Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott talks to reporters about the Bills' 31-7 AFC wild-card playoff victory over the Denver Broncos
These Buffalo Bills are built different.
Yes, they have a superhero at quarterback, but sometimes it's nice when Josh Allen doesn't have to wear a cape.
That was the case Sunday as the Bills offense leaned heavily on running back James Cook in a 31-7 victory over the Denver Broncos in an AFC wild-card playoff game at Highmark Stadium.
Cook carried 23 times for 120 yards and a touchdown in the win, in the process becoming the first Bills running back to top 100 rushing yards in a playoff game since Thurman Thomas rushed for 158 in a 37-22 win over the Miami Dolphins on Dec. 30, 1995.
The relentless run game figured to open up opportunities with play-action, which eventually happened.
The Bills stretched their lead to 21-7 in the third quarter when Allen kept the play alive on fourth-and-1 and eventually found Ty Johnson for a 24-yard touchdown in the back of the end zone. Johnson made a terrific sliding catch before touching out of bounds, saving what looked like a broken play. At the time, the Bills led just 13-7, but the touchdown and ensuing two-point conversion provided some much-needed breathing room.
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The touchdown pass was the 22nd of Allen's playoff career, surpassing Jim Kelly's postseason franchise record of 21.
The Bills dominated time of possession, holding the ball for 41:43, compared to just 18:17 for the Broncos.
As a team, the Bills rushed for 210 yards. Allen gained 46 yards of those yards on eight carries, moving into first place in NFL history for postseason rushing yards by a quarterback. Allen now has 609 rushing yards in the playoffs, moving ahead of Baltimore's Lamar Jackson (602).
Speaking of Jackson, let the hype begin. The Bills' victory Sunday sets up a showdown with Baltimore in the divisional round. Get your popcorn ready.
Takeaways, game balls, gassers from Buffalo Bills' playoff win over Denver Broncos
Takeaways and game balls from the Bills' playoff game against Denver.
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Here are some other observations from the Bills' big win:
2. Well, hello, Curtis Samuel. The veteran wide receiver didn't produce as expected in the regular season, finishing with 31 catches for 253 yards and one touchdown. He matched that TD production Sunday in his first career postseason game, catching a 55-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter to extend the Bills' lead to 28-7 following a successful extra point. Samuel finished with three catches for 68 yards. He was used in motion quite a bit, providing some eye candy for the Denver defense.
The 55-yard touchdown throw was the second-longest of Allen's postseason career, trailing only a 75-yarder to Gabe Davis against Kansas City on Jan. 23, 2022.
3. The defense got punched in the mouth early. The Broncos started the game with the ball and quickly faced a third-and-8 after Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau made a tackle for loss on second down. A season-long problem for the defense once again popped up, though, as the Bills couldn't generate much of a pass rush, giving Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix time to find wide receiver Courtland Sutton for a 19-yard gain.
Two plays later, Nix launched a perfect deep ball to rookie receiver Troy Franklin, his college teammate at Oregon, for a 43-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead just 2:24 into the game after Wil Lutz's extra point.
From that point forward, however, the defense pitched a shutout. The Broncos ended up just 2 of 9 on third down, as the Bills largely cleaned up that issue.
4. Ray Davis left the game. The Bills' rookie running back rushed once for 3 yards. He was knocked out of the game with a concussion on a brutal helmet-to-helmet hit by Broncos safety Brandon Jones, who was penalized on the play.
Bills defensive back Cam Lewis also suffered a head injury in the fourth quarter when he made a tackle on Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin that stopped him for no gain on a fourth-and-2 play, creating a turnover on downs.
5. The special teams got caught. The Broncos successfully pulled off a fake punt in the second quarter, as punter Riley Dixon took the snap and threw to wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. for a gain of 15 yards on fourth-and-8. Mims lined up as the gunner and ran a route, and Bills cornerback Ja'Marcus Ingram couldn't stay with him. The Broncos came into the game as decided underdogs, so Bills special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley should have expected something tricky.
The successful fake didn't cost the Bills, however, as the Broncos ended up punting from the Buffalo 39-yard line later on the drive.
6. Alec Anderson suffered a calf injury. The Bills' versatile offensive lineman, who frequently enters the game in their "jumbo" package, briefly left the game in the first half. He was announced as questionable to return but came back into the game on the team's first drive to start the third quarter. The Bills love the versatility Anderson brings to the lineup, so getting him back into the game was big.
7. Taron Johnson briefly left the game. The Bills' outstanding nickel cornerback took a rough helmet-to-helmet hit on his tackle of Broncos running back Javonte Williams in the first quarter. Johnson went down immediately, and a trainer came onto the field with a backboard. Johnson, however, walked off the field with trainers. He was evaluated for a head injury and cleared of a possible concussion and was back on the field to start Buffalo's third defensive series early in the second quarter.
8. Special teams were forced to make a change. Rookie returner Brandon Codrington was inactive for the game, having suffered a hamstring injury in the Bills' Week 18 loss to the Patriots. He was listed as questionable on the final injury report after practicing on a limited basis Thursday and Friday. Running back Ty Johnson handled kickoff return duties, and wide receiver Khalil Shakir stepped in as the punt returner.
9. Rookie defensive tackle DeWayne Carter was inactive. The Bills went with veterans Austin Johnson, Jordan Phillips and Quinton Jefferson as the veteran depth options at defensive tackle. The Bills' other healthy inactives were cornerback Kaiir Elam, safety Kareem Jackson, wide receiver Jalen Virgil, offensive tackle Ryan Van Demark and quarterback Mike White (emergency third quarterback).
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