Allen shook off early injury scares to engineer two fourth-quarter TD drives and lift Buffalo past Jacksonville


Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) pushes for a first down as Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Arik Armstead (91) tries to stop him during the second half of their NFL wild-card playoff game on Sunday in Jacksonville, Fla. CHRIS O'MEARA/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

In the first of three wild card games on Sunday, the Buffalo Bills went on the road and defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-24.

Josh Allen was the hero for the Bills, engineering a nine-play, 66-yard touchdown drive that resulted in the game-winning score with just over a minute remaining. On the first play of the Jaguars' attempted game-tying or game-winning drive, Cole Bishop intercepted Trevor Lawrence on a pass that was tipped into the air by Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White.

The Bills had trailed by four points twice in the fourth quarter, and both times Allen led touchdown drives to give them back the lead. On the afternoon, Allen completed 28 of 35 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 33 yards and two scores on 11 carries. That rushing line includes the game-winning touchdown on a tush push, which came after he previously converted a fourth-and-inches with a 10-yard run on the previous play.

Allen entered the medical tent twice in the first half -- once to be checked by the independent neurologist and once for a leg injury -- but he returned to the field both times and ultimately led his team to victory.

The Bills were bottled up in the run game by the league's No. 1 rushing defense as James Cook ran for only 46 yards on 15 carries, but Allen repeatedly peppered Khalil Shakir (12 receptions for 82 yards) with short passes and moved the chains with intermediate throws to the likes of Brandin Cooks, Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid, the last of whom caught Allen's touchdown pass.

On the opposite side of the ball, Trevor Lawrence went 18 of 30 for 207 yards and three touchdowns, but he was also intercepted twice, including on the Jaguars' final play of the game as they attempted to drive for the tying score. Lawrence's first interception came in the first quarter and led to a Bills field goal.

The Jaguars ran the ball 23 times for 154 yards, averaging 6.7 yards per carry against one of the worst run defenses in the NFL. They made timely plays in the passing game, with Parker Washington catching seven passes for 107 yards and a touchdown, Travis Etienne grabbing five for 49 and a touchdown and Brian Thomas Jr. hauling in two for 21 yards and a score. But their efforts ultimately proved futile thanks to Allen's heroics and the game-clinching interception by Bishop.

The Jaguars had multiple missed opportunities. They were stopped on a fourth-and-short deep in Buffalo territory, which led to a Bills touchdown drive on the next possession. And on their final possession of the first half, the Jaguars got into field-goal range but saw Cam Little hook his kick wide left. Lawrence also threw two interceptions, which led to three points the first time and the Bills kneeling out the clock the second.

Crazy fourth quarter
We had two absolutely bonkers finishes in the Saturday games, and the first of three games on Sunday did not disappoint.

This game tied the all-time playoff record for most go-ahead touchdowns in the fourth quarter of a playoff game, with the lead changing hands via touchdown four times in the final 15 minutes. Those four lead-changing scores also tied the mark for the most of all time in the fourth quarter of a playoff game. One of the games it tied was Saturday's Rams-Panthers game, which went similarly berserk in the final period.

Josh Allen's big day
This game marked Allen's first career game-winning drive in a playoff game. He could have had a couple previously in his career, but the Kansas City Chiefs ruined those plans with comeback victories after Allen had given the Bills a lead late in the game.

Allen brought the Bills back from two different fourth-quarter deficits, throwing a touchdown pass to Dalton Kincaid the first time and carrying the ball into the end zone on a tush push the second time. He also had a rushing score that gave the Bills a lead late in the second quarter.

Allen is now 8-6 in his playoff career, but he's been one of the best and most efficient quarterbacks in league history during his playoff runs. He's the all-time leading rusher for a quarterback in the playoffs, and he also holds the record for touchdown-to-interception ratio among qualified quarterbacks at 26-4.

Mistakes doom the Jaguars
As alluded to above, the Jags had several chances to make this a different result.

Lawrence was fooled by the coverage early in the game for his first interception, and had has pass deflected into the air in tight coverage for his second. The failed fourth-down run by Lawrence robbed the Jags of an opportunity to extend their early 7-3 lead, and the missed field goal by Little meant they trailed going into halftime rather than being tied.

With the final margin of victory being only three points, if the Jaguars had gotten a field goal on either of those latter two possessions, things could have been much different.

What's next?
Buffalo advances to the division round of the playoffs. Which team the Bills play will be determined mostly by the result of Sunday night's game between the Patriots and the Chargers. If the Patriots win, the Bills will travel to Denver to take on the top-seeded Broncos. If the Chargers win, the Bills will play against the winner of Monday night's Steelers vs. Texans game.

The Jaguars, obviously, are eliminated from the playoffs. They don't have a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, as it is headed to Cleveland thanks to last year's trade up the board to land Travis Hunter.

Source