
Middle
Right
Deep
-0.2620 throws
-0.1210 throws
-0.0118 throws
Short
+0.0780 throws
+0.2752 throws
+0.10119 throws

Green gains more than expected, red loses value. Cells with fewer than 5 throws are grayed out.