Bills edge error-prone Ravens 27-25 to advance to AFC Championship Game

Lamar Jackson likely won the MVP award over Josh Allen, but the Bills quarterback won the only thing that mattered between the two this season.

Allen ran for two touchdowns and Jackson had two of the Ravens’ three turnovers as the Bills escaped with a 27-25 win in the weekend’s divisional round final. The Bills advance to the AFC Championship game against the Chiefs next Sunday.

Jackson, who is in his seventh season, fell to 3-5 in the postseason. He is the only two-time MVP winner without a Super Bowl ring and will likely win a third time three days before the Super Bowl. But he won’t play on Super Bowl Sunday.

The Bills scored 10 points off the Ravens’ three turnovers.

Jackson threw an interception to safety Taylor Rapp, who later left the game with a hip injury, but the Bills ended up losing it after making a fake call on Dion Dawkins. The Bills scored a touchdown on a Jackson fumble, which Von Miller returned 39 yards to the Baltimore 24.

Ravens tight end Mark Andrews had another down for the team, losing his first fumble since 2019.

With the Ravens driving, Andrews caught a 16-yard pass to the Buffalo 44 and was further ahead when Terrel Bernard punted and recovered the ball with 8:41 left.

The Bills turned that into a 21-yard field goal by Tyler Bass for a 27-19 lead with 3:29 remaining. Allen had two runs inside the fifth, but the Ravens defense held firm and kept him out of the end zone. This gave Jackson a chance.

Jackson completed a 27-yard pass to Tylan Wallace to the Buffalo 47 on the two-minute warning, and two plays later, he hit Andrews for a 19-yard gain. Isaiah will likely catch a 24-yard touchdown pass from Jackson with 1:33 left. Andrews was wide open on the two-point play but dropped the ball on a cold, snowy day in Buffalo.

Andrews’ drop was reminiscent of Cowboys tight end Jackie Smith being dropped in Super Bowl XIII.

With just one timeout remaining, the Ravens’ season ended on an onside kick, and Rasul Douglas recovered the fumble for the Bills.

The Ravens outgained the Bills 416 to 273, but it was the giveaways that contributed to their win.

Jackson completed 18 of 25 passes for 254 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He also ran for 39 yards on six carries. Derrick Henry ran for 84 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, and Justice Hill had six carries for 50 yards. He probably caught four passes for 73 yards and a touchdown.

Allen completed 16 of 27 passes for just 127 yards, but ran for touchdowns of 1 and 4 yards in the first half. The Bills lead 21-10 at halftime.

James Cook ran for 67 yards on 17 carries, and Khalil Shakir caught six passes for 67 yards.