For the first time in nearly 30 years, the Buffalo Bills are returning to the AFC Championship. And, in concordance with the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night, the second-ranked contenders at the conference were not perfect in the stormy Orchard Park. Josh Allen & Co. only managed to score three points in the erratic first half, and even after Ravens Lamar Jackson was knocked out in the fourth quarter due to a concussion, the billing team nearly allowed rookie Tyler Huntley to pull Baltimore within one point. However, Buffalo made a big splash when he counted, with Allen finding Stefon Diggs to get the only offensive score of the night and Taron Johnson making NFL history with a 101-yard interception for a return for the touchdown – easily more massive gameplay in a 17-3 divisional round victory.
Jackson, who was reported for deliberate grounding in his last play after a bad shot forced him into his end zone, struggled to get the crows out of the offensive stagnation that was evident from the start. On the other hand, Allen was not as dead in the air as he often was during the MVP-caliber 2020 campaign but he managed to handle the ball well enough. On the other hand, Biles’ defense really came out on the home side, scoring two fourth stops down and taking one of the best ground attacks in the game to not only advance but keep winning.
Here are some instant takeaways from the historic Saturday night Bills victory:
Why won the bill
That’s defense, man. It’s kind of funny how Sean McDermott’s super unit took a back seat at this year’s Josh Allen assault show, only to show up here and actually win the Bills title for the first time in her first show since 1993. Mika Hyde collapses on thrones to Matt Milan and Tremin Edmunds Which contains Lamar Jackson, Tridefus White, and Taron Johnson (!) Throttling passing windows. Allen was good enough to run the lead after calling Diggs to switch off one of the few smooth night drives, and Diggs and John Brown showed up, but that was all about Buffalo “D.” Johnson will be a staple in the Bills tradition in Pick Six.
Why did the crows lose
Their insult was painfully one-dimensional – and it wasn’t good at its only dimension. Greg Roman might have taken over the NFL when he unleashed Jackson as the focus of a relentless, hasty attack again in 2019, but the boy who did the entire process seemed stalled and sluggish. It didn’t help that Matt Sakura apparently forgot to kick off at various points in the game, but from Jackson and beyond, everything lacked excitement. Neither Jackson, Goss Edwards, nor JK Dobbins reached 45 yards on the ground, and the number 8 accidental velocity could not replace an aerial game that did not exist except for a few Marquise Brown engravings. Jackson’s departure wasn’t as annoying as it could have been, with Tyler Huntley at least striking a reserve, but make no mistake: This loss was straightforward due to Baltimore’s inability to do anything with the ball, Especially while driving deep into Buffalo Territory.
turning point
Nothing but picking six. The entire first half was ugly to both sides, but the crows finally seemed to knock the door at the end of the third half. Chewing the roughly nine minutes of an hour at a 15-game distance all the way to the 9-yard Buffalo streak, Baltimore not only failed to turn a shot into the finish area and the third goal, which would have leveled the match went in to TD’s. The Bills also gave the swing unimaginable momentum, not to mention six points, when he inexplicably threw Jackson in a triple cover and saw Taron Johnson race at a 101-yard pick to push the dirt. Until 3-17 after the takeaway, bills never looked back.
Play the game
You should already know. Leave it to Johnson, who has dug himself into the history books:
What’s Next
The Bills will face the winner in Sunday’s match between the Browns-Chiefs at the AFC, with the opportunity to represent the convention in the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, the Ravens will kick off the 2021 season with some key questions about the sustainability of Roman’s attack and / or Jackson’s jeep pass abilities.
