Seven years after passing on Josh Allen, the Broncos must beat him

Two years removed from the Peyton Manning era, the Denver Broncos, with the fifth pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, had the chance to take quarterback Josh Allen. Instead, they chose to go with a defensive pick with edge rusher Bradley Chubb.

That decision would haunt them for years as they moved further and further away from Manning’s final throw and watched Allen lead the Buffalo Bills into playoff run after deep playoff run. It’s not that Chubb was a bad pick - he ended up being a great defensive addition - but the quarterback fiasco took years to get resolved. The decision to pass on Allen set off years of searching, patchwork fixes, and ultimately the expensive Russell Wilson misfire.

But now, with a trip to the Super Bowl suddenly within reach, the same quarterback that’s been haunting them has arrived as the Broncos’ final obstacle in a test of whether the Broncos have finally outrun their past.

Josh Allen vs the franchise that passed on him

After the fallout from the Russell Wilson era and acquiring head coach Sean Payton at the cost of premium draft capital, the Broncos look like they’ve finally found their franchise quarterback in second-year Bo Nix.

Now, Denver is standing as the AFC’s top seed with 14 wins, and preparing to host the Bills in the Divisional Round with their eyes on Super Bowl Sunday. As defensive coordinator Vance Joseph bluntly put it, the Broncos live in a dangerous neighborhood in the AFC.

“To win a championship, you’re going through Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow,” Joseph said.

This weekend though, Mahomes, Jackson, and Burrow are already gone. Only Allen remains.

In Buffalo, Allen has been MVP-caliber, indestructible, and terrifying with the ball in his hands. And yet, for all the dominance, for all the highlight reels, Allen arrives in Denver with the same number of Super Bowl rings as Nix: Zero.

If the Broncos can beat Allen on Saturday, and the AFC Championship will come down to C.J. Stroud or Drake Maye, talented quarterbacks, but not quite the challenge Allen presents.

Fortunately for the Broncos though, Allen isn’t in his best shape as he arrives in Denver this weekend. He’s banged up with foot, knee, and finger issues. Not to mention, Buffalo is traveling again on a short week. The Bills have already lived dangerously, leaning on Allen to be everything, everywhere, all at once. The Broncos now just need to survive him.

If they can do that, if they can send Allen home, then the Broncos may finally be able to lay the ghost of 2018 to rest. It’s not about revenge, but if they can reach the Super Bowl this year, Denver will have proved that they could do it all despite drama from the past. The game kicks off this Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET from Empower Field at Mile High. You can follow along with our live coverage of the game right here on AS USA.

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