Buffalo Bills Silence Critics with Gritty Win Over Ravens
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills were well aware of the outside noise. As they prepared for their divisional round game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Questions swirled online and on TV about how the Bills’ defense would handle the dynamic duo of quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry, along with the rest of the Ravens’ potent offense.
But instead of letting the skepticism get to them, the Bills’ defensive players used it as fuel. Despite the Ravens finding their rhythm in the second half, the Bills capitalized on Baltimore’s mistakes and secured a 27-25 win. This victory propels them to the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs, marking their second AFC championship appearance in the past 30 seasons.
Coach Sean McDermott acknowledged the external doubts, saying, “Our guys heard it all — they heard it all week long. We’re not big enough, we’re not strong enough. Not talented enough. Whatever it is, they heard it.” He added, “I don’t do the social media things, but I think most of those guys do. And look, we did, I think, in the first half a pretty darn good job. Second half, [Henry] got rolling a little bit. And he’s going to pop some runs, I mean, when he gets that momentum, he’s hard to stop. So, but even there, we could have done some things better, and I think fundamentally, so when we just look at this game, it came down to fundamentalism in football. And we talked a lot about that.”
The Bills’ defense was particularly effective in containing Henry, holding him to 84 rushing yards compared to the 199 yards he amassed in the Ravens’ 35-10 Week 4 win. The return of linebackers Terrel Bernard and Matt Milano, along with nickel cornerback Taron Johnson, was crucial after all three missed the first meeting. The Ravens’ offense managed 176 rushing yards on 20 carries, with nine runs of 10-plus yards.
Despite some miscues by the Baltimore offense, including a dropped 2-point conversion attempt by tight end Mark Andrews, the Bills’ defense capitalized with three takeaways against a team that had only 11 turnovers all regular season. The Bills’ offense took advantage, scoring touchdowns on three of four first-half possessions and avoiding turnovers.
Remarkably, the Bills have gone 21 straight games, including playoffs, without losing the turnover battle, tying the longest such streak in NFL history (the Rams also did it from 1952 to ’53).
Quarterback Josh Allen emphasized the team’s internal motivation, saying, “We don’t listen to the outside noise, but everyone was saying this and that about us and that we didn’t have enough talent, weren’t good enough to be in these positions and, our guys just continue to work hard and we’re internally driven. We love each other, and I think you saw how much we played for each other there.”
In the first half, the Bills held Baltimore to only 10 points despite the Ravens outgaining them in various areas. Key turnovers included an interception by safety Taylor Rapp (who left the game with a hip injury), a sack by safety Damar Hamlin, and a fumble recovery by defensive end Von Miller.
The Bills’ defense found success blitzing Jackson on 13 of 31 dropbacks (42%) and pressuring him on eight of those dropbacks, resulting in a pressure percentage of 62% when the Bills sent the blitz.
Defensive end AJ Epenesa expressed the defense’s pride, saying, “We have a lot of pride in ourselves, what we do here as a defense. Just speaking as a defense, we were told all week how they were going to do this, how they going to do that, and that just, I’d like to say, fueled us a little bit. We started this game a little hotter than we have in the past, and that’s something we’ve been emphasizing, and now we need to do that in the second half, start the second half hot and do those kind of things. But to come in with that fire and to kind of start the way we did, I think is good.”
The Ravens managed to score on three of four possessions in the second half, with Bernard forcing a fumble on the other drive, narrowing the gap to two points from an 11-point halftime deficit. However, the Bills held on for the win.
Tight end Dawson Knox noted the extra motivation, saying, “Some of it was ugly, some of it looked good, but end of the day we got the win, and I think there was a little extra motivation. Especially being, I think first time Bills [being] underdogs at home in the playoffs … a little extra can of worms or whatever you want to call it.”
Next up for the Bills is a familiar foe. They will face the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, seeking revenge for past postseason losses. The Chiefs have beaten Buffalo in all three playoff meetings with Allen and Patrick Mahomes at quarterback, including the 2020 AFC Championship Game. Allen and Mahomes are now tied for the second-most meetings between any two starting quarterbacks in NFL postseason history, with Tom Brady and Peyton Manning leading the list at five meetings.
The Bills defeated the Chiefs 30-21 earlier this season in Orchard Park.
Hamlin expressed his excitement, saying, “Yeah, man, it’s super exciting. To be playing for an AFC championship is like, crazy to think about, and I feel like it’s only right going up there and playing them. They’ve been what, two-time reigning Super Bowl champions. Back-to-back. No. 1 seed this year. Best record in the NFL. So, it’s only right that you got to go through Arrowhead. One of my favorite places to play.”
- Buffalo Bills advance to AFC Championship
- Defense holds Derrick Henry to 84 rushing yards
- Josh Allen emphasizes team unity and motivation
Originally Written by: Alaina Getzenberg
