The Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles held on to clinch nail-biting victories in the NFL play-offs and move within one win of the Super Bowl.
The Bills won 27-25 in a much-anticipated Divisional Round game with the Baltimore Ravens after the Eagles clinched a 28-22 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
Both Sunday’s games were played in snow, with Baltimore’s trip to Buffalo seeing quarterbacks Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, the leading contenders to be named this season’s Most Valuable Player, go head-to-head.
And it was Allen who came out on top as the Bills set up another post-season match-up with the Kansas City Chiefs, the two-time defending champions, for a place in Super Bowl 59.
It was an agonising end to the season for Baltimore as tight end Mark Andrews dropped a two-point conversion that would have tied the game with 1:33 remaining.
Jackson won his second MVP award last season – and could well earn another when the winner is announced during Super Bowl week – yet seven years into his career, the NFL’s biggest game continues to elude him.
Not only is the 28-year-old still to reach the Super Bowl but he has only played in one AFC Championship game, losing to the Chiefs last season.
Instead, this year Kansas City will host Buffalo in the AFC Championship game next Sunday, while Philadelphia will welcome the Washington Commanders for the NFC Championship.MVP votes have already been cast so Allen and Jackson knew Sunday’s game would have no bearing on the winner, This was about their legacy.
They have been two of the NFL’s best quarterbacks since both being drafted in 2018 but like Jackson, Allen is also yet to reach a Super Bowl.
This will be the fourth time in five years that Buffalo will face Kansas City – and the Chiefs won all three of their previous match-ups, including an AFC Championship game in 2021.
Now Allen has another shot at toppling the Chiefs and their two-time MVP Patrick Mahomes, after continuing his fine form this season.The 28-year-old had two rushing touchdowns to help Buffalo into a 21-10 at half-time, while Baltimore’s three turnovers proved costly.
Jackson had struck first, finding Rashod Bateman for a 16-yard touchdown before the Bills hit straight back with Ray Davis punching it in from a yard.
The Ravens quarterback coughed up an interception and a fumble on Baltimore’s next two drives, with Bills linebacker Von Miller recovering the latter to set up the chance for Allen’s first score.
After Justin Tucker’s field goal cut the lead, Allen again barged into the end zone on short yardage to put Buffalo in charge at the interval.Baltimore have had the league’s best rushing offence and they got their run game going in the third quarter, claiming a field goal and a Derrick Henry touchdown.
They failed to convert a two-point attempt to draw level, before a Bills field goal made it 24-19. Then, with eight minutes remaining, Terrel Bernard punched the ball from Andrews’ hands and recovered the fumble to give Buffalo the chance to add another field goal.
The Ravens had 3:29 to salvage their season and Jackson cut the deficit by firing a 24-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely.Needing the two-point conversion to level the game, he seemed to have connected with Andrews but the ball squirmed from the tight end’s grasp on the goalline and the Ravens’ season was over.