The Baltimore Ravens defense knew it would have its hands full in trying to stop Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen in Sunday’s AFC divisional-round matchup at Highmark Stadium.
And through two quarters, Allen is getting the better of that matchup.
In a head-to-head battle of the two MVP front-runners (Allen and Ravens QB Lamar Jackson), the 28-year-old Allen was the bigger difference-maker in the first half as the Bills took a 21-10 halftime lead.
Allen completed 5 of 7 passes for 69 yards, but he did most of his damage on the ground.
Following a Jackson fumble early in the second quarter, Allen punched in a 1-yard touchdown run to extend Buffalo’s lead to 14-7. Nearly nine minutes later, he ran in his second rushing touchdown of the game — a 4-yard score that capped off a nine-play, 70-yard drive — to push Buffalo’s lead to two scores.
Not only was Allen’s first-half performance impressive, it was also one for the record books.
The two rushing touchdowns tied Allen with seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady for the second-most rushing touchdowns by a QB in the postseason (seven), according to Bills PR.
Josh Allen rushes it in for his second TD of the game and 7th career postseason rushing TD, tying him with Tom Brady for the second most all-time by a QB.
— Buffalo Bills PR (@BuffaloBillsPR) January 20, 2025
Including the regular and postseason, Allen has 14 rushing touchdowns and 44 combined touchdowns this year.
Conversely, Jackson threw for 123 yards and a touchdown in the first half, but he was picked off once and fumbled one, and he was limited to just 31 yards on the ground.
Should Buffalo hold on to win, it would advance to the AFC championship game for the second time in five seasons. The last time the Bills were one win away from the Super Bowl was the 2020 season — Allen’s third year as a starter.
They lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 38-24 that year. Coincidentally, the Chiefs await the winner of Sunday’s game in the AFC championship game next week.
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