DENVER (AP) — The Denver Broncos wrangled their biggest win in a decade from Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills but suffered an enormous loss in the process.

About an hour after second-year quarterback Bo Nix led the Broncos to a 33-30 win on Wil Lutz's 23-yard field goal in overtime Saturday, Denver coach Sean Payton returned to the postgame lectern to deliver the stunning news.

He said Nix broke his right ankle a few plays before Lutz's kick sent the top-seeded Broncos (15-3) to the AFC championship game against either New England or Houston.

Nix will have season-ending surgery Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama.

“We celebrate the season for him," Payton said. “And listen, the city's ready and we'll be ready for the next challenge.”

Backup QB Jarrett Stidham takes over for Nix. He took just one snap this season, a kneel-down in a blowout win over Dallas in Week 8.

“Stiddy’s ready,” Payton declared. “He's ready. I said this at the beginning of the season I've got a 2 that's capable of starting for a number of teams. And I know he feels the same way. So, watch out."

Stidham has appeared in 20 games in six NFL seasons, starting four and winning one.

Nix got hurt on a keeper where he lost 2 yards and was tackled by safety Cole Bishop. Nix was limping after the play, but there was no indication that he suffered such a serious injury.

On the next play, Nix threw a deep pass to Marvin Mims Jr. that drew a 30-yard pass interference flag and got the Broncos well into field-goal range. Nix then took a knee to center the ball for Lutz’s game-ending field goal.

Nix tied Russell Wilson’s NFL record with two dozen victories in his first two seasons. Saturday’s victory was his first in the playoffs. The Broncos lost last year at Buffalo but Nix led Denver to the AFC’s top seed this season.

“He’s a tough cookie,” Payton said. “And this team all year has lost key players and will rise up for the next challenge.”

Before word of Nix's injury broke, Denver was jubilant over the Broncos' first playoff victory in a decade.

Denver's game-winning drive came after nickel back Ja'Quan McMillian intercepted Allen's deep pass in overtime. McMillian's pick was Denver's fifth takeaway of the game after they were minus-3 in turnover differential during the season.

McMillian wrested the ball away from Brandin Cooks at the Broncos 20-yard line when a field goal would have won the game for Buffalo (13-6).

“He actually had the ball coming down and I had my hand on the ball,” McMillian said. “I was able to take it from him. I fell on top of him, just held the ball up, showed the fans some love.”

Cooks said he thought it was a catch.

“I feel that way,” he said. "But at the end of the day, you don’t, you know, no matter, ultimately this is where we’re sitting now.”

Referee Carl Cheffers said in a pool report, “The receiver has to complete the process of a catch. He was going to the ground as part of the process of the catch and he lost possession of the ball when he hit the ground. The defender gained possession of it at that point. The defender is the one that completed the process of the catch, so the defender was awarded the ball.”

Cooks said he just has to make sure next time not to leave it in the "officials' hands.”

Or McMillian's.

Nix said nothing about being hurt during a postgame interview with CBS, and he sounded as if he was looking forward to the next game.

“It’s great to have home-field advantage in a situation like this. It’s exciting. This is why you play the game, this is why you compete. You get to playoff football, and good things happen,” Nix said.

Former Broncos kicker Matt Prater nailed a 50-yard field goal with 5 seconds left in regulation, knotting it up at 30-all. That came after Nix's 26-yard touchdown throw to Mims with 55 seconds left had given Denver a 30-27 lead.

Allen, who hadn't turned the ball over in his previous six playoff appearances, threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles.

“I felt like I let my teammates down," a teary-eyed Allen said.

The Bills failed once again to reach the Super Bowl with Allen under center even though Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson weren’t standing in his way this time as that trio of franchise quarterbacks all missed the postseason party.

Coming off the first road playoff win of his career, Allen’s first three turnovers helped Denver built a 23-10 lead before he threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Keon Coleman and a 14-yarder to Dalton Kincaid to give Buffalo a 24-23 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Quick strikes

The Broncos scored 10 points in the final 22 seconds of the first half to take a 20-10 lead into the locker room, and they got their third takeaway just two plays into the second half on Nik Bonitto’s strip-sack of Allen that was recovered by Malcolm Roach at the Bills 17, leading to a field goal.

Denver avenged a 31-7 loss at Buffalo in the playoffs last year.

“We weren't ready last year,” Payton said. “But we were ready today.”

Injuries

Bills: LB Dorian Williams (neck) got hurt covering the opening kickoff and was taken to a hospital. ... DT Ed Oliver (knee) left in the third quarter.

Broncos: WR Pat Bryant sustained a concussion on Denver's initial drive after he caught three passes for 32 yards. ... WR Troy Franklin pulled a hamstring.

Up next

The Bills are left wondering what it'll take to get to the Super Bowl.

The Broncos host their first AFC championship game in a decade.

Josh Allen wipes away tears and takes the blame after his 4 turnovers lead to another playoff loss

DENVER (AP) — Josh Allen knows all about heartbreaking losses in the playoffs. After yet another one Saturday, he stood at a microphone and wiped away tears.

This might have been the best chance for Allen and the Bills to get to the Super Bowl. He’s heard that, too, and after he committed four of Buffalo's five turnovers in a 33-30 loss to Denver in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs, he had to answer questions about coming up short yet again.

“Extremely difficult,” Allen said, while choking back tears. “I felt like I let my teammates down.”

For a change, there was no Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in his way, no Lamar Jackson and the Ravens or Joe Burrow and the Bengals. Only Bo Nix and the top-seeded but unproven Denver Broncos. Denver turned all those turnovers into 16 points, including the game-ending 23-yard field goal by Wil Lutz.

Allen watched Lutz’s field goal sail through the uprights, then quickly hopped up, headed onto the field and then into the locker room. He will watch as the Broncos move on to face either New England or Houston without Nix, who broke his right ankle late in overtime and will have surgery that will sideline him for the rest of the playoffs.

“Can’t win with five turnovers,” said Allen, who threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles. “You shoot yourself in the foot like that you don’t deserve to win football games.”

The Bills, who beat Jacksonville in the wild-card round, became the first NFL team to win a playoff game in six straight seasons without capturing a Super Bowl. Allen's eight playoff wins are most for any QB in the Super Bowl era who hasn’t played in a Super Bowl.

What’s more, Allen became the second player in the last 20 postseasons with two or more interceptions and at least two lost fumbles, joining Arizona's Carson Palmer, who accomplished the feat against the Panthers in the 2015 NFC championship game.

The thought could be dawning on Allen and Bills fans that it’s no longer inevitable that he’ll hoist a Lombardi Trophy someday. Last season's MVP, who often seems to will the Bills to victory by himself, turns 30 in May.

“I haven’t been doing a lot of talking other than I love my teammates,” said Allen, who threw for 283 yards and three touchdowns while running for 66 yards. “Extremely sorry and disappointed.”

Bills coach Sean McDermott defended Allen, who lost a fumble on a scramble in the closing seconds of the first half to set up a long field goal by Denver to make it 20-10.

“No, it’s not on him,” McDermott said. “We had opportunities — all of us — and I’m extremely proud of him. He’s a tremendous person, tremendous leader, tremendous quarterback. Yeah, there are plays we all want back.”

One of the plays that had McDermott miffed after the game occurred midway through overtime, when Allen's long pass to Brandin Cooks was wrestled away by Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian for an interception. McDermott thought Cooks had possession and down by contact.

McDermott called timeout to get the officials to at least take a longer look at the play. Had Cooks caught the ball, the Bills would have been well within field-goal range.

“It's hard for me to understand why it was ruled the way it was ruled,” McDermott said. “And if it is ruled that way, then why wasn't it slowed down, just to make sure that we have this right. That would've made a lot of sense to me. To make sure we have this thing right.

“I'm saying it because I’m standing up for Buffalo ... I'm standing up for us. What went on is not how it should go down.”

Referee Carl Cheffers explained to a pool reporter: “The receiver has to complete the process of a catch. He was going to the ground as part of the process of the catch and he lost possession of the ball when he hit the ground. The defender gained possession of it at that point. The defender is the one that completed the process of the catch, so the defender was awarded the ball.”

After the pick, the Broncos drove the ball deep into Bills territory courtesy of a pair of pass-interference calls, one on Taron Johnson and another from Tre'Davious White, who also drew an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty. Those flags got the Broncos so close that Lutz's game-ending kick was a formality.

“It's going to stick with me for a long time,” Allen said. “Losing in the playoffs is not fun.”

Jamal Murray scores 42 points to lead Nuggets to victory over Wizards

DENVER (AP) — Jamal Murray scored 42 points on 15-for-24 shooting and the Denver Nuggets pulled away in the final minutes for a 121-115 win over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night.

With the game tied at 110, Murray hit a 3-pointer with 2:12 to play to put the Nuggets ahead to stay. He then added another jumper and a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 117-110.

Tim Hardaway Jr. had a season-high 30 points and Peyton Watson scored 21 as Denver, still playing without the injured Nikola Jokic (left knee bone bruise), won its fourth in a row and for the sixth time in its last seven games.

Kyshawn George had 29 points to lead the Wizards, who lost their sixth in a row including all four on this road trip. Khris Middleton and Alex Sarr scored 16 each.

The Nuggets shot 53% from the floor in the game including 40% from 3-point range.

The Nuggets made 14 3-pointers compared to the Wizards 11.

Murray scored 23 points in the first half and the Nuggets went into the break trailing 63-62. The Wizards held onto the lead through the third and entered the fourth up 86-83. Murray’s 16-point fourth quarter helped the Nuggets finish off the victory.

Up next

Wizards: Return home to face the Clippers on Monday.

Nuggets: Host the Hornets on Sunday night.