The beginning of the Broncos and Bills’ divisional round meeting was sloppy to put it lightly. Although the ball found its way to the ground plenty early on, a big swing came at the end of Denver’s long opening drive when receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey dropped a perfect ball from Bo Nix in the end zone.
Denver may have gotten away with a slight pick on the play, but Humphrey got past Bills defensive back Taron Johnson to find himself open for six, only for Nix’s pass to hit him in the chest and fall to the ground. CBS broadcasters Jim Nantz and Tony Romo were on the call for the game, and Nantz was ready with the perfect one-liner after the consequential drop.
“And Lil’Jordan with a big drop,” Nantz said on the national broadcast for a great call of the moment.
Lil’Jordan Humphrey drops an easy ball in the end zone 😬 pic.twitter.com/Ej0D6atqN3
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 17, 2026
The drop forced Denver to settle for a field goal on its opening drive, netting a four-point swing following the potential touchdown. Buffalo found the end zone on its opening drive, getting out in front 7-3 before running back James Cook fumbled on the Bills’ second drive which led to the Broncos capitalizing for a seven-yard score to offensive tackle Frank Crum, who reported as eligible for the play.
Saturday’s winner between the Broncos and Bills will take on the winner of Sunday’s game between the Patriots and Texans next week in the AFC championship with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.
Lil’Jordan Humphrey makes up for the early blunder with long TD
Luckily for Humphrey, the drop came early enough in the game where he had plenty of time to make up for it. He did just that and then some.
At the end of the first half in a 10-10 tie, Nix connected with Humphrey for a 29-yard score to put the Broncos up heading into halftime. Nothing quite like redemption.
BOX NIX AIRS IT OUT TO LIL’JORDAN HUMPHREY FOR THE TOUCHDOWN! pic.twitter.com/caffHdv55E
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 17, 2026
Humphrey had just one touchdown catch in the regular season, matching that total in the first half of the Broncos’ first playoff game.
To create an even bigger swing, Josh Allen had a tough mistake on a run toward the end of the half, fumbling the ball to set up the Broncos for a 50-yard field goal by Wil Lutz as time ran out in the second quarter. What a momentum shift for the Broncos after a sloppy start.
More NFL on Sports Illustrated
