Bo Nix, Troy Franklin make NFL playoff history with 43-yard TD connection vs. Bills

A couple of Oregon alumni made NFL playoff history on Sunday.

During the first quarter of the Denver Broncos wild card game against the Buffalo Bills, Bo Nix completed a 43-yard touchdown pass to Troy Franklin to take an early 7-0 lead on the road. The scoring play resulted in the first time in NFL history that a rookie caught a touchdown pass from another rookie in a playoff game.

The touchdown throw came on the fifth play of the game. Facing 2nd & 4, Franklin slipped past the Buffalo secondary and Nix was able to find him in stride to silence the crowd in Buffalo early.

It’s not the first time these two have hooked up for a touchdown pass this season. Franklin logged 28 receptions for 263 yards and a pair of touchdowns during the regular season. Their last touchdown together before Sunday was against the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 17.

The pair also teamed up in college for two seasons at Oregon. In 2023, Nix and Franklin hooked up for 81 receptions for 1,383 yards and 14 touchdowns during their final season in Eugene. In total, Franklin hauled in over 2,000 receiving yards and 23 touchdowns together at the collegiate level.

During the rest of the first half, Denver would be able to keep Buffalo scoreless in the first quarter. However, the Bills would go on to score the next 10 points of the game during the second period. The Broncos kept the Bills on their heels, successfully executing a fake punt but nothing came of it.

The touchdown pass would prove to be the only points for Denver during the first half, as a last-second field goal attempt from place kicker Will Lutz would miss after hitting the upright.

Nix finished the first half 8 of 12 passing for 102 yards and a touchdown. On the other side of the ball, Josh Allen went 9 of 12 for 69 yards along with six rushing attempts for 35 yards as well.

Still, the Broncos were able to clinch their playoff spot in the final week of the regular season after defeating a starter-less Kansas City Chiefs squad. For the last three weeks of the season, Denver was in a ‘win and you’re in’ situation but losses to the Los Angeles Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals kept that their playoff hopes at bay until the Week 18 win.