Bills hook-and-ladder play: How gutsy 4th-quarter call helped Buffalo force OT vs. Broncos

A wild fourth quarter between the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills wasn’t enough to produce a winner—but that might not have been the case if not for a gutsy play call by the Bills on their final drive.

Still on their own side of the field on second-and-10, Josh Allen found Khalil Shakir on a short pass that looked like it would set up a critical third down. But Shakir instead pitched it to Ray Davis, who carried Buffalo into field goal range.

While the Bills were aiming for a game-winning touchdown and ran a few plays to try to get it, the hook-and-ladder play effectively set up Matt Prater’s game-tying field goal.

Here’s what you need to know about the Bills’ memorable hook-and-ladder play in Denver.

MORE 2026 NFL PLAYOFFS:

• Full NFL playoff schedule
• NFL divisional round picks, predictions
• Updated NFL playoff bracket
• Ranking eight teams remaining in 2026 NFL playoffs
• NFL divisional round picks against the spread

Bills hook-and-ladder play

Here's the play from Allen, to Shakir and to Davis that moved the Bills 24 yards down the field and into field goal range against the Broncos.

The hook-and-ladder has become more common over the last year or two, and the Bills have broken it out before. Brady called a hook-and-ladder to breathe life into the Bills in a game against the Houston Texans earlier this season, though Buffalo still lost.

While this one didn't come on fourth-and-27, it came with perhaps even more pressure with the season on the line.

MORE: How Josh Allen gaffe changed playoff game vs. Broncos

Who is Bills play caller?

Joe Brady is in his second season as the Bills’ full-time offensive coordinator and called the hook-and-ladder play that helped Buffalo extend Saturday’s game.

Brady replaced Ken Dorsey during the 2023 season and immediately saw improved results, focusing more on the running game and spreading the ball through the air instead of relying so heavily on Stefon Diggs.

After Diggs was traded at the end of the season, Brady stuck with a similar approach and has drawn head coaching interest from teams with vacancies over the past two years.

MORE: Why Broncos passed on Josh Allen in 2018 draft

Joe Brady coaching history

• 2013-14: William & Mary (LBs coach)
• 2015-16: Penn State (graduate assistant)
• 2017-18: New Orleans Saints (offensive assistant)
• 2019: LSU (offensive coordinator)
• 2020-21: Carolina Panthers (offensive coordinator)
• 2022-23: Buffalo Bills (QBs coach)
• 2023-present: Buffalo Bills (offensive coordinator)

Brady's profile skyrocketed after 2019, when he coordinated one of the most prolific offenses in college football history at LSU with Joe Burrow, Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase.

That success earned him a role as Matt Rhule's offensive coordinator with the Carolina Panthers, but he was fired during the 2021 season and didn't land another coordinator role until Dorsey's firing in Buffalo two years later.

How old is Joe Brady?

Brady turned 36 years old early in the 2025 season. Considering how young he is, a head coaching opportunity might be inevitable in the years ahead.