“McDermott and Allen get final chance to change Bills’ early playoff elimination story by hosting Ravens.”

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — If Bills coach Sean McDermott and quarterback Josh Allen ever start changing the narrative that Buffalo is behind against the AFC’s elite when it counts, this would certainly be a good weekend to start .

Lamar Jackson will join Derrick Henry and the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday for a highly anticipated divisional playoff showdown that is already causing concern in Buffalo.

After all, these are essentially the same, if not better, Ravens who trampled a young and injury-depleted defense and defeated an Allen-led offense in a 35-10 victory in Week 4 in Baltimore.

And for all the success the five-time defending AFC East champion Bills have had in the regular season, their history is littered with too many playoff failures during that span.

Buffalo has been eliminated in the divisional round each of the last three years – twice to Kansas City and once to Cincinnati – since losing to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game in the 2020 season.

The playoff losses were enough for Bills fans to blame McDermott, wondering if the eighth-year coach was wasting the 28-year-old Allen’s best years.

Fair or not, and regardless of whether a similar reason can be made for the Ravens’ playoff deficiencies under coach John Harbaugh since Jackson’s arrival in 2018, a lot depends on the outcome.

“Yeah,” McDermott said after Buffalo’s 31-7 wild-card playoff win over Denver on Sunday, referring to Baltimore. “I mean, everyone’s been waiting for this, right?”

Secure.

The question is how the Bills will overcome their worst performance of the season in numerous statistical categories – points differential, sacks allowed (three), yards gained (236), first downs gained (12) and rushing yards allowed (271).

There are concrete signs of hope, starting with the Ravens having to travel to Buffalo, where the Bills are 9-0 this season.

The Bills are healthier, particularly on defense, after fielding a lineup in Baltimore without three starters – linebackers Terrel Bernard and Matt Milano and nickelback Taron Johnson – and safety Taylor Rapp played 16 snaps before being sidelined with a concussion.

Buffalo’s offense has also changed in that it has spent the season more balanced and less reliant on Allen carrying all the weight. Of the 33 touchdowns Buffalo has scored this season, including the playoffs, 20 have come in the last nine games.

Also added is receiver Amari Cooper, who was acquired in a trade nine days after the loss to Baltimore.

While Cooper’s impact isn’t particularly noteworthy from a production standpoint, the 11th-year player’s presence gives the defense another option to worry about in an offense that started the season with 13 players with one touchdown catch finished.

The spread-the-wealth approach was evident on Sunday. Buffalo totaled 471 yards (272 passing and a season-high 210 rushing). Allen completed passes to eight players, and the Bills had a possession advantage of more than 23 minutes that wore down the Broncos.

Could that be enough to beat Baltimore on Sunday?

“We have a lot of competitors on this team and when juggernauts come to town, the intensity is high and I love it,” said left tackle Dion Dawkins. “But we’ll see in a week.”

What works

Protect the ball. Sunday’s win was Buffalo’s 11th game of the season without a turnover. The Bills have a record of 8-3 in those games, including a meaningless loss at the end of the regular season to New England.

What needs help

Efficiency in the red zone. The Bills’ performance inside the 20 declined significantly against Denver, with Buffalo scoring a touchdown and three field goals on four occasions, without a game-winning possession with knockdowns.

Stock up

WR Curtis Samuel. After being used sparingly for most of the season, the eighth-year player hauled in three catches for a team-leading and season-best 68 yards while also scoring his second touchdown of the season.

Inventory reduced

Special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley. Three weeks after being warned by McDermott to pay more attention to the opponent’s fake punts, Smiley’s unit was once again in trouble when Broncos punter Riley Dixon completed a 15-yard pass to set up fourth-and-1 at the Denver 43 eighth game, with Buffalo leading 10-7 in the second quarter.

Injuries

Rookie RB Ray Davis is in the concussion protocol. Reserve offensive tackle Alec Anderson is day-to-day with a calf injury. Returnee Brandon Codrington (hamstring) is improving after missing a game.

Key number

6-6 – McDermott’s playoff record in Buffalo.

Next Steps

Get ready for the arrival of Jackson and the Ravens, who beat the Bills 17-3 in the 2020 divisional round in their only previous postseason meeting.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Copyright © 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or distributed.