Heartbreak for Bills as Controversial OT Call Overshadows Divisional Round Thriller
The Buffalo Bills are out of the playoffs.
Josh Allen’s golden opportunity for a Super Bowl is over.
The Bills’ usual rivals: Lamar Jackson’s Ravens, Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs, and Joe Burrow’s Bengals, did not make the playoffs. Instead, Allen and the Bills were defeated by Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos.
The game was a back-and-forth affair and certainly entertaining for the neutral viewer. For fans of the two teams, though, it was undoubtedly a game that took some time off their lifespans. The game went to overtime, where the Broncos kicked a game-winning field goal to book their place in the AFC Championship, 33-30.
The first quarter flew by, with each team going on a 7+ minute drive, resulting in a Broncos field goal and a Mecole Hardman touchdown for the Bills.
The Bills actually did not punt once in the game. Their drives either ended in points or turnovers.
The Bills turned the ball over five times, with Josh Allen accounting for four of them. Turnovers are always back-breaking, but the Bills’ giveaways were especially demoralizing.
In the second quarter, the Bills were on the march, up 7-3, until James Cook fumbled deep in the Broncos’ territory. The fumble led to a Broncos’ touchdown drive, capped off by offensive lineman Frank Crum catching the touchdown.
Right before halftime, the Bills had the ball with 22 seconds left, down 17-10. Instead of taking a knee or playing it conservative, Josh Allen tried to play hero-ball, which he is more than capable of doing. However, this time he fumbled, allowing the Broncos to tack on another field goal right before the half, going into the break up 10.
The Bills started the second half with the ball, and almost immediately fumbled it again. That led to another Denver field goal.
Later in the third quarter, the Bills got a turnover of their own, intercepting Bo Nix. However, less than a minute later, Josh Allen threw an interception of his own.
In the fourth quarter, the game went similarly to the Bills’ Wild Card game, with both teams trading scores. The Bills went on a scoring drive at the end of the game, kicking a field goal to send the game into overtime.
Thinking back to the turnovers, especially the one at the end of the first half, that field goal could have been a game-winner if it hadn’t been for the turnovers. The fact that the Bills still had a chance to win and pushed the game into overtime despite the turnovers is impressive.
There was a controversial no-call on the Bills’ last drive, with a Broncos’ defensive back appearing to hold Brandin Cooks’ arm back as he went up to try and catch a pass. But there was more controversy to come.
The Broncos punted to start overtime, giving the Bills a perfect opportunity to win the game.
Josh Allen led them down the field before he threw a great pass to Brandin Cooks, who appeared to come down to the ground with the ball, but Broncos defensive back Ja'Quan McMillian came away with it, and it was ruled an interception. The call has drawn scrutiny from NFL fans across the country. Bills’ coach Sean McDermott has said he doesn’t believe it was an interception, and Cooks claims he thought he caught the ball.
The Broncos drove down the field, aided by a controversial defensive pass interference penalty against the Bills, and kicked a game-winning field goal.
Allen finished the game 25/39 for 283 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions, and two fumbles.
James Cook had a better game this week, running for over 100 yards, but he fumbled too.
The Bills’ defense stuffed the Broncos’ run game, but could not stop Bo Nix (26/46, 279 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT), especially after the Bills’ offense gifted him with a short field time after time.
At the end of the day, the Bills should not have been in this game with all their turnovers. The fact that their season ended in controversy, while heartbreaking, shows that this team fought to the very end, but came up agonizingly short.