Bills 27, Colts 24

Any NFL game which comes down to the very last snap with the outcome still in question always has a handful of plays over the course of the game which, had any one of them turned out even slightly differently, would have altered the final outcome. Saturday’s AFC playoff game in Orchard Park is a case in point and examples come easily to mind: The Bills were the beneficiaries on three of four key replay reviews, with the fourth and last unsuccessful one looming large until the final Hail Mary was knocked to the ground. A little earlier, Josh Allen fumbled the ball trying to wrestle his way out of a sack which had already become inevitable (and ended up costing 23 yards as the ball squirted backwards after leaving his hands) but Bills offensive lineman Daryl Williams recovered the bouncing ball. But I look to two second half special teams plays which, since we can all count, clearly determined the final score: a made 54 yard field goal by Buffalo’s Tyler “bass-o-matic” Bass and a missed 33 yard field goal by the Colts’ uniquely bi-spectacled kicker, Rod Blankenship. In a game decided by three points, why would more analysis be required?

Going into Saturday’s game, the Bills has lost their last six consecutive playoff games, with their most recent post-season win coming in December, 1995. Throughout Saturday’s game, it felt like for the team to win, it needed to lift up and cast away the collective weight of those six losses and this was going to be neither quick or easy to do. Bills Nation sweated and fretted for nearly three-and-a-half hours, even having to endure the added stress of a potential Deja vu Hail Mary pass attempt by Philip Rivers before Sean McDermott could finally cast a gaze skyward, first in relief, then in celebration. Immediately after Micah Hyde drove the final pass to the ground, we took a brisk 60 minute walk just to relieve the tension. We, and our dog who had clearly sensed our angst as the afternoon played out, needed it badly. Pro sports are supposed to be an enjoyable diversion, aren't they?  

Statistically, the Colts probably fared about as well as they could have hoped to. A glance at the box score shows them notching 27 first downs, 472 total yards, no turnovers and more than an eight minute advantage in time of possession. They certainly played well enough to win but the Bills did too. In the intense pre-game analysis on WGR last week, most of the pundits pointed to the challenge that the Bills run defence would face stopping Jonathan Taylor but, in the end, he carried 21 times for 78 yards – hardly the shredding we feared. And Josh Allen continued to look masterful passing the ball, going 26 of 35 for 324 yards, 2 TDs and no turnovers. Rookie kicker Tyler Bass has not missed a field goal or an extra point attempt since week 9.

Last night, as I sat stunned by the first quarter explosion by the Cleveland Browns in Pittsburgh, my theory that the Ravens stood a decent chance of knocking off the Chiefs in Kansas City next weekend, thereby setting up a Ravens v. Bills AFC Championship Game in Buffalo (assuming another home win against the Steelers next weekend), fell apart. So, the Bills will now have to knock off the Ravens a week earlier. As for the Browns chances of winning in Kansas City? I’d say they are about as likely as them winning in Pittsburgh. Ok, maybe not quite as good.

When the Sunday Night Football crew came to Orchard Park a few weeks ago, Al Michaels had the week off. No such luck this Saturday night for Michaels. The Bills, who played the Ravens tough last season but came up short, will need a special game plan to contain Lamar Jackson who yesterday in Nashville made what his coach said was the best running touchdown by a quarterback in NFL history. Maybe the best approach will be to put up 40 points and hope that it’s enough. 

For North American sports fans, and for Bills fans in particular, this NFL season has been a welcome distraction from the pandemic and from the political turmoil playing out in the United States. I hope the Bills can maintain their playoff run at least through inauguration day on the 20th.