For some, this will be a referendum on Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. For others, it’s a triumphant moment for Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.
However you slice it, the Bills are moving on, going to their second AFC championship game in five seasons after beating the Ravens, 27–25, at Highmark Stadium on Sunday night.
In a game billed as two great quarterbacks battling it out, neither put up massive numbers. Allen accounted for 147 total yards, while Jackson threw for 254 yards and ran for 39, while also losing a key fumble and throwing an interception.
Looking forward, here are five takeaways to remember from this AFC divisional round clash.
Fair or not, Lamar Jackson is going to wear this loss for awhile
Jackson is one of the defining players of this generation. In a few weeks, he could be a three-time MVP. And, yet, he’s only reached the AFC title game once. In the playoffs, Jackson is now 3–5 with two losses to Allen and one to Patrick Mahomes.
Going into the offseason, Jackson is going to hear all the noise. He’s going to be told he’s a choke artist. He’s going to be told that he’ll never win the big one. He’ll be told that he’s on borrowed time as a 28-year-old who depends heavily on his legs. The Ravens will remain an elite contender, but they’ll be treated in some corners as a paper tiger due to their January struggles. Jackson will be the poster child for those.
Jackson has been utterly brilliant all year long, but two turnovers in his biggest game of the year will define his 2024 season.
Baltimore will be haunted by its mistakes for quite some time
Speaking of Jackson’s turnovers, those are far from the only mistakes which cost the Ravens a trip to their second consecutive AFC title game.
Seventh-year tight end Mark Andrews, a fellow member of Jackson’s 2018 draft class, will forever be linked to this one. In the fourth quarter, with Baltimore driving and trailing by just five points, Andrews fumbled when Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard punched the ball out of his grasp. Then, in the final two minutes, with Baltimore down 27–25 and needing a two-point conversion, offensive coordinator Todd Monken drew up a perfect play for Andrews in the front corner of the end zone, only to see Andrews drop the pass.
Additionally, Baltimore failed to score a touchdown on first-and-goal at Buffalo’s 2-yard line in the first half when Jackson took a five-yard sack on second down. The Ravens also took a crucial delay of game penalty on third-and-12 in the third quarter, taking away any real hope of a conversion and forcing a field goal attempt.
It was a night of miscues for Baltimore.
Josh Allen has his chance to finally get over the hump … in Kansas City
For the first time since 2020, Allen and the Bills are headed to the AFC title game. And just like that year, they’ll be headed to Arrowhead Stadium, where the Chiefs will be waiting after their divisional round win over the Houston Texans on Saturday evening.
Nothing would be more poetic for Allen than finally beating Kansas City when it matters most. He’s won four consecutive regular-season games against the Chiefs, including handing Andy Reid’s team their only true loss in November (Kansas City’s other defeat this season came with their backups in Week 18).
Now, Allen has a shot to end Kansas City’s dreams of a historic Super Bowl three-peat by going back to Arrowhead and handling Mahomes & Co.
Buffalo’s ground game has been great all year, and it was again Sunday
The Bills didn’t ask Allen to be Superman on Sunday. Instead, he played a supporting role as a passer, only throwing the ball 22 times for 127 yards (5.8 YPA). It was a middling day from a statistical standpoint, and yet the offense was able to churn out 27 points, largely because Buffalo ran for 147 yards and three touchdowns on 4.1 yards per carry.
In Week 11 against the Chiefs, the Bills scored 30 points but struggled to get the ground attack going with just 101 rushing yards on 3.1 YPC. It’ll be fascinating to see how dedicated they are to pounding the ball, or whether they’ll have Allen drop back and try to beat Kansas City’s secondary, which this time will have corner Jaylen Watson healthy.
In that aforementioned win over the Chiefs, Allen threw for 262 yards on 6.6 yards per attempt, but ultimately won the game on a 26-yard scramble for a touchdown to clinch the game late.
Buffalo will need to be better defensively against Mahomes
The Bills know they can beat the Chiefs. They’ve done it each of the past four seasons. The problem? They’re 0–3 against Mahomes in the playoffs, largely because they’ve struggled to get pressure. In those three games, Mahomes has been sacked just three times, causing a grand total of eight lost yards.
Against Jackson, Buffalo often allowed him to sit back and scan the field for eons without the benefit of a blitz. Bringing extra pressure against Baltimore without star receiver Zay Flowers is one thing. Doing it against Mahomes and his full arsenal is another.
For the Bills to reach their first Super Bowl since the 1993 season, they must get more pressure on Mahomes than they have in the past, while doing a better job of covering receivers than what we saw against the Ravens.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Divisional Rapid Reaction: Bills Get Another Shot at Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes.
