Josh Allen threw a touchdown pass and ran for two more scores to lead the Buffalo Bills to their first road playoff victory in 33 years in a 27-24 win over the host Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday in an AFC wild-card round matchup.
Allen, who went to the injury tent twice in the first half after sustaining head, hand and knee injuries, led a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown drives, scoring the game-winner on a 1-yard keeper with 1:04 left.
On the first play of the ensuing drive, Trevor Lawrence’s pass was intercepted by Cole Bishop off a deflection to secure the victory with 54 seconds remaining.
“To have the wherewithal to not blink, that’s the mantra we’ve adopted this year,” Allen said, who declined to discuss his injuries. “If we’ve got time left and we’ve got the ball, we’ve got a shot. You saw that there today.”
The Bills snapped a streak of eight straight road playoff losses at the end of a dramatic fourth quarter which saw 28 points scored — more than the 23 scored in the first three quarters. Four fourth-quarter lead changes were tied for the most in a postseason game in NFL history.
“Our guys are tough, resilient,” said Bills coach Sean McDermott, who went on to call Allen “a warrior.”
“There’s a lot we need to work on as we go back to work this week, but I couldn’t be more proud of the guys, the entire team, the coaching staff as well, what they did to stick with it.”
Allen completed 28 of 35 passes for 273 yards and ran for 33 yards, leading the Bills to their sixth straight win in a playoff opener. Khalil Shakir caught 12 passes for 82 yards, and Brandin Cooks had three receptions for 58 yards, including a 36-yard grab on the game-winning drive.
NFL rushing leader James Cook III was held to 46 yards on 15 carries.
Lawrence threw three touchdowns, two of which gave the Jaguars a lead in the fourth quarter, along with two interceptions on 18-of-30 passing for 207 yards.
“I have so much confidence in this group and the staff and the direction we’re heading, but that doesn’t make you feel better about the season ending today when we feel like there was more out there for us,” Lawrence said. “So it’s still really, really disappointing. Guys care a lot about it, and that’s why we’re all feeling this way.”
Parker Washington had a game-high 107 receiving yards and a TD on seven receptions despite missing much of the first half while being evaluated for a concussion. Travis Etienne Jr. had 67 rushing yards, 49 receiving yards and a touchdown catch for Jacksonville.
Buffalo struck first after taking over at the Jaguars’ 33 on a Shaq Thompson interception. However, the Bills were unable to pick up a first down and forced to settle for Matt Prater’s 50-yard field goal.
Jacksonville did not waste its first scoring chance, converting on a 3-yard pass from Lawrence to Brian Thomas Jr. to give Jacksonville a 7-3 lead with 14:14 left in the first half.
The Jaguars had a prime chance to extend that lead when they forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff but came up just short on Lawrence’s fourth-down keeper in the red zone.
Buffalo delivered a 10-play, 92-yard drive finished with a 2-yard Allen TD run to take a 10-7 lead with 5:37 left in the half. Jacksonville’s Cam Little missed a field goal just before halftime.
The teams traded field goals to begin the second half before Jacksonville forced a punt and reclaimed the lead at 17-13 with 12:55 left on Washington’s 6-yard touchdown catch.
Buffalo responded with a touchdown drive of its own, with Allen finding Dalton Kincaid for a 15-yard score to take a 20-17 lead with 8:56 left.
Jacksonville moved back in front on a 14-yard catch by Etienne with 4:03 left.
–Field Level Media
