Saturday, the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Raven’s went head-to-head for a chance to move play for the AFC Championship game. Everyone had their eyes on this game, looking for quarterbacks Lamar Jackson (Raven’s) and Josh Allen to secure a victory. Nonetheless, the Bill’s put the Raven’s down, punching their ticket to the next round, a final score of 17-3.
Neither team stood out at the beginning of the game and came out hesitant. Ending the first quarter, the Bills scored a late field goal with under 3 minutes left in play. The same was true for the second quarter, except the Raven’s earned a field goal with just 4 seconds left. Needless to say, going into halftime, it was not a very exciting game to watch, despite the close score.
When the time came for the third quarter to start, the Bills had a new sense of energy and determination. Taking advantage of the Raven’s slow defense, the Bills carried the ball into Raven’s territory getting within 5 yards of the red zone. Josh Allen threw a touchdown to Stefon Diggs, gaining the first touchdown, expanding their lead to 10- 3. As the quarter neared an end, the Bills didn’t stop. With 41 seconds left on the clock, cornerback Taron Johnson had a 101-yard return touchdown extending his team’s lead 17-3. Neither team scored in the fourth quarter.
What was very interesting was how much control and opportunity the Raven’s had but could not capitalize on them. In nearly every aspect of play, the Raven’s out beat the Bills. The Raven’s dominated in 1st downs (19), rushing yards (150), passing yards (190), and had possession of the ball for over half the game with 35 minutes and 33 seconds. So why was it so difficult for them to put up points? Perhaps the biggest reason was that the NFL’s most accurate kicker Justin Tucker put-up no points for his team. Tucker missed 2 field goals in the same game, both under 50 yards for the first time in his career, hitting the upright for both. Later on in the match, he missed yet another attempt.
Another big factor was that Lamar Jackson was injured after a poor snap went over his head; he scrambled to get the ball and throw it away, but two defensive men for the Bills were right on top of him, resulting in a concussion. He was ruled out for the remainder of the game after being taken off of the field; that is when backup quarterback Tyler Huntley jumped in, finishing for the Raven’s.
The Bills await their next opponent, playing the winner of the Chiefs vs. Browns who play January 17 at 3:05 p.m. (ET) and will be broadcasted on CBS. The winner of that game will take on the Bills January 24.
