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Adrian Kraus / Associated Press
The Buffalo Bills will play in the AFC Championship game for the first time in 27 years after beating the Baltimore Ravens 17-3 on Saturday in the divisional round.
The Bills, who hosted the Ravens at Bills Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, are just two wins away from their first-ever Super Bowl victory.
The turning point came near the end of the third quarter, when Bills defensive back Taron Johnson landed a pass from Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and sent it back 101 yards for a touchdown and an advantage. of 16-3 Bills.
The Bills and Ravens ended the first half in a 3-3 draw. Bills Wideout Stefon Diggs, who finished with eight catches for 106 yards, scored the game’s only offensive touchdown on a three-yard pass from the 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 on entering concussion protocol.
The 2019 NFL MVP recovered from a sloppy gun slam and threw an incomplete pass under pressure from Bills defensive players Trent Murphy and Tremaine Edmunds.
Jackson hit his head in the end zone and stayed down before entering the locker room on his own.
The Ravens’ season ended in the divisional round for the second year in a row. They finished 11-5 in the regular season before defeating the Tennessee Titans 20-13 in the wildcard round.
Notable performances
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson: 14 of 24, 162 passing yards, 1 INT; 9 carries, 34 rushing yards
Ravens WR Marquise Brown: 4 catches, 87 yards receiving
Ravens TE Mark Andrews: 4 catches, 28 receiving yards
Bills QB Josh Allen: 23 of 37, 206 passing yards, 1 TD
Bills WR Stefon Diggs: 8 catches, 106 receiving yards, 1 TD
Bills WR John Brown: 8 catches, 62 receiving yards
Bills Defense dominates the ravens attack
Allen, Diggs, and a powerful, explosive offense received most of the intrigue during this magical season from the Bills, but Buffalo’s defense worked as well, with playmakers such as Tre’Davious White, Jerry Hughes and Jordan Poyer. helping lead a unit that finished a respectable 12th in Football Outsiders’ OF THEM (value adjusted by the defense compared to the mean).
However, it was time for the defense to shine on a night when neither team could do much attacking. It was up to the D Bills to push Buffalo into the AFC title game, and that’s exactly what he did by bending (but not breaking) in the right places while also making plays of a crucial importance.
Levi Wallace was the first Bill to make a huge defensive play, sacking Jackson with the Ravens facing a 1st and 10 on the Buffalo 25-yard line in the first quarter:
This pushed the Ravens out of the firing range on a cold, windy night in western New York. Baltimore came back on the game with 13 yards in two plays, but Justin Tucker’s 41-yard field goal was not good.
The Ravens went on to go three times in two straight practices, but a fourth practice proved to be promising, with the team getting a first and a 10 on the Buffalo 35-yard line.
Once again, Buffalo passed, preventing Baltimore from getting another first try. Matt Milano was the star here with a tackle from running back Gus Edwards in the second down and a broken pass on the third.
Once again, Tucker missed another basket, this time by 46 yards.
The Bills continued to bend but not to break. Another Ravens practice saw the team go from a 2nd and 29th on their own 1-yard line to a 1st and 10 on their 46, but that effort ended with no points. Hughes made the Ravens work harder with that sack for a loss of nine yards:
Eventually, the Ravens finally slipped into the red zone and seriously threatened to score a touchdown. Jackson expertly sailed Baltimore on the field and entered the 10-yard line.
The quarterback then turned to his favorite target, Mark Andrews, to tie the game.
Back then, it was Murphy’s Law for Crows and Euphoria for Bills. Johnson picked the pass and found a crease in the right side of a mass of players, weaving his way down the pitch, getting a crucial Micah Hyde block on Jackson and sprinting the rest of the way for a huge pick of six:
The fourth quarter featured more of the same, even with Tyler Huntley replacing Jackson. The Ravens had their chances, but the Bills held their own. Baltimore scored a first and a goal on the Buffalo 8-yard line in the closing minutes with a 14-point drop, but the Ravens are empty, sealing the Bills victory.
Many analysts have praised the Bills’ defensive effort, and rightly so:
Buffalo is now in the AFC title game for the first time since January 1994, when the Bills claimed their fourth straight AFC championship victory.
The Bills played against the Kansas City Chiefs to make the Super Bowl at the time, and it’s possible the same will happen now if the Chiefs beat the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
We’ll soon find out if the stars align for the Bills, but whatever happens, western New York is home to an NFL powerhouse capable of long-term and enduring success.
Missed Opportunities Doom Ravens in the Winnable Game
The odds were there for the Ravens to take the lead or at least keep pace with the Bills, but Baltimore failed to capitalize on all of them.
Tucker, who has missed just one basket under 50 yards all year, had started two Saturdays. Yes, the wind certainly played a role at Orchard Park, but it was always amazing to see the game’s all-time greatest kicker miss two field goals that are usually automatic for him.
Additionally, the Ravens struggled almost every time they passed through midfield. They didn’t have too much trouble moving the ball overall and even passed the Bills 340-220. The problem arose when the Ravens encroached on the firing range.
At that point, the Bills’ first seven were overwhelming and Jackson was unable to connect with his receivers. The lost passes didn’t help, nor did the bad shots of Patrick Mekari, who had a rough night against the Bills.
Still, the Ravens weren’t outside the fourth quarter, even though Jackson was forced out of the game with the team down 14 points. Huntley arrived and impressed with his legs and arm, and the Ravens had a shot chance at seven after the quarterback threw a pass to Marquise Brown.
The speedster could have sprinted into the end zone with nothing but green in front of him, but Huntley’s pass was a bit too long.
The Ravens had yet another scoring chance, going to the Bills 8-yard line before the two-minute warning. However, an abandoned pass from JK Dobbins and a barely missed connection from Huntley to Andrews sealed the Ravens’ fate.
In the end, the Ravens were their own worst enemies. We thank the Bills and their excellent defense for setting the tone for the win, but Baltimore had their punches all night long.
The Ravens didn’t take advantage of it, and now their season is over.
And after?
The Bills will travel to face the Kansas City Chiefs or host the Cleveland Browns in the AFC Championship game next Sunday at 6:40 p.m. ET.
Kansas City will host Cleveland in the AFC Division Round Sunday at 3:05 p.m. ET.
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