The Buffalo Bills are back to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs for the fifth consecutive season.
Running back James Cook powered the Bills’ offense early before Josh Allen helped the team break away in the second half of a 31-7 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
The Bills will play host to the Baltimore Ravens next weekend in a matchup of the league’s two leading MVP candidates in Allen and Lamar Jackson. In the other AFC contest, the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs will face the Houston Texans.
Cook rushed for 120 yards on 23 carries on the day. He was the early offensive focus of a methodical attack, as his 5-yard touchdown early in the second quarter punctuated a 13-play, 81-yard drive.
Buffalo logged 210 yards on 44 rushing attempts overall as its defense stood stout after allowing a touchdown on the opening series.
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In the second half, however, Allen took the reins. Late in the third quarter, he found running back Ty Johnson on a dazzling 24-yard scoring strike in the back of the end zone that made it a two-possession game. The seventh-year signal-caller surpassed Hall of Famer Jim Kelly for the most postseason passing touchdowns in franchise history, finishing the game with 23.
Allen, who finished with 272 yards on 20-of-26 passing, connected with Curtis Samuel on a 55-yard catch-and-run in the fourth quarter for his second score of the day.
The Broncos, who ended the NFL’s second-longest active postseason drought by becoming the final team to clinch a berth in Week 18, briefly showed a glimmer of hope in the opening minutes of the game. Rookie quarterback Bo Nix found former Oregon teammate Troy Franklin for a 43-yard touchdown pass on the first series. But Denver was largely stifled the rest of the way, failing to score again and netting just 224 total yards on the day.
Buffalo will be seeking to reach the AFC championship game for the first time since the 2020 season after being knocked out in the divisional round in each of the last three years.
In the Bills’ Week 4 meeting with the Ravens, Baltimore dashed to a 35-10 win.