Josh Allen scores 2 TDs, Bills force 3 turnovers to beat Ravens 27-25 and reach AFC title game
Sports
Bills allowed 176 yards rushing and 416 overall to the Ravens
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen heard the “MVP! MVP!” chants directed at him from the stands, but Buffalo’s quarterback deflected the credit following the Bills’ hard-fought victory in the divisional playoff round.
This season’s Bills were thought to be thin on both sides of the ball. And it wasn’t one player or one unit that led to Buffalo beating Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens 27-25 on Sunday night, ending its string of three straight losses at this stage of the postseason and moving on to play the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC title game next Sunday.
It was everyone.
“What a complete win,” Allen said. “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.”
Allen rushed for touchdowns of 1 and 4 yards, but he threw for only 127 yards and rushed for 20. Buffalo finished with a modest 273 yards of offense that included rookie Ray Davis scoring on a 1-yard run.
How about that often maligned defense, which gave up 271 yards rushing in a 35-10 loss to Baltimore in Week 4?
On Sunday, the Bills allowed 176 yards rushing and 416 overall to the Ravens, but compensated by forcing three turnovers.
“We were motivated all week, man,” said linebacker Terrel Bernard, who forced and recovered Mark Andrews’ fumble to set up Tyler Bass’ 21-yard field goal with 3:29 left. “We put a lot of work into it. And to see the results start to pay off right now, I can’t say enough about this team.”
The Bills made fewer mistakes than the Ravens on a snow-slicked field and hung on when the usually sure-handed and wide-open Andrews dropped a 2-point conversion pass from 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.
