Thanks to a dropped two-point conversion attempt, the Buffalo Bills held on to defeat the Baltimore Ravens, 27-25, on Sunday in the final divisional round game of the weekend.
Ravens tight end Mark Andrews was open on the game-tying two-point try with 1:33 left, but couldn’t recover the pass from quarterback Lamar Jackson. Buffalo recovered the ensuing onside kick and secured the victory.
Two point conversion is not good 😳
📺: #BALvsBUF on CBS
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus and Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/s1DAo0tdm1– NFL (@NFL) January 20, 2025
The win puts Buffalo in the AFC Championship Game for the second time in five seasons and sets up a matchup next weekend with the Kansas City Chiefs – a foe that quarterback Josh Allen and coach Sean McDermott has yet to win in the playoffs.
Allen emerged victorious over Baltimore and Jackson, another MVP candidate, to improve to 7-5 in the playoffs. Allen rushed for two scores, while completing 16 of 22 pass attempts for 127 yards (a season low in passing yards in a game where he attempted one pass). Rookie running back Ray Davis added a rushing touchdown as the Bills totaled 147 rushing yards on the league’s top-ranked rushing defense (80.1 yards per game allowed in the regular season).
The Bills forced three turnovers – one interception and two fumbles. Buffalo’s secondary took a hit when Taylor Rapp was transported to the locker room in the second quarter with a hip injury and did not return.
The Bills will face the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game next Sunday (6:30 p.m. ET on CBS). In three of the last four seasons, Kansas City has eliminated Buffalo from the playoffs – in the 2020 AFC Championship Game and the 2021 and 2023 AFC Divisional Rounds. During the 2024 regular season, Buffalo was the only team to defeat the Chiefs with Patrick Mahomes starting at quarterback in a 30-21 home victory in Week 11.
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In a game featuring MVP co-favorite quarterbacks, Buffalo’s defense stole the show, emerging with several stops and critical takeaways.
Despite the painful finish, Buffalo’s defense crushed Jackson and Derrick Henry for most of the night. Baltimore’s most effective weapon through three quarters was fullback Justice Hill, who finished with six carries for 50 yards. Jackson threw an interception to Rapp in the first quarter and fumbled while being sacked by safety Damar Hamlin in the second. Von Miller scooped up the loose ball and ran 39 yards to the Ravens’ 24-yard line. The Bills scored a TD four plays later.
CHAOS ON SNAP AND BILLS COLLECT 😮
📺: #BALvsBUF on CBS
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus and Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/gZTp8XSn3T– NFL (@NFL) January 20, 2025
Later, with the Ravens down five and trailing, Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard knocked the ball away from Andrews after a 16-yard gain and recovered the fumble, a crucial play. It was Andrews’ first lost fumble since 2019. Buffalo turned it into a field goal and an eight-point lead with 3:29 left.
Terrel Bernard forces it.
Terrel Bernard recovers it.@BuffaloBills ball!📺: #BALvsBUF on CBS
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus and Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/mAjj3dp0Ms– NFL (@NFL) January 20, 2025
Linebacker Matt Milano delivered three quarterback hits, hit receiver Rashod Bateman on a third-down play to force a field goal and deflected Jackson’s pass on a two-point conversion attempt to the tight end Isaiah Probably late in the third quarter. Edge rushers Greg Rousseau and AJ Epenesa combined for three tackles behind the line of scrimmage. — Tim Graham, Bills senior writer
The Bills offense certainly didn’t have its best day, but when the opportunistic Bills defense gave them a few chances, they held up their end of the bargain. The Bills have focused on the running game, and that’s surprising, considering how solid the Ravens’ run defense has been all season. The Bills had early success with their trio of James Cook, Ty Johnson and Davis. The Ravens fought better to start the second half, but the Bills kept it going until the fourth quarter, which helped set up what ended up being Tyler Bass’ crucial field goal to put them up eight .
The Bills have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL this year, and they believed in themselves so much against the Ravens defense that they put the game in their hands, and they responded well. And to put the exclamation point on the day, Johnson gained 17 yards and came down to seal the game, sending the Bills to the AFC Championship Game for the first time since the 2020 season. — Joe Buscaglia, Bills beat writer
The Bills had a few nervous moments late in the game, but they ultimately booked their ticket to the AFC Championship Game for the first time since the 2020 season. The Bills finished the year with a perfect record at home and now have the chance to go to the Super Bowl for the first time since the early 1990s. And because, of course, it’s them, the Bills will face the Chiefs, the very team that stood in their way in the course of several playoff series.
The last time the Bills were in the AFC Championship Game, the Chiefs turned them away at Arrowhead Stadium. The Bills are a much different team now and have certainly learned their lessons in the playoffs and otherwise. They now have the chance to beat the final boss at the end of the video game and finally, for the first time since McDermott became head coach, advance one round of the playoffs further than the Chiefs. —Buscaglia
(Photo: Timothy T. Ludwig/Getty Images)
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