01/11/26 03:18:00
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01/11 15:16 CST Josh Allen leads Bills over Jags 27-24 for Buffalo's first road
playoff victory in 33 years
Josh Allen leads Bills over Jags 27-24 for Buffalo's first road playoff victory
in 33 years
By MARK LONG
AP Pro Football Writer
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) --- Josh Allen took a pounding, doled out punishment
and delivered Buffalo its first road playoff victory in more than three
decades, 27-24 over Jacksonville in the AFC's wild-card opener Sunday.
With linebacker Devin Lloyd bearing down on him, Allen found Brandin Cooks for
36 yards just before the two-minute warning and then capped the go-ahead drive
with a 1-yard touchdown run in which Jacksonville let him score.
On the play before his score, Allen gained 10 yards on a sneak, refusing to go
down while being pushed and pulled to the goal line.
Focused on getting rid of the ball quickly and negating Jacksonville's pass
rush most of the game, Allen completed 28 of 35 passes for 273 yards and a
touchdown. He ran for two scores, was sacked just once and played turnover-free
football.
It was necessary considering NFL rushing leader James Cook was mostly bottled
up, finishing with 46 yards on 15 carries.
Buffalo (13-5) intercepted a deflected pass on Jacksonville's final drive to
seal the victory. The Jaguars (13-5) took the lead with 4:03 to play but
couldn't hold it against Allen.
The Bills had been 0-5 on the road in the playoffs under coach Sean McDermott,
starting with a 10-3 loss at Jacksonville in the 2017 wild-card round. The
Bills had dropped eight consecutive postseason games on the road since winning
at Miami in the 1992 AFC championship game. It had been the NFL's
second-longest, active road playoff skid.
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