Defense still wins in the postseason.
Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier designed an excellent game plan and his defense executed Saturday night as they held Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens to just one field goal in the 17-3 win.
Josh Allen and the Bills offense scored only one touchdown in the victory. Allen completed 23-of-37 passes for 206 yards and the Bills' touchdown.
Wide receiver Stefon Diggs had game-high eight catches for 106 yards and the game’s only offensive touchdown.
The Bills earned their first AFC Championship Game berth since the 1993 season.
Here’s what we learned in the divisional round playoff game:
Both defense stout in first half, but Buffalo continues stingy defense after halftime
Halftime featured a baseball score in Buffalo. The Ravens and Bills were all knotted up at three at the break.
Frazier drew up a good defensive game plan and his players executed. Buffalo’s defense prioritized keeping Jackson in the pocket. Jackson had only 18 rushing yards on seven attempts in the first half. Baltimore had 77 rushing yards as a team at halftime.
Through the air, Baltimore managed to have two big plays in the first half. One was a completed pass along the sideline to running back J.K. Dobbins. The other was a 30-yard completion to wide receiver Marquise Brown, which led to a game-tying field at the end of the first half.
Buffalo almost exclusively relied on its passing game in the first game. The Bills had 22 pass attempts and just three rushing attempts. The Bills converted a field goal on their second possession but were held scoreless throughout the rest of the first half.
However, it was the Bills who continued their stingy defense into the second half. Buffalo’s defense held Baltimore scoreless after halftime and even got a backbreaking interception return for a touchdown by cornerback Taron Johnson.
Baltimore gained 340 of total offense and entered Buffalo’s side of the field five times, but the Bills put the clamps on the Ravens offense when they approached scoring territory.
Game-altering turnover
Jackson threw a debilitating interception late in the third quarter when Baltimore was in the red zone. The Ravens QB tried to force the football into tight coverage to tight end Mark Andrews in the end zone. Johnson intercepted the ball in the end zone and return it 101 yards for a touchdown to extend Buffalo’s lead 17-3.
Baltimore never recovered from the pick six. Johnson’s interception was the decisive play of the game.
Errant snaps hurt Ravens
Ravens center Patrick Mekari was erratic snapping the football when the team was in shotgun. Mekari had a few errant snaps that got away from Jackson, including one in the red zone and another that nearly cost the team a safety at the end of third quarter.
To make matters worse, Mekari’s bad snap in the third quarter wound up getting Jackson in concussion protocol. Jackson grabbed Mekari’s errant snap near the team’s own end zone and heaved the football away to avoid a safety. Jackson went down hard trying to throw the football away. After the play, the Ravens QB went into the locker room to be evaluated for a concussion. The Ravens officially declared Jackson out in the fourth quarter.
Tyler Huntley replaced Jackson at QB and was ineffective.
Mekari had a forgettable performance, but the Ravens' entire offense never found a rhythm in Buffalo.
Bonus:
Special teams
Justin Tucker had a rare missed 41-yard field goal in the first quarter when his kick hit the left upright. On the ensuing series, Ravens punter Sam Koch shanked a punt.
In the second quarter, Tucker hit the right upright on a 46-yard field goal. It was the first time Tucker, the most accurate kicker in NFL history, missed two field goals in a game since 2018.
Tucker was 1-for-3 on the night.
The Ravens’ special teams was sloppy in the first half, which is uncharacteristic for a John Harbaugh-led team.
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