WILD-CARD COVERAGE
A quarter-century of playoff futility is over for the Bills.
A career’s worth of heartbreak continues for Philip Rivers — unless he decides this is his finish line, too.
Josh Allen threw for two touchdowns and ran for another Saturday to lead the Bills to a 27-24 victory in an AFC wildcard game full of missed opportunities for the Colts, who left at least 11 points off the scoreboard.
With fans allowed at Bills Stadium in Orchard Park for the first time this season under revised New York state law during the COVID-19 pandemic, 6,700 were on hand as Buffalo played its first home playoff game since Dec. 28, 1996, and won a playoff game for the first time since Dec. 30, 1995.
“For fans to get loud and experience that with this team, it would’ve been a shame if we couldn’t do that,” Allen said. “I don’t think guys understand the meaning of winning a playoff game for this franchise, but I think we’re not in tune to that because we want to win more.”
The Bills got plenty of help snapping a six-game playoff losing streak. Simply put, there is no way the Colts should’ve trailed 14-10 at halftime or settled for a Hail Mary on the game’s final play without getting into position to attempt the tying field goal.
In what might have been Rivers’ final game before retirement — the Colts want him to return — the future Hall of Fame quarterback threw for 309 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns. His career playoff record fell to 5-7.
“We weren’t outmatched,” Rivers said. “We went up and down the field. We just didn’t do the little things.”
Borrowing a page from the many head-scratchers during Rivers’ 16-year career with the Chargers, the Colts came up empty on back-to-back redzone trips spanning the two halves, including a 14-play drive ending on a missed 33-yard field goal. They also swapped a successful PAT for a failed twopoint conversion attempt.
“We needed to coach better and play better in the red zone,” coach Frank Reich said. “Should have iced that game away.”
Allen passed for 324 yards and had an interception overturned by replay review. Rookie Tyler Bass kicked a differencemaking 54-yard field goal with eight minutes to go. And the defense showed guts by rebounding from a potential blown call in the final minute.
Colts receiver Zach Pascal converted a fourth-and-10 with a sliding catch across midfield but got to his feet and was stripped, with the Bills recovering the fumble. Officials ruled Pascal down by contact and did not overturn the call after replay review.
“Absolutely, it looked like his knee was off the ground and we didn’t touch him yet,” linebacker Matt Milano said. “But it’s the officials’ call, so we have to remain composed.”
Rivers’ final three passes were incomplete, including a volleyball-style spike of the Hail Mary.
“Our defense, at the end, really stood up in a tough situation against a Hall of Fame quarterback,” coach Sean McDermott said.
Each of the Bills’ first five possessions began at or inside their own 15-yard line. Three resulted in three-and-out punts — enough of a slow start to bring up memories of choking away a 16-point second-half lead in last year’s playoffs — but touchdown drives covering 85 and 96 yards (without a third-down conversion) calmed the waters.
“There was no panic,” center Mitch Morse said, “but there was definitely a sense of urgency.”