Josh Allen, Bills hold off Ravens to reach AFC title game after late 2-point pass is dropped

On By Littum

The Buffalo Bills have had some heartbreak in the playoffs. They had to take a break.

The Baltimore Ravens scored a touchdown with 1:33 left and had a 2-point conversion perfect to tie. But tight end Mark Andrews had a great drop on a pass that hit him in the hands, it fell incomplete, and the Bills advanced to the AFC Championship Game with a 27-25 victory Sunday night.

It wasn’t some great defensive play that won the game for the Bills. It was just a fluke that Andrews, one of the NFL’s best tight ends, dropped a pass he almost always catches. And Buffalo won’t turn down a lucky break.

The Bills get another shot at the Kansas City Chiefs. The Bills are 0-3 against Kansas City in the playoffs this decade. They lost in the AFC Championship game at the end of the 2020 season. They had the infamous “13 seconds” loss in a divisional round classic three seasons ago and had some bad flashbacks when kicker Tyler Bass missed wide in a loss to Kansas City last season.

ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 19: Mark Andrews #89 of the Baltimore Ravens throws a pass on a two-point conversion during the second half of an NFL football divisional playoff game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on January 19, 2025 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 19: Mark Andrews #89 of the Baltimore Ravens throws a pass on a two-point conversion during the second half of an NFL football divisional playoff game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on January 19, 2025 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

Mark Andrews’ drop late in the fourth quarter helped doom the Ravens in the Bills’ 27-25 win in the AFC divisional round. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

On a day where Josh Allen had a relatively quiet game by his standards, passing for just 127 yards and also not making a massive impact on the ground, the Bills stepped up around him to handle the challenge of a very good Ravens team. The defense made big plays. Running backs controlled the game on the ground. The Bills had a good all-around performance.

And then they got a massive layoff that the Ravens will be thinking about all offseason.

One of the Ravens’ problems in previous playoff disappointments was untimely turnovers. It popped up again right away against the Bills.

In the first quarter, Jackson threw a strange interception that Bills safety Taylor Rapp was waiting for after Rashod Bateman either slowed down his route or Jackson rushed the throw. Either way, it was the type of interception Jackson almost never threw during the regular season. He had just four all season.

Then in the second quarter there was an even bigger mistake. With the Ravens running, there was a fumbled snap. Jackson was being tackled for a loss by Damar Hamlin when he lost the ball. Von Miller picked up the ball and returned it 39 yards. That set up an Allen touchdown on a quarterback sneak and the Bills led 14-7.

Baltimore had just 11 turnovers in the regular season, third fewest in the NFL. The Ravens didn’t turn it over in the wild-card round. So in the first 19 minutes of Sunday night’s game, the Ravens turned it over twice.

Give the bills credit. Their defense found ways to confuse Jackson and also mostly keep the Ravens out of the end zone. The Ravens scored 10 points in the first half, and considering how explosive their offense is, that wasn’t a bad result for Buffalo.

The first half went as well as the Bills could have hoped. A touchdown in the final minute of the first half put Buffalo up 21-10 at halftime, and they were set to get the ball first in the second half. .

Buffalo couldn’t have written it much better. But the ravens would not just disappear easily.

The Bills’ offense stalled in the third quarter. A couple of punts led to a Ravens field goal and then a Derrick Henry touchdown. The 2-point conversion after Henry’s touchdown was knocked down, but the Ravens had cut Buffalo’s lead to 21-19. A comfortable lead was far from comfortable anymore.

The Bills have been good running the ball, but there were starting to be questions about why their MVP quarterback wasn’t a bigger focus. Allen didn’t even have more than 100 yards passing until the fourth quarter. It seemed to keep the game close.

But the Bills’ defense came up with a huge momentum-turning play. Andrews caught a pass over the middle for a first down, with the Ravens trailing 24-19, but linebacker Terrel Bernard batted it away for a fumble. The bills were recovered. It was only the second lost fumble of Andrews’ career, and the first since 2019.

Buffalo had a clock-chewing drive after that, and Allen was a big part of that, keeping the chains moving through some short passes and a big quarterback sneak on third down. Allen was stopped on third-and-goal, but the Bills got a field goal to push their lead to 27-19.

That meant Jackson still had a chance with 3:23 left and needed a touchdown and 2-point conversion to tie the game. Jackson started the drive with a big pass that rolled to his right and hit Tylan Wallace for 27 yards to get the Ravens past midfield after the two minute warning. Then Jackson hit a long pass to Andrews that got the Ravens to Buffalo’s 24-yard line. The Bills dropped into coverage on the play after that, and Jackson stood in the pocket, waiting for something to open, and he hit Isaiah Likely for a touchdown with 1:33 left.

That set up a 2-point conversion for the tie. Jackson rolled out and got Andrews but Andrews dropped it. It’s heartbreak for the Ravens. The Bills are used to that feeling.

The Bills had a huge challenge against the Ravens on Sunday night and found a way to come through. The Chiefs have been the last Chief they can’t get past on their way to the franchise’s first Super Bowl in 31 years. Maybe luck is finally on their side.

LIVE COVERAGE HAS ENDED60 updates

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    ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 19: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens passes the ball to Justice Hill #43 against the Buffalo Bills in the first quarter during the AFC Divisional Playoff at Highmark Stadium on January 19, 2025 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 19: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens passes the ball to Justice Hill #43 against the Buffalo Bills in the first quarter during the AFC Divisional Playoff at Highmark Stadium on January 19, 2025 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

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