Josh Allen leads Bills past Ravens and into AFC Championship Game


ORCHARD PARK, NY — Josh Allen galloped to the back of the end zone, looked toward the stands and flexed.

The Buffalo Bills quarterback followed center Connor McGovern for a score, stretching the Bills’ lead to 11 points over the Baltimore Ravens in Sunday’s divisional round. Although the Ravens recovered late, the Bills ultimately held on and won 27-25 to advance to the AFC Championship Game. A potential 2-point conversion by Mark Andrews and a subsequent onside kick recovery helped seal Buffalo’s victory.

This will be the second conference title game appearance of Allen’s career and ends a three-game losing streak in the divisional round.

Allen didn’t have a surprising passing performance in the matchup of the MVP favorites (completing 16 of 22 passes for 127 yards) but he led the offense to rushing touchdowns on three of four first-half drives. The quarterback also had eight carries for 22 yards.

Bills running back James Cook had 67 yards on 17 carries and kicker Tyler Bass kicked two field goals, including a 51-yarder. The Bills went 10-0 at home this season, tying their most home wins in a season in franchise history (1990).

The victory sets up another postseason showdown between the Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs. This will be the second AFC Championship meeting between Allen and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes; The couple met in 2020 in Kansas City. It is the fourth time the quarterbacks have faced each other in the playoffs. The Chiefs have won the previous three games.

Describe the game in two words: Statement made. The Bills were underdogs against the Ravens, and there were a lot of questions about how this team measured up to Baltimore. But the Bills responded to almost all of them, never losing the lead after leading 14-7 in the second quarter.

Fundamental game: Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard forced and recovered Mark Andrews’ fumble in the fourth quarter. With the Bills leading 24-19, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson connected with Andrews down the field, however, after catching the pass, Bernard hit the ball and jumped on him. The play not only gave the Bills offense the ball back late in the game, but it stopped what would have been a nice gain for the Ravens. The play was part of an opportunistic day for the Bills defense, which forced three takeaways against an offense that had only managed 11 in the regular season.

Worrying trend: Third down defense. The Bills defense struggled in the regular season on third downs (43.8%, fourth-worst) and that trend continued against the Ravens, who converted 7 of 10 third downs. The Ravens’ success on third down helped them rally in the second half. That was shown by Derrick Henry picking up 17 yards on a third-and-1 in the third quarter. –Alaina Getzenberg

Next match: at Chiefs (6:30 p.m. ET, CBS, Sunday)


Jackson had a performance unlike any of his this season, but eerily reminiscent of his playoff struggles.

After committing two turnovers, Jackson will have to wait another year to reach that elusive Super Bowl. He had multiple turnovers for the first time all season, but continues a trend in the postseason.

This was the fourth playoff game, Jackson threw an interception and lost a fumble. The Ravens are 0-4 in those games.

Jackson put Baltimore in position to tie the score with 1:33 left in the game when he hit Isaiah Likely for a 24-yard touchdown pass. But Andrews’ fall on the 2-point conversion sealed the disappointing loss.

Jackson falls to 1-4 in the divisional round and conference championship games. He remains the only two-time NFL MVP not to win a Super Bowl.

Worrying trend: The Ravens’ problems with 2-point conversions. Andrews’ fall prevented the Ravens from tying the score and became an all-too-familiar sight. It was the second failed 2-point conversion for Baltimore in this game, and the Ravens finished the season 1-for-5 in 2-point conversions. The Ravens’ only conversion came on a designed running play.

Fundamental game: Jackson fumble in the second quarter. With the score tied at 7, it looked like the Ravens were about to take the lead, but another mistake by Jackson cost them the score. After driving to the Bills 28-yard line, Jackson took a high snap and then lost control of the ball as he attempted to escape pressure. The Bills returned the fumble 39 yards and scored on Allen’s touchdown run four plays later. It was just the second time Jackson lost a fumble in his last 12 games.

Describe the game in two words: Unusual errors. After setting a team record in 2024 for fewest turnovers in a season (11), the Ravens turned the ball over three times against the Bills. The last came midway through the third quarter when Andrews was punched at midfield. This was the second fumble Andrews lost in his seven-year career. — Jaime Hensley



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