JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Josh Allen took a pounding and doled out punishment — looking every bit like the reigning MVP.
He carried Buffalo to its first road playoff win in more than three decades, 27-24 over Jacksonville in the AFC’s wild-card opener Sunday. Tough and tenacious, Allen did what he does best.
With linebacker Devin Lloyd bearing down on him, Allen found Brandin Cooks for 36 yards just before the two-minute warning and then capped the go-ahead drive with a 1-yard touchdown run in which Jacksonville let him score.
On the fourth down play before his score, Allen gained 10 yards on a sneak, refusing to go down while being pushed and pulled to the goal line.
“When your quarterback’s that type of warrior, that type of competitor, it just goes through the whole team,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said.
Buffalo (13-5) will play at Denver, Pittsburgh or Houston next week, a chance to build a road winning streak after a decades-long skid.
“Now we have a chance to do it again,” said Allen, who came up short on final drives in playoff games the past two years.
“Feels good. Feels good. At the same time, it just means we get another game.”
Focused on getting rid of the ball quickly and negating Jacksonville’s pass rush, Allen completed 28 of 35 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown. He ran for two scores, was sacked just once and played turnover-free football. Khalil Shakir caught 12 passes for 82 yards for the Bills.
“Such a competitor,” Jaguars coach Liam Coen. “He was spitting it out pretty good, obviously. ... He definitely carried them.”
It was somewhat necessary considering NFL rushing leader James Cook was mostly bottled up, finishing with 46 yards on 15 carries.
“We’re going to play for each other, we’re gonna fight to the very last second, and you saw that here today,” Allen said.
Jacksonville got the ball back with a chance to drive for the win, but Trevor Lawrence’s first pass was tipped and intercepted. Tre’Davious White got a hand on the ball, and fellow safety Cole Bishop corralled to end any chance of a comeback.
“It was awesome,” Allen said. “A guy that’s been under a lot of scrutiny throughout the last couple years. To get him back and get him back in a Bills uniform and making plays for us when we need it the most, that’s Tre.”
The Bills had been 0-5 on the road in the playoffs under McDermott, starting with a 10-3 loss at Jacksonville in the 2017 wild-card round. The Bills had dropped eight consecutive postseason games on the road since winning at Miami in the 1992 AFC championship game. It had been the NFL’s second-longest, active road playoff skid.
“We were aware of what the talk was, but at the end of the day, the game is decided between the white lines, and our guys knew that,” McDermott said.
Lawrence completed 18 of 30 passes for 207 yards, with TD throws to Brian Thomas Jr., Parker Washington and Travis Etienne. Washington finished with seven catches for 107 yards.
“You’ve got to live with it,” said Lawrence, who threw two interceptions. “It’s life. You don’t get do-overs. That’s a bummer, but I know that we left everything out there. I know I put everything into this this year, and it sucks that we don’t get to keep playing because it’s a special group.”
Coen surely will get questioned for not running the ball more against one of the league’s most porous run defenses. Etienne and rookie Bhayshul Tuten combined for 118 yards on just 14 carries.
Allen, meanwhile, showed his toughness. He twice ended up in the medical tent in the first half but didn’t miss a snap. He got hammered in the head twice during one play, with Josh Hines-Allen landing on the side of his helmet right after teammate Travon Walker tackled him to the ground. His left ear appeared to be bleeding, but he got checked out and returned.
Allen later slammed his right hand into the helmet of right guard O’Cyrus Torrence after releasing the ball. And he completed the injury trifecta when his left leg got bent awkwardly on his 2-yard TD run.
Allen stayed on the ground following that last hit from Hines-Allen and gingerly walked to the sideline and back into the tent. But, as usual, the 6-foot-5, 237-pounder powered through and was back on the field making plays.
Key injuries
Bills S Jordan Poyer (hamstring) was ruled out to start the third quarter, a huge loss for an already banged-up secondary. It left the Bills to play with rookie Jordan Hancock and second-year Cole Bishop. WR Gabe Davis, who played for Jacksonville last season, injured his left knee in the fourth and was carted to the locker room and ruled out.
Jaguars RG Patrick Mekari (back) left in the third. LG Ezra Cleveland also was banged up and alternating plays with rookie Wyatt Milum.
Up next
The Bills will play at Denver, a rematch from last year’s wild-card weekend that Buffalo won 31-7.
The Jaguars will turn their attention toward improving a roster that lacked enough difference-makers on both sides of the ball.
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