Zoom in: Denver (10-7) has its own rising star in Nix, whose emergence as a passing threat and leader has Broncos fans dreaming about lifting the Lombardi Trophy for a fourth time.

Denver is 17-22-1 in 40 regular-season games, and 0-1 in the postseason dating back to 1960; the Broncos won 24-22 in the last meeting, on Nov. 13, 2023, in Buffalo, and have lost three of the last four games against Buffalo.

Bo Nix has rewarded Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton’s faith in him with his play.Long before that, though, the rookie had to earn the starting quarterback job. That required earning the respect of his teammates,