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Josh Allen breaks down in tears after heartbreaking Bills playoff loss to Broncos: 'I let my teammates down'

Bills QB Josh Allen expresses disappointment in emotional post-game press conference following overtime loss to Broncos.

Updated on: Jan 18, 2026, 08:38:51 IST
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Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen was seen crying and visibly emotional after his team's 33-30 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs on January 18.

Josh Allen congratulates Bo Nix after overtime in the AFC Divisional Playoff game (Photo by Justin Edmonds / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP) (Getty Images via AFP)
Josh Allen congratulates Bo Nix after overtime in the AFC Divisional Playoff game (Photo by Justin Edmonds / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP) (Getty Images via AFP)

Allen's reaction was captured on video at the post-game press conference.

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Emotional reaction and candid comments

In an emotional post-game press conference, Allen choked up as he reflected on the defeat. He said, “The loss will stick with me for a long time.”

Allen took the responsibility of the Bills' loss over himself and said, “It’s extremely difficult. I feel like I let my teammates down tonight.”

He added, “Missed opportunities throughout the game. It’s been a long season. I hate how it ended.”

He counts what he thinks are mistakes he made through the game.“I fumbled twice, threw two picks. When you shoot yourself in the foot like that you don’t deserve to win football games.”

In a video shared by Dov Klieman, an NFL News page, Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins was also captured becoming emotional in the Bills locker room in response to Allen’s words, whispering that “he didn’t let us down.”

Fans online are blaming referees. A user, Robert Jay on X wrote, “It sucks when the refs steal a game from your team 😔”

Another fan on X defends Allen and says, “This loss isn’t on Josh. Refs screwed them again.”

When questioned about the extremely questionable calls made by the referees after the Bills' 33-30 overtime defeat, Allen said that any loss is going to be disappointing rather than blaming the authorities.

He said, “Yeah, I mean, losing that way, regardless, losing in the playoffs is not fun. If one or two plays go our way, it’s a different story.”

Read more: Pat Bryant injury news: Broncos give scary update after star WR's concussion

What happened in the game?

The Broncos advanced to the AFC Championship Game after defeating the Bills 33-30 in overtime. After QB Bo Nix coordinated the game-winning drive, kicker Wil Lutz completed the victory with a 23-yard field goal.

Two pass interference penalties were marked against the Bills, totalling 47 yards. This moved Denver into the red zone to set up the game-winning kick at 4:44, which helped the Broncos' second overtime possession.

Josh Allen passed for 283 yards and three touchdowns on 25 of 39 passes. He lost two fumbles and threw two interceptions despite running for 66 yards.

Nix led an eight-play, 73-yard drive to regain a late lead after the Bills scored 17 points to grab a 27-23 lead with 4:11 remaining in regulation. Before his game-winning 26-yard touchdown pass to Mims, Nix converted a third-and-11 with a 25-yard pass and a third-and-4 with a 6-yard run.

With five seconds remaining in regulation, former Bronco Matt Prater scored his third field goal of the game after Buffalo drove down the field on the subsequent drive to force overtime.

  • Shirin Gupta
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Shirin Gupta

    Shirin Gupta is a content producer with the Hindustan Times. She covers everything between politics, entertainment and sports at the US desk. Shirin got interested in political journalism during her time as a web editor at her college newspaper NCC News in Syracuse when she first started seeing the effects of national politics in life of her fellow colleagues. Shirin has worked on a wide range of fast-moving and developing stories locally when she was at NCC editing accessible reports for the audience. Her current role requires her to track real-time updates, verify information and present balanced coverage across diverse beats. Covering US politics from an international newsroom perspective has further deepened her understanding of how domestic decisions can have far-reaching global consequences. With a keen interest in international affairs, Shirin continues to build her expertise in geopolitics, policy shifts, and cross-border developments. She aims to learn and evolve her reporting in matters of geopolitics and international issues. Outside the newsroom Shirin writes about books and music for her personal blog. She is an avid consumer of pop culture and reveres literature.Read More

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