The Buffalo Bills will have only six days to recover from a bruising playoff win over the Jacksonville Jaguars before facing the No. 1 seed Denver Broncos, and the short turnaround is getting some criticism from an NFL great.
The NFL announced the schedule for divisional round games after the final game of the slate on Monday. The Bills and Broncos will be the first game of the weekend, kicking off on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
That means the Bills have less than a week to prepare, while the Broncos have the benefit of two weeks off after earning a bye week during the wild-card round. Former NFL coach turned commentator Tony Dungy believes the league is putting teams at unnecessary risk by forcing them to play on short rest in the playoffs.
Tony Dungy Sounds Off
The longtime Indianapolis Colts coach took aim at the NFL’s scheduling, saying in a post on X that the league is more concerned with television ratings than fair competition.
“NFL playoff scheduling is not fair. It might produce good ratings but it’s not fair,” Dungy wrote. “This late in the season recovery time is crucial and it is not given equally.”
Dungy added that the league’s decision to add a playoff game on Monday night has thrown off the competitive balance.
“Rams & Bears played Saturday games,” he wrote. “They will face each other on Sunday with an extra day of rest. 49ers played on Sunday and will face Seattle on Saturday-short week of recovery. Why? In the AFC the Bills will have to travel to Denver on a short week. Why? Because there’s a Monday night AFC Wild Card game.”
Dungy added that the league even did away with Monday night games late in the season so that teams didn’t face unnecessary risk, but now has moved in the other direction.
“Several years ago the league did away with Monday Night games in Week 18 of the regular season because it created a disadvantage if one of those teams made the playoffs. Now we create that disadvantage.”
Bills Nursing Injuries After Bruising Win
The Bills went into Sunday’s game against the Jaguars with a series of key injuries, then added some more in the win against Jacksonville’s aggressive defense. Wide receiver Gabe Davis suffered a torn ACL that will end his season, while safety Jordan Poyer suffered an injury that head coach Sean McDermott said will keep him out of Saturday’s game against the Broncos.
Quarterback Josh Allen also suffered some minor injuries in the win, which McDermott said left him sore but ultimately on track to play.
The Bills could have some good news on other injured players. Defensive tackle Ed Oliver and safety Damar Hamlin are returning to practice after being on injured reserve for much of the season, and their return would bring a much-needed boost to Buffalo’s defense.
The Bills will likely need to make some other roster moves, including a wide receiver to make up for the absence of Davis. The team has veteran Mecole Hardman on the practice squad, and he could likely be elevated for the divisional round.
NFL Facing Criticism Over Bills-Broncos Playoff Decision