Ravens-Bills takeaways: Buffalo punches ticket to AFC Championship game after chaotic finish

Here are three takeaways from a thrilling divisional-round game that sets up a star-studded AFC Championship game next Sunday between the Bills and Kansas City Chiefs.

Knee-jerk reaction: This may finally be the Bills’ year

The Bills are now just one win away from their first Super Bowl appearance since they lost their fourth straight in 1994.

While QB Josh Allen only had 127 passing yards on Sunday, he accounted for two of the Bills’ three rushing TDs, including this run that extended Buffalo’s lead to 21-10 with 16 seconds remaining in the opening half.

The Bills’ defense had a complete effort as well, forcing three Ravens turnovers and two from QB Lamar Jackson, who had not committed multiple turnovers in a game all season.

This fumble recovery from the veteran Von Miller set up a Bills touchdown moments later and gave them a lead they would not surrender the rest of the game.

This Buffalo team is talented on both sides of the ball and it showed once again. The Bills may have been outgained, 416-273, but they made the plays when they needed to and converted in the red zone (3-of-4), which especially bodes well this time of the season.

While Patrick Mahomes and the two-time defending Super Bowl-champion Chiefs await, the Bills head into that matchup as the only team to defeat the Chiefs at full strength this season back on Nov. 17. If there was ever an opportunity to put an end to their Super Bowl drought, it is hard to imagine a more opportune time for the Bills than right now.

Game MVP: Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard

Obviously, Allen could have received this award considering his overall value to the team. However, due to Bernard’s sensational efforts to punch the ball out and recover a fumble when the Ravens were moving the ball in the fourth quarter, he gets the honor for this one.

After the Ravens had scored on each of their second half drives, they appeared to be on their way to a third score in the fourth quarter until Bernard recovered his own forced fumble on TE Mark Andrews with 8:50 left.

Until that point, Baltimore had all the momentum after forcing Buffalo into a pair of punts and a field goal. While the Bills settled for another field goal after the turnover, they took 5:12 off the clock and put some additional pressure on the Ravens.

Allen continues to play like an MVP, but Bernard’s clutch plays on that fumble recovery kept more points off the board from the Ravens and allowed Buffalo to tack on an additional three points, which became extremely crucial in the closing seconds.

Quote: ‘You gotta catch that all day’

The Bills may have won the game, but the Ravens gave it everything they had on their final drive.

On a drive that started at the 12-yard line with 3:23 remaining, Ravens QB Lamar Jackson marched Baltimore down the field on a TD drive to pull it within two with 1:33 left. Unfortunately for the Ravens, this brutal drop from Andrews in the corner of the end zone will be the lasting memory of their season.

CBS color commentator Tony Romo reacted to the wide-open drop saying, “You gotta catch that all day.” That would be true for anyone in that situation, given the placement of the ball from Jackson. 

Considering the seven-year veteran Andrews has 51 career receiving TDs, and 11 this season, it was even more shocking that he did not make the catch, despite the adverse weather conditions.

While the Ravens committed three turnovers, they were in a position to tie the game until the crucial drop. Per the NFL on CBS, Baltimore’s 78 wins over the last seven seasons are the most in that span in NFL history without a Super Bowl appearance. What a tough way to finish a season for a team that continues to fall short in the postseason.