Adrian Kraus / Associated Press
The Buffalo Bills play in the AFC Championship Game for the first time in 27 years after beating the Baltimore Ravens 17-3 in the division round on Saturday.
The Bills, which hosted the Ravens at Bills Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, are now just two wins away from their first ever Super Bowl victory.
The turning point of the game came towards the end of the third quarter, when Tarons Johnson, the defensive back of Bills, selected a pass from Lamar Jackson, Ravens back, and it returned 101 yards for an attack and ‘ a lead of 16-3.
The Bills and Ravens ended the first half with a 3-3 draw. Bill Stefon Diggs, who finished with eight catches for 106 yards, recorded the only offensive attack on the game on a three-yard pass from quarterback Josh Allen with 9:29 left in the third quarter:
Jackson left the game at the end of the third quarter and did not return when he entered concussion protocol.
The 2019 NFL MVP recovered a repulsed shotgun and threw an incomplete pass in the face of pressure from Bills defensive players Trent Murphy and Tremaine Edmunds.
Jackson slammed his head in the end zone and stayed before stepping into the locker room on his own.
The Ravens season ended in the division round for the second consecutive year. They finished 11-5 in the regular season before beating the Tennessee Titans 20-13 in the wild card round.
Notable performances
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson: 14-of-24, 162 passing yards, 1 INT; 9 dra, 34 hawe
Ravens WR Marquise Brown: 4 catches, 87 receiving tackles
Ravens TE Mark Andrews: 4 catches, 28 receiving fields
Interchanges QB Josh Allen: 23-of-37, 206 passing yards, 1 TD
Bills WR Stefon Diggs: 8 catches, 106 receiving yards, 1 TD
Wissels WR John Brown: 8 catches, 62 yards
Bill defense dominates Ravens Attack
Allen, Diggs and a powerful and explosive offense received most of the storylines during this magical Bills season, but the Buffalo defense also did work, helping playmakers like Tre’Davious White, Jerry Hughes and Jordan Poyer ‘ a unit that achieved a respected 12th place in Football Outsiders’ DVOA (defense adjusted value above average) criterion.
However, it was time for the defense to shine on a night where neither team could be offended. It was the Bills D’s job to push Buffalo into the AFC title game, and he did just that by bending (but not breaking) in suitable places while also delivering a very important play.
Levi Wallace was the first Bill to make a great defensive play, and Jackson fired the Ravens in the first quarter at a 1-and-10 from Buffalo’s 25-year-old line:
That pushed the Ravens out of the field goal area on a cold, windy night in Western New York. Baltimore found itself back in it with 13 yards in two plays, but Justin Tucker’s 41-goal field goal was not good.
The Ravens then made three-and-out passes on two slides, but a fourth slate showed promise, with the team earning a 1-and-10 from the Buffalo 35-yard line.
Once again, Buffalo came through, preventing Baltimore from getting off for another first time. Matt Milano was the star here, with Gus Edwards in second place and a pass break in third place.
Once again, Tucker missed another field goal, this time from 46 yards.
The bills continued to bend, but did not break. In another Ravens ride, the team went in a way from a 2nd-and-29 on its own 1-yard line to a 1-and-10 on their 46, but the effort ended without points. Hughes made the Ravens work harder with this bag for a nine-yard loss:
Eventually, the Ravens finally crawled into the red zone and seriously threatened to record a touchdown. Jackson expertly sailed Baltimore into the field and came within the 10-yard line.
The quarterback then looked to his favorite target, Mark Andrews, to level the game.
At the time, it was Murphy’s Law for the Ravens and euphoria for the Bills. Johnson took the pass and found a crease on the right side of a mass of players, cutting off the field, getting a key down block from Micah Hyde on Jackson and jumping the rest of the way for a big pick- six:
The fourth quarter was more of the same, even with Tyler Huntley replacing Jackson. The Ravens had their chances, but the Bills held on to their own side. Baltimore dropped a first goal from the Buffalo 8-yard line in the final minutes by 14 points, but the Ravens came up empty and scored the Bill’s victory.
Many analysts were excited about the bill’s defense effort, and rightly so:
Buffalo is now in the AFC title game for the first time since January 1994, when the Bills won their fourth consecutive AFC championship.
The Bills happened to play the Kansas City Chiefs at the time to win the Super Bowl, and it is possible that the same could happen now if the Chiefs beat the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
We’ll find out soon if the stars match the Bills, but no matter what happens, Western New York is home to an NFL powerhouse that can achieve long-term, sustainable success.
Missed Opportunities Doom Ravens in Winnable Game
The chance was there for the Ravens to take clues or at least keep up with the Bills, but Baltimore failed to capitalize on everything.
Tucker, who missed just one field goal under 50 yards all year, was down on two Saturdays. Yes, the wind certainly played a role in Orchard Park, but it was still great to see the biggest kicker of the game miss two field goals that are usually automatic for him.
In addition, the Ravens struggled almost every time they passed midfield. They didn’t have too much trouble moving the ball overall and even surpassed the Bills 340-220. The issue arose when the Ravens reached their field goals.
At that point, the Bills’ top seven were overwhelming, and Jackson could not connect with his receivers. Apostate passes did not help, nor did bad snaps from Patrick Mekari, who had a tough night against the Bills.
The Ravens were still out of account in the fourth quarter, though Jackson was forced to drop the game by 14 points. Huntley came in and impressed with his legs and arm, and the Ravens had a chance to pull inside seven after the quarterback launched the pass to a wide open Marquise Brown.
The speedster could have jumped in front of him in the end zone with nothing but green, but the Huntley pace was a little too long.
The Ravens got another chance to pick up a score and get off the Bills’ 8-yard line before the two-minute warning. A detached JK Dobbins pass and a barely lost connection from Huntley to Andrews sealed the Ravens’ fate.
In the end, the Ravens were their own biggest enemies. The credit to the Bills and their excellent defense for setting the tone in the win, but Baltimore had his shots throughout the night.
The Ravens did not utilize them, and now their season is over.
What’s next?
The bills will face the Kansas City Chiefs at 18:40 ET next week or host the Cleveland Browns in the AFC Championship Game.
Kansas City host Sunday at 3:05 p.m. ET Cleveland in the AFC Division Round.