Road to Super Bowl LX: Denver eliminates Bills but loses Bo Nix, Seattle dominates 49ers, how the Conference Championships are shaping up

It was a bittersweet victory for the Denver Broncos in the NFL playoffs. Despite eliminating Josh Allen's Buffalo Bills, who once again must cope with the frustration of early elimination, the Broncos lost quarterback Bo Nix for the rest of the season.

The Broncos' 33-30 overtime win against the Bills opened the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs, which continued Saturday with the Seattle Seahawks' crushing 41-6 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

Broncos vs. Bills: Big night for Lutz, bad for Bo Nix, lousy for Josh Allen

Promising young quarterback Bo Nix will not be able to lead Denver to its first Super Bowl since 2016 because of an injury suffered down the stretch in the win against the Bills. The 25-year-old quarterback fractured his right ankle on a throw on the penultimate play of the game, which went in favor of the home side on a Wil Lutz field goal.

Nix has surgery scheduled for Tuesday that will keep him out for the rest of the season, confirmed his coach, Sean Payton.

The night in Colorado was also fateful for Josh Allen, the league's reigning Most Valuable Player (MVP), who committed an unusual carousel of errors with two interceptions and three fumbles. "Feel like I let my teammates down tonight," Allen tearfully declared. "Just missed opportunities throughout the game," he added. "It's been a long season. I hate how it ended, and that's going to stick with me for a long time."

Despite throwing for 283 yards and 3 touchdowns, Allen again fell short en route to the Super Bowl, which the Bills haven't contested since four straight losses between 1991 and 1994. Allen, who was playing through several injuries, was the hero of last week's win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Wild Card Round.

The Broncos, on their side, were fresh physically after earning a first round bye as the top seed in the conference.

Denver led on the scoreboard for much of the game but needed a game-altering interception in overtime by Ja'Quan McMillian, who recovered the ball for the Broncos allowing Wil Lutz to convert the winning 23-yard field goal.

Seahawks vs. 49ers: Thrashing at Lumen Field

While the Broncos-Bills matchup was even until overtime, the Seahawks' game against the 49ers was the opposite. Seattle dominated in a 35-point victory on their home turf, Lumen Field. So much for San Francisco's dream, which could have played the Super Bowl on their home field on Feb. 8.

A week earlier, the 49ers were able to dethrone the champion Philadelphia Eagles, but their extensive injury report, joined last week by George Kittle, was too much of a liability against a rested and polished Seahawks team.

The hosts took just 13 seconds to score the first touchdown with a gem from Rashid Shaheed, who turned a kick return into a mammoth 95-yard run. Seattle led 17-0 at the end of the first quarter and only took its foot off the gas when they made their final score at the start of the final period, allowing quarterback Sam Darnold to retire to the bench.

Darnold needed only 124 yards and a passing touchdown as Seattle was dominant in the ground game, with running back Kenneth Walker III devouring 116 yards and scoring 3 touchdowns.

With just 35 yards, the threat of star running back Christian McCaffrey was not enough this time for the 49ers, who only showed signs of life with two Eddy Piñeiro field goals that brought them within 17-6 in the second quarter.

How the Conference Championships games are shaping up, and the road to Super Bowl LX

The Seahawks, the top seed in the National Football Conference (NFC), will play on Jan. 25 in the Conference Championship against the winner of Sunday's matchup between the Chicago Bears and the Los Angeles Rams.

On their side, the Broncos, the top seed in the American Football Conference (AFC), will also seek a ticket to the Super Bowl on Jan. 25 against the winner of Sunday's clash between the New England Patriots and the Houston Texans.

The schedule for the upcoming games is: