Baltimore Ravens botch game-tying attempt as Buffalo Bills advance to AFC championship game
Josh Allen rushed for two touchdowns while the Buffalo Bills defence forced three crucial turnovers to advance to the AFC championship game with a 27-25 win over the Baltimore Ravens in a divisional playoff game on Monday (AEDT).
Buffalo hung on when a wide-open Mark Andrews dropped a two-point conversion pass from Lamar Jackson, allowing the ball to bounce off his chest with 1:33 left on the clock.
Jackson connected with a sliding Isaiah Likely for a 24-yard touchdown to give the Ravens a chance to tie, but their game-tying attempt was botched.
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Andrews wasn't touched by a Bills defender and dropped it cold in the endzone.
Mark Andrews drops the ball in the end zone. ESPN
The second-seed Bills advanced to the AFC championship game next weekend against the conference’s top-ranked team, the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Buffalo snapped a three-year run of being eliminated in the divisional round.
It’s a familiar match-up for Buffalo, who have been eliminated by the Chiefs in three of the past four post-seasons.
Allen scored on runs of one and four yards while Ray Davis also scored.
Tyler Bass hit both field goal attempts, including a 21-yarder with 3:29 left after the Bills stalled at Baltimore’s two-yard line. That drive was set up by the Ravens' third turnover, when linebacker Terrel Bernard stripped the ball from Andrews at the Buffalo 44.
Baltimore had one of the NFL’s most productive offences in the regular season but fell a win short of reaching the AFC title game, which they lost to the Chiefs a year ago.
Scrutiny of Jackson’s playoff performances will only increase as he fell to 3-5 in the postseason for his career, with the latest loss featuring two first-half turnovers.
In the NFC championship game, the Philadelphia Eagles will take on the Washington Commanders for a spot in the Super Bowl on February 10 (AEDT).
