Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - I never realized I had the ability to hold my breath for more than three hours. That was until Sunday night.
When Josh Allen took a knee and the Bills wrapped up their nail-biting, last will and testament-checking, 27-25 victory in the AFC Divisional Round over the Baltimore Ravens, I did two things: I left my sports bunker in our basement and went upstairs to share in the joy and utter relief with my wife, and then I went straight to the liquor cabinet. I needed a drink.
A Divisional Round exit for a fourth-straight season would have been a devastating blow, but the Bills used an opportunistic defense and efficient offense to advance to the AFC Championship Game for the second time in five years.
Of course they have to play Kansas City again, but I'm going to take some time to enjoy this win before I begin stressing out over the next game.
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If you didn't see the Bills-Ravens game and you just looked at the stats, you probably wouldn't think the Bills defense played well.
Baltimore totaled 416 yards, converted 70% (7-of-10) on third down, and went 2-for-3 in the red zone. They also ran the ball 30 times for 176 yards, which comes out to 5.9 yards a carry.
However, a Bills defense that had the third-most takeaways in the NFL during the regular season was at it again.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was picked off by Bills safety Taylor Rapp. His fellow safety Damar Hamlin forced a fumble on a sack of Jackson, and linebacker Terrel Bernard had a huge forced fumble and recovery on Ravens tight end Mark Andrews.
The Bills offense scored 10 points after those turnovers.
This was the first game all season in which Jackson had multiple turnovers. Andrews' lost fumble was his first in five years.
Baltimore had three turnovers, which is the same number of giveaways they had in the previous seven games combined!
The Bills defense kept Ravens running back Derrick Henry from chewing them up like he did in the regular season matchup.
Back in Week 4, Henry rushed for 199 yards, averaged 8.3 yards per-carry and had an 87-yard touchdown run on the very first offensive play from scrimmage for the Ravens.
In the rematch on Sunday, Henry had just 84 yards rushing (29 below his season average), 5.3 yards a carry, and his longest run was 17 yards.
The Bills defense also came up big in the second quarter on the drive right after a Bills touchdown put them up 14-7.
Baltimore came right back and had a 1st-and-goal at the Bills' 2-yard line. That is where the defense stopped the NFL's third-best red zone offense cold. The next three plays were a Henry run that lost a yard, a Greg Rousseau sack for minus-5 yards, and an incomplete pass.
Baltimore settled for a field goal, and the Bills maintained the lead.
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As far as the offense, the Bills were efficient.
As opposed to the Ravens, the Bills offense played a clean game. No turnovers and just one penalty, and the holding call on Dion Dawkins was a bad call.
As for Allen, he threw for just 127 yards. Khalil Shakir, who had 67 yards receiving, was the only player with more than 15 yards.
In a sign of how the Bills offense has evolved, it was their running game that led the way.
In the first half, as the Bills built a 21-10 lead, they ran the ball 20 times and passed only seven. James Cook, Ty Johnson and Ray Davis combined for 127 yards and one touchdown on 26 carries.
The Bills also finished drives much better than they did in the AFC Wild Card Round triumph over the Denver Broncos. Allen and company were 3-for-4 in the red zone.
Special teams chipped in, as Tyler Bass continued his second half of the season resurgence. Bass connected on all three of his extra point attempts (he is 31 for his last 32), and was 2-for-2 on field goal attempts. That included a clutch 51-yard field goal in the fourth quarter that gave the Bills a little breathing room at 24-19.
Bonus notes:
- The Bills finished the home portion of their schedule a perfect 10-0.
- Allen had no turnovers for the 11th time in 18 games this season.
- Allen extended his streak of postseason passes without an interception to 117.
- The Bills are 7-2 at home in the playoffs under head coach Sean McDermott.
- This was the closest margin of victory for the Bills this season.
- The Bills are 6-2 in one-score games (not including the regular season finale against the New England Patriots).
- Tyler Bass is 5-for-5 on field goal attempts of 50-plus yards this season.
Now it's on to Kansas City and another playoff showdown with the Chiefs.