Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Josh Allen rushed for a game-winning touchdown as the Buffalo Bills outdueled the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-24 in a roller-coaster NFL wild card thriller on Sunday. Bills quarterback Allen was once again the hero for Buffalo, almost single-handedly dragging his team over the line against the in-form Jaguars side led by Trevor Lawrence. Allen rushed for two touchdowns and threw one more while finishing with 273 passing yards from 28-of-35 attempts, with no interceptions.
A hectic fourth quarter saw the lead change hands four times before Allen led a late 66-yard touchdown drive which included a crucial fourth-down conversion from the Jacksonville 11-yard line that carried the Bills to the brink of the end zone. Allen then barged his way over to give sixth-seeded Buffalo a 27-24 lead after Matt Prater’s extra point, leaving third seeds Jacksonville with barely a minute to find a game-tying field goal.
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Disaster struck, though, on the opening play of the Jaguars’ final drive, with Lawrence tossing an interception to effectively end the game. “Great game, great win,” Allen said afterwards. “All we’ve got to do is play our game, find a way to win a football game and we’re on to the next one. We’re going to play for each other, we’re going to fight to the very last second and you saw that here today.”
The Bills had grabbed an early first quarter lead with a 50-yard Prater field goal before Jacksonville hit back early in the second quarter, with Lawrence leading a seven-play, 65-yard drive that culminated with the quarterback sending Brian Thomas Jr. into the end zone with a three-yard pass. Allen responded by orchestrating a superb 92-yard drive, rushing over from two yards out for a touchdown that put the Bills 10-7 up after Prater’s extra point.
A missed Cam Little field goal on the stroke of half-time left Buffalo protecting a 10-7 lead as the second half got under way. Prater and Little swapped third-quarter field goals to leave it at 13-10. Lawrence connected with Parker Washington and Travis Etienne for touchdowns either side of a Buffalo touchdown to Dalton Kincaid to put Jacksonville 24-20 ahead, but Allen’s late score ensured Buffalo advanced.
The identity of Buffalo’s opponents in the next playoff round will hinge on the outcome of other AFC wild card games being played on Sunday and Monday.
© 2024 AFP
