How the Buffalo Bills Reached the A.F.C. Championship Game (Published 2021) (2024)

The Bills will play in the A.F.C. championship game for the first time in 27 years.

The Bills (13-3) scored 501 points in the regular season and had the N.F.L.’s second-best offense, but it was its defense that was the difference. The Bills stifled the Ravens’ passing game, holding quarterback Lamar Jackson without a touchdown on 14 of 24 passing for 162 yards before he was knocked out of the game on a tackle in the end zone after a botched snap in the fourth quarter.

A tight slugfest changed instantly late in the third quarter when Jackson threw a pass meant for tight end Mark Andrews that was intercepted by Bills cornerback Taron Johnson, who ran the returned the ball 101 yards for a pick-six. On the following drive, Jackson was thrown to the ground and slammed his head against the turf in the end zone. Trainers escorted him to the locker room, where he was diagnosed with a concussion.

His replacement, rookie quarterback, Tyler Huntley, tried to rally the Ravens in the fourth quarter and nearly hit receiver Marquise Brown with a bomb of over 30 yards that might have narrowed the deficit.

The Bills offense wasn’t pretty. Josh Allen was 23 of 37 for 206 yards and one touchdown, a 3-yard score to receiver Stefon Diggs. There were few big gains. Diggs, the N.F.L. leader in receiving yards with 1,535, had eight receptions for 106 yards. The Bills ran the ball 16 times for 32 yards.

“You don’t get style points for winning in the playoffs,” Allen said of the team’s performance after the game.

The game also included four missed field goals, including two by the normally sure-footed Ravens kicker Justin Tucker. The Ravens had 120 yards more in total offense and held the ball for 11 more minutes than the Bills.

But Bills fans, who haven’t sniffed the Super Bowl in nearly 30 years and endured a 25-year drought between playoff wins, will take it. For the second-straight week, about 6,000 fans were allowed to attend the Bills home game, and they made themselves heard. If the No. 6 seed Browns upset the top-seeded Chiefs, the Bills will host another playoff game.

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Tyler Huntley just missed a moonshot touchdown pass.

The Bills did not do much with the opportunity. Their drive stalled at the Baltimore 26-yard line and kicker Tyler Bass missed his second field goal attempt of the game. The Bills took just 1:06 off the clock.

Lamar Jackson is out after a tackle following a botched snap.

On second-and-10 at the Ravens’ 25-yard line, Jackson lined up in the shotgun. After recovering an errant snap on the eight-yard line, Jackson scrambled backward to the Ravens end zone.

As Jackson threw the ball out of bounds, he was tackled by Bills linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. Jackson’s head slammed against the turf and he laid on his back for a few minutes as trainers ran on to the field.

Jackson was charged with intentional grounding and walked to the locker room where he was evaluated.

He was replaced by rookie quarterback Tyler Huntley, who scrambled from the 2-yard line for a 19-yard gain before the Ravens punted the ball.

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Lamar Jackson threw a pick-six to put the Bills up, 17-3.

Johnson eluded several tacklers and sprinted down the field for a 101-yard interception return.

Johnson had lined up near the line, then moved backward in zone coverage before jumping in front of Jackson’s pass, which was aimed at Ravens tight end Mark Andrews.

Johnson’s 101-yard return tied a playoff record.

The Bills returned to the run to set up a touchdown for Stefon Diggs.

On second-and-goal from the Ravens three yard line, Allen had three receivers lined up left with only two Ravens defenders nearby. Diggs took one step back, caught Allen’s pass, and ran into the end zone for the game’s first touchdown.

In all, the Bills ran the ball four times on their 11-play scoring drive.

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Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen have both thrown for more than 100 yards, but no touchdowns.

The Bills ran the ball just three times in the first half, one of which was Allen’s kneel to end the half, perhaps mindful that the Ravens held the league’s leading rusher, the Titans’ Derrick Henry, in check last week.

The record for fewest rushing attempts in a playoff game is eight, according to Pro Football Reference.

The Ravens, who had the league’s best running offense, had a more balanced attack. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who is the first quarterback to run for more than 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons, ran the ball seven times for 18 yards. As a team, they ran the ball 18 times. Jackson completed eight of 15 pass attempts for 118 yards.

The Ravens’ ability to run the ball helped them dominate time of possession. They had the ball for about 20 minutes, twice as long as the Bills.

Field goal misses have dogged both teams but the Bills lead 3-0.

Bills rookie kicker Tyler Bass contributed a doink of his own. Bass hit one field goal from 28 yards for Buffalo’s only score. But he missed his next attempt, from 43 yards out, also into to the wind.

The temperature was around freezing at kickoff with winds gusting at about 15 miles per hour.

Neither team has sniffed the end zone. The Bills came closest when, on first-and-10 from the Buffalo 37-yard line, quarterback Josh Allen overthrew receiver Stefon Diggs on a deep route. Diggs had beaten the coverage and would have had a clear path to the end zone had the pass been on target.

Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson has done some Lamar Jackson-type things.

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Typically automatic, Justin Tucker’s field-goal attempt fails on the Ravens’ opening drive.

Tucker also missed a 52-yard kick last weekend in Nashville against the Titans. Tucker had made 48 straight field goals in the fourth quarter or overtime. Tucker, though, came back to make a 51-yard kick that helped secure the Ravens’ victory.

According to Pro Football Reference, this is the first time since 2015 that Tucker has missed field goals in consecutive games.

The Ravens and the Bills are almost inverse images of one another.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen threw for more than 4,500 yards and has one of the N.F.L.’s best receivers in Stefon Diggs. They will face the sixth-best pass defense in the league, led by cornerback Marlon Humphrey.

The Bills defense will go up against the league’s top running game, led by quarterback Lamar Jackson and running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards. The Ravens ran for more than 3,000 yards for the second-straight season and had 236 yards rushing last weekend in their victory over the Tennessee Titans. The Bills had the 20th best defense against the run.

Third downs will be key.

Both teams were excellent on third down in the regular season. The Ravens converted 49.1 percent of their third downs, second-best in the league, while the Bills were fourth at 48.5 percent.

But the Ravens had a far better defense on third down. Teams converted just 34 percent of their chances, No. 2 in the league. The Bills defense ranked 16th on third downs.

Another variable: The weather in Orchard Park, N.Y. The temperature at kickoff was just above freezing with light winds and no snow forecast.

The winner will play in the A.F.C. Championship game next Sunday against the defending champion Kansas Chiefs or the Cleveland Browns. The Bills haven’t been to the conference title game since the 1993 season, when they made it to the Super Bowl (and lost) for the fourth consecutive year. The Ravens haven’t been that far since the 2012 season, when they went on to win Super Bowl XLVII.

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How the Green Bay Packers routed the Los Angeles Rams to reach the N.F.C. title game.

But hobbled by an injury to his ribs, Donald was frequently sidelined Saturday and would make only one tackle in the game. While Rodgers had another patient and skillful postseason performance that included two touchdown passes, it was the Green Bay rushing attack — powered by the authoritative push of its offensive line — that led the way to a steady 32-18 victory.

“They were the stars of the game tonight,” Rodgers said of his offensive linemen. “They dominated.”

The Packers, who rushed for 188 yards and logged 484 total yards, advance to the N.F.C. championship game next weekend at Green Bay’s Lambeau Field against the winner of Sunday’s game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints. It will be Rodgers’s fifth N.F.C. title game appearance but his first at home in Green Bay.

Saturday was the first time this season that the Packers had hosted spectators for a home game and roughly 8,500 fans, which included families of team employees, flocked to Lambeau Field. Rodgers said he was hoping for an even bigger crowd next weekend.

“It was a joy to see them,” Rodgers said of the Packers faithful. Looking forward to their return for the first N.F.C. championship game in Green Bay since 2008, Rodgers added: “It means a lot. Got me emotional with the crowd out there today.”

Green Bay running back Aaron Jones had 99 rushing yards on 14 carries, including a backbreaking 60-yard dash on the Packers’ first play of the second half. When Jones ended that Packers possession with a 1-yard touchdown run, it stalled a brief rally the Rams had mounted in the second quarter.

The Packers had taken a 19-10 first half lead on two Mason Crosby field goals, a nifty, scrambling 1-yard touchdown run by Rodgers and a 1-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers, who completed 23 of 36 passes for 296 yards, to wide receiver Davante Adams, who caught nine passes for 66 yards.

Los Angeles rallied to make a third-quarter run at the Packers. Rams quarterback Jared Goff, who completed 21 of 27 passes for 174 yards and one touchdown, had seemed out of sync to that point. Perhaps it was because he was without one of his top receiving targets, Cooper Kupp, who missed the game with a knee injury. But to start the second half, Goff completed six consecutive passes for 51 yards.

The Rams then went back to the rushing attack, and on a first-and-goal from the Packers’ 7-yard line, running back Cam Akers took a direct snap and bulled into the end zone. The Packers’ lead was trimmed to seven points.

But Jones and Rodgers were not deterred.

After pounding the middle of the Rams defensive line with running plays for much of one possession, Rodgers audibled at the line of scrimmage on a second down to call a deep pass to wide receiver Allen Lazard. Rodgers began the play with a backfield play-action fake and then connected with Lazard, who split two defenders and caught a perfectly placed ball in the open field for a 58-yard touchdown.

The score put the Packers ahead, 32-18, with under seven minutes remaining. The Rams did not get past the Green Bay 47-yard line in the game’s closing minutes.