ORCHARD PARK — Sometimes the plays you don’t make end up as valuable as the ones you do.
Josh Allen has had far more impressive days at the office statistically than Sunday night’s Divisional Round victory over the Ravens. But he and the Bills offense played efficiently, especially in the running game, and just as importantly, they took care of the ball.
And when countered by an uncharacteristically sloppy Baltimore performance, that was just a perfect recipe for a win by the home team at Highmark Stadium.
Lamar Jackson, the two-time (and, by Super Bowl week, possibly three-time) MVP, will have another frustrating offseason of wondering what happened in the playoffs. Orchard Park is now the site of two of his playoff exits, having lost here in January 2021. In that game, Jackson’s hopes ended soon after throwing an interception at the goal line to Taron Johnson, who took it back for a 101-yard touchdown return, to the delight of a sparse home crowd amid COVID restrictions.
This time, Jackson gave the ball away twice, an interception and a fumble, before tight end Mark Andrews lost a third turnover in the second half. And while the Bills were certainly opportunistic when the ball became available, Jackson’s turnovers might be considered “unforced errors” in tennis terms.
In the visiting media room, Jackson was asked what he said to Andrews, whose two-point conversion drop ended dashed their overtime hopes. He naturally put blame on himself.
“We’re a team,” Jackson answered. “In the first half, I had two costly turnovers. Me not holding the safety, me just knowing the coverage and knowing it was man (coverage), I threw a B.S. interception.”
On the fumble, he added, “fumbled the snap trying to make something happen. It was like an RPO (run-pass option) play, so I couldn’t really throw the ball to (Isaiah) Likely, the offensive line was down the field, so I tried to make something happen, tried to squeeze the ball. It slipped out of my hand, they picked it up, got some yards that I think lead to points for them, so it’s a team effort out there.”
The way Derrick Henry and the Ravens ran all over Buffalo in Week 4, it was a bit surprising to see the Bills’ running attack outgaining the visitors 87-73 in the first half. They held a 21-10 lead at halftime despite running the ball 20 times and Allen attempting just seven passes.
“We’re having success in the running game,” Allen told reporters in the Bills’ media room. “Obviously when your defense forces turnovers like they did tonight, it puts you in (a) favorable position where you don’t have to throw all that much. Again we’re just relying on our back. (We) relied on our O-line, they did a heck of a job.”
Allen’s play of the day might’ve been his second touchdown run. The first was a routine tush-push at the goal line; the second, just before halftime, took a bit more. On third down from the four-yard line, he faked a handoff to Ty Johnson and took it himself the other way, through the right side of the line as three linemen helped him bulldoze through multiple defenders.
The Bills led the NFL in turnover differential in the regular season at plus-24, eight better than the Steelers’ 16. They took the ball away 32 times on defense and gave it away eight on offense, least in the league. Only the Ravens and Chargers threw fewer interceptions.
“It was fundamentals to the ball,” Allen said of Buffalo’s defense. “It’s something that hasn’t changed, it’s something that we preach in training camp and making sure that we’re holding onto the football and taking the football away on defense. That’s what you saw tonight.”
So it will be Allen who gets to duel with the other remaining quarterback superstar in the AFC, Patrick Mahomes. Before that playoff rivalry resumed, Allen and Jackson exchanged a warm postgame handshake on the Highmark turf.
“I’ve got nothin’ but love for Lamar,” Allen said. “He’s one of the greatest to ever put a uniform on and play in the NFL. Honored to share the field with him.”
Jackson said Allen gave him a “hats off” message in the handshake. The Ravens star wished Allen luck.
“Great players recognize greatness, and we both recognize each other,” he said, “but I told him, ‘Man, go get something. Go win something. MVP or Super Bowl. Do something.’ I want him to be successful.”
