Of all the upgrades the Denver Broncos made to their roster following last season, the one on defense that got the most attention was bringing inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw to the team on a 3-year, $31.5 million free agent contract.

Not only did it address the Broncos’ weakest position on the defensive side of the ball, Greenlaw brings a certain type of attitude you want in the middle of the defense.

The only problem? Greenlaw has been missing for most of the season — he sat out 9 games due to injuries and suspension but will be back for the AFC Divisional Round against the Buffalo Bills in Denver on Saturday.

Greenlaw’s return could be key. The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen singled out the matchup between talented tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox for the Bills and the linebackers for the Broncos as perhaps the most critical on the field as Denver tries to win a home playoff game for the first time since the 2015 season.

“In the playoff matchup with the Broncos last season, the Bills were able to run for 210 yards on a defense that ranked first in success rate that year,” Nguyen wrote. “More importantly, they took advantage of the Broncos’ linebackers by targeting running backs and tight ends (seven catches for 101 yards). Dalton Kincaid has missed several games this season with injuries, but he’s improved as a player and should be a major part of the Bills’ game plan. The Broncos have given up the ninth-most yards to tight ends this season and the eighth-highest average yards per reception to tight ends (10.7). They major in man coverage, but their linebackers don’t play man coverage at a high level. Dre Greenlaw should help, but he’s a better zone defender.”

Payton’s Answer to Greenlaw Question Goes Viral

Broncos head coach Sean Payton went viral with a hilarious if somewhat uncomfortable response to a question from The Denver Post’s Luca Evans after Payton mentioned having a healthy Greenlaw back against the Bills would be one key to the game.

Evans asked an innocuous if somewhat generic question about Greenlaw attacking downhill against the Bills and got an ether rag of an answer from Payton.

“You want him to attack downhill? Like, what do you know about attacking downhill in the run game? You don’t know,” Payton said to Evans.

Evans and Payton joked about the moment afterward.

“(Payton) makes it pretty clear I shouldn’t play middle linebacker,” Evans wrote on X.

How to Watch Bills vs. Broncos in AFC Playoffs

The Broncos went 14-3 during the regular season to secure the No. 1 seed and home field advantage in the AFC Playoffs, which included a bye in their first round of the playoffs.

The Bills travel to face the Broncos because they’re the highest remaining seed left in the playoffs — the No. 6 seed Bills went on the road for a thrilling, 27-24 win over the No. 3 seed Jacksonville Jaguars in last week’s AFC Wild Card Round.

The game between the Broncos and Bills is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on Saturday and will be televised on CBS.

Bold & Beautiful Preview: Eric Vows to Teach ‘Bridge’ a Painful Lesson — Plus, Deacon and Taylor’s Secret Is Thisclose to Coming Out!

In the sneak-peek video that Bold & Beautiful just dropped for the week of January 19-23, L.A. is turned into a pressure cooker as fears grow that Sheila will learn that Deacon’s therapy sessions with Taylor often involve longing glances and meaningful touching of the shrink’s hair.

Blissfully unaware that her better half already has one foot out the door, Sheila continues to tell anyone who’ll listen that “Taylor is the reason I still have a husband.” This time? It’s Finn to whom she sings the world-renowned psychiatrist’s praises. Poker face, Finn! Use… your… poker face!