The Buffalo Bills won the opening coin toss and chose to defer possession to the second half to bring Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos offense out to the start the game.
On the opening kickoff, both the Bills
defender and Marvin Mims Jr. collided in a helmet-to-helmet hit that seemed to knock both players into the concussion protocol. Mims went to the medical tent and that could spell an end to his game if the concussion is verified. No flag on the play despite the helmet-to-helmet hit.
Nix began in an empty set and found Pat Bryant open for a quick 14-yard gain on first down. Jaleel McLaughlin then turned nothing into something for a six yard gain. He should have been tackled for a loss on that play too. Nix then threw a wobbler off his back foot that Bryant somehow came up with at the Bills 41-yard line.
Bryant got hurt on the next play — a five yard gain — and went into the medical tent for a concussion check just as news came back that Mims was being evaluated for a concussion from the opening kick off. Nix found Lil’Jordan Humphrey on a quick pass outside for a short gain to bring up a third and a long one yard. Nix would keep the ball on third down on a design keeper for a first down run into field goal range.
A dump off to RJ Harvey picked up six yards on the next play as news came back that Mims was cleared in the concussion protocol. Nix would take a second down keeper for a near first down run to bring up a third and half a yard. Nix would sneak it on third and short from the Bills 18 yard line and was stopped right at the line to bring up a virtual measurement. He was ruled just short of the line to gain by two inches.
On fourth and inches, the Broncos would elect to go for it. They would sneak it again with Nix getting the first down at the Bills 13-yard line.
McLaughlin would fumble the ball on the next play and the Bills would recover at the four yard line. However, an offsides called on the Bills negated the huge break to keep Denver in scoring position.
A botched quarterback designed keeper resulted in a short loss on 1st and five inside the 10 yard line. Humphrey then dropped a wide open pass for a would-be touchdown to bring up third and six. On third down, Nix overthrew Evan Engram to bring the drive to an end with a Wil Lutz field goal.
Broncos 3, Bills 0.
Josh Allen and the Bills would begin their first drive from their own 33-yard line where a handoff to James Cook would immediately rip off a 24-yard gain through a giant hole in the middle of the defense.
The crowd forced a timeout with the noise after that big play. On another handoff to James Cook for 10 yards resulted in an injury to Pat Surtain II, so a disastrous start for the Broncos defense.
A quick pass over the middle for another first down and in just three plays the Bills were in the red zone on their first drive. A few plays later on third down at the seven yard line, Pat Surtain came back into the game to try to keep the Bills out of the end zone. Josh Allen would rush down to a third and short. He would sneak it for the first down inside the two yard line.
James Cook would be dropped for a two yard loss there, but a wide open touchdown pass on second down put the Bills up at the first quarter came to an end.
Bills 7, Broncos 3.
