By JOHN WAWROW
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen rushed for two touchdowns, Buffalo’s defense forced three turnovers and the Bills advanced to the AFC championship game with a 27-25 win over the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round on Sunday night.
The Bills hung on when a wide-open Mark Andrews dropped a 2-point conversion pass from Lamar Jackson, allowing the ball to bounce off his chest with 1:33 left. Jackson connected with a sliding Isaiah Likely for a 24-yard touchdown to give the Ravens a chance to tie it.
“How about that Buffalo Bills defense?” said Allen, the Bills’ potential MVP quarterback. “All year, this team has heard we’ve got no talent, we’re too small, we can’t stop the run, we’re not good enough to compete. We’ve just put our head down and worked hard. I’m so proud of our defense. I’m so proud of our offense and special teams. What a complete win.”
The Bills will play for the AFC title next Sunday against the conference’s top seed, the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Buffalo snapped a three-year run of being eliminated in the divisional round.
It’s a familiar matchup for Buffalo, which has been beaten by Kansas City in three of the past four postseasons.
Allen scored on runs of 1 and 4 yards while Ray Davis also scored on a 1-yard run. Tyler Bass hit both field goal attempts, including a 21-yarder with 3:29 left after the Bills stalled at Baltimore’s 2. That drive was set up by the Ravens’ final turnover, when linebacker Terrel Bernard stripped the ball from Andrews at the Buffalo 44.
The Bills closed their season a perfect 10-0 at home. That included a 30-21 win over the previously unbeaten Chiefs in Week 11.
“We know what they are. They’re the perennial of what you want to be in the NFL,” Allen said. “You’ve got to beat them to get past them. So, you know, we’re going to enjoy this one tonight.”
The Ravens had one of the NFL’s most productive offenses in the regular season but fell a win short of reaching the conference title game, which they lost to the Chiefs a year ago. Scrutiny of Jackson’s playoff performances will only increase as he fell to 3-5 in the postseason. He had two first-half turnovers in this loss, throwing an interception and losing a fumble.
Baltimore fell to 5-8 in the divisional round, including 1-4 in its last five.
“It was uncharacteristic to have turnovers like that. There were opportunities for us to not have those, but we had them,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “You try to bounce back from them in the course of the game. You can’t take them back.”
Andrews did not make himself available following the game, but got plenty of support from his teammates.
“One play doesn’t define anybody. He’s the all-time leading touchdown receiver in Ravens history,” safety Kyle Hamilton said. “He’s been a consistent beacon of success the whole time he’s been here.”
The Bills continued playing complementary football to overcome a patchwork defense and an offense that didn’t have a receiver reach 900 yards this season. Buffalo finished the regular season with a league-best plus-24 turnover differential.
That continued on Sunday with a turnover-free game from Allen and the Bills that was just good enough on a field that was slick with a dusting of snow.
Buffalo’s defense held up, limiting Derrick Henry to 84 yards rushing and a touchdown on 16 carries. In Week 4, Henry had a season-best 199 yards rushing in the Ravens’ 35-10 win — the Bills’ most lopsided defeat of the season.
In a matchup of MVP candidates, Jackson went 18 of 25 for 254 yards and two touchdowns.
Allen went 16 of 22 for 127 yards and his 1-yard run with 8:49 left in the second quarter gave the Bills the lead for good at 14-7.
That score was set up by Jackson’s fumble. Facing second-and-10 at the Buffalo 28, Jackson first had to secure a high snap. After gaining control, he attempted to scramble forward, only to lose the ball when safety Damar Hamlin grabbed the quarterback by the ankle.
Von Miller scooped up the fumble and was finally chased down at Baltimore’s 24. Allen scored four plays later to chants of “MVP! MVP!”
The Ravens failed on both 2-point conversion attempts, with linebacker Matt Milano batting down Jackson’s pass attempt after Henry scored to make it 21-19.
Baltimore took the opening kickoff and drove for a touchdown, with Jackson hitting Rashod Bateman from 16 yards out.
Injuries
Ravens: Leading receiver Zay Flowers missed both playoff games with a knee injury.
Bills: Safety Taylor Rapp did not return after hurting his hip in the second quarter.
Up next
The Bills get a rematch of the AFC championship game after the 2020 season, which Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs won 38-24. That Kansas City team lost the Super Bowl to Tom Brady and Tampa Bay.
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