The Buffalo Bills are headed to the AFC Championship Game as their 27-25 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday set up another high-profile date with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. This divisional game featured the two favorites for this season’s NFL MVP in Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, and it was Allen who came away with a massive victory.
In the first half, Allen scored two rushing touchdowns while Jackson turned the ball over twice. This allowed Buffalo to take a double-digit lead. Jackson turned his game around in the second half and even led an eight-play, 88-yard touchdown drive that gave Baltimore a chance to tie the game with a two-point conversion with 1:33 left in the fourth quarter. However, Mark Andrews dropped a catch wide open – adding to what was a nightmare quarter for him, as the tight end also lost the previous possession.
Jackson completed 18 of 25 passes for 254 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, but also lost a fumble. Derrick Henry was Baltimore’s leading rusher with 84 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, while Isaiah Likely and Rashod Bateman each caught a touchdown. Allen didn’t have his most prolific outing, completing 16 of 22 passes for 127 yards. However, he rushed for 20 yards and two touchdowns. James Cook added 67 rushing yards on 17 carries, while Khalil Shakir caught six passes for a team-high 67 yards.
The Ravens outscored the Bills in total yards, 416 to 273, but the key stat had to do with errors, as the Ravens lost the turnover battle, 3-0. Let’s take a look at what happened in Buffalo on Sunday.
Why the Bills won
Defensively, Buffalo attacked Lamar Jackson with a series of blitzes that proved effective, particularly in the first half where they took a double-digit lead. In the first two quarters, the Bills bombarded Jackson on 46.7% dropbacks and managed to sack him twice. This diluted much of Baltimore’s offensive explosiveness. During a blitz, Jackson completed 8 of 14 passes for 132 yards and an interception. When he wasn’t blitzed, he was 10 of 11 for 122 yards and two touchdowns. In addition to putting pressure on Jackson, they largely contained Derrick Henry, limiting him to 21 rushing yards in the first half and 84 yards for the entire game.
Of course, they also managed to create three turnovers in the game, including back-to-back takeaways in the first half. Those three turnovers ultimately led Buffalo to a total of 10 points, which proved to be a huge change in what was a two-point victory. This ability to take advantage of their opponent’s mistakes and have no turnovers is the defining stat of this playoff matchup.
As for Josh Allen, he wasn’t prolific statistically in this game, but performed at an elite level. He led methodical strikes throughout the evening and did most of his damage with his legs (two touchdowns).
Why the Ravens lost
Baltimore outscored the Bills 416-273, converted seven of its 10 third downs and averaged 7.3 yards per play. Each of those stats beat Buffalo. However, where the Ravens failed to gain an edge was in the turnover battle. They gave Buffalo the ball three times in the playoff game and couldn’t create a turnover of their own.
After a stellar first drive that resulted in a touchdown, Lamar Jackson gave the Bills the ball on consecutive possessions, throwing an interception after a miscommunication with Rashod Bateman and then fumbling the ball after a botched snap. That second turnover led to Josh Allen’s second rushing touchdown of the day and put Buffalo in front for the rest of the game.
While Jackson’s turnovers were the story of the first half, Mark Andrews’ struggles were the story of the second. He committed Baltimore’s third and final turnover of the night after catching a 16-yard pass midway through the fourth quarter. After moving upfield, he had the ball hit by linebacker Terrel Bernard. At the time, Buffalo led 24-19, so instead of cutting that deficit, the Ravens gave the ball away. The Bills then increased their lead with a field goal.
When Baltimore marched down the field late and scored a touchdown to cut the lead to two, Jackson looked in Andrews’ direction for what would have been the game-tying two-point conversion. Andrew was open, got both hands on the ball, but dropped it, winning the game for Buffalo.
Turning point
Baltimore began to gain serious momentum in the second half, going on a 9-0 run in the third quarter. Then, midway through the fourth quarter, the Ravens were looking to potentially take the lead with a touchdown and had brought the football into Buffalo territory. However, that’s when Andrews punched the ball and Terrel Bernard recovered the fumble. Not only did this erase a scoring opportunity for the Ravens, but the Bills added three points on their ensuing possession, increasing their lead.
Game of the game
The low points for Andrews continued as this match unfolded. Lamar Jackson led the Ravens 88 yards down the field and connected with Isaiah Likely for a 24-yard touchdown. That cut Buffalo’s lead to two points with about 90 seconds left in regulation. With the opportunity to tie the game with the 2-point conversion, Jackson rolled out to his right, got Andrews open for the tying score, but the veteran tight end simply dropped him.
What’s next
The Buffalo Bills will advance to the AFC Championship Game and face the Kansas City Chiefs next Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. Meanwhile, the Baltimore Ravens will pick up the pieces and begin their offseason.