ESPN News Services
Jan 19, 2025, 10:00 PM ET
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Josh Allen ran for two touchdowns and the Buffalo Bills defeated Lamar Jackson and a turnover-prone Baltimore Ravens tram, 27-25, in an AFC divisional game on Sunday.
Baltimore, which turned the ball over three times in the loss, had a chance to tie the game in the final two minutes, but tight end Mark Andrews dropped a pass from Jackson on a 2-point conversion. Andrews lost a fumble, as well, earlier in the quarter.
"Nobody cares more, and fights more than Mark," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said of Andrews. "We wouldn't be here without Mark Andrews. ... It's like anything else. Destiny is a decision that you make, and how you handle what comes in life. And Mark will handle it fantastic."
The Bills will take on Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game for their fourth playoff matchup in five years. The Chiefs have defeated the Bills three straight times in the playoffs, including the conference title game four years ago in Kansas City.
Allen scored on runs of 1 and 4 yards while Ray Davis also scored on a 1-yard run. Tyler Bass hit both field goal attempts, including a 21-yarder with 3:29 left after the Bills stalled at Baltimore's 2. That drive was set up by the Ravens' third turnover, when linebacker Terrel Bernard stripped the ball from Andrews at the Buffalo 44.
The Bills closed their season a perfect 10-0 at home. That included a 30-21 win over the previously unbeaten Chiefs in Week 11.
The Ravens had one of the NFL's most productive offenses in the regular season but fell a win short of reaching the conference title game, which they lost to the Chiefs a year ago. Scrutiny of Jackson's playoff performances will only increase as he fell to 3-5 in the postseason. He had two first-half turnovers in this loss, throwing an interception and losing a fumble. Overall, Baltimore fell to 5-8 in the divisional round, including 1-4 in its last five.
"At the end of the day," Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton said, "the chips didn't fall our way."
The Chiefs (16-2) sat back and watched it all, after advancing on Saturday with a 23-14 victory over the Houston Texans. Mahomes threw for 177 yards and a touchdown to Travis Kelce, who had seven catches for 117 yards with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching alongside WNBA star Caitlin Clark from a suite.
It'll be the seventh straight AFC championship game for Mahomes, Andy Reid and the Chiefs. They've gone 4-2 and have won three Super Bowls, including two in a row. Kansas City is aiming to become the first team in NFL history to three-peat in the Super Bowl era.
The Bills (15-4) are 4-2 in AFC title games, but 0-4 in the Super Bowl, losing four in a row from the 1990-93 seasons. According to ESPN BET, Buffalo opened as 1-point underdogs, and the total opened at 48.5 points.
"We gave our defense a chance to go make a play," Allen said of Sunday's win. "We made a play there at the end. I'm just so proud of our guys."
The Associated Press contribute to this report.
