Allen dominates as Bills roll past Patriots in frigid climate
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills erased any doubt of who now rules the AFC East Division.
Allen set a team playoff record with five touchdown passes, including two to Dawson Knox, and Devin Singletary ran for two scores in the first half of a 47-17 throttling of the division rival New England Patriots in a wild-card playoff game Saturday night atHighmark Stadium.
Allen finished 21 of 25 for 308 yards in a game Buffalo scoredon each of its seven possessions that didn’t end with a kneel-down.
The Bills beat New England for a second time in three weeks and rebounded from an embarrassing 14-10 loss at home on Dec. 6 in which the Patriots attempted just three passes while finishing with 222 yards rushing to counter the blustery conditions.
The thelargest for New England in coach Bill Belichick’s tenure, whichbegan in 2000.
Though the winds were relatively calm Saturday, the Bills were hot in frigid conditions, a game-time temperatureof 7 degrees.
The third-seeded Bills advancedto the divisional round to host either the Cincinnati Bengals, who beat the Raiders earlier in the day, or travel to KansasCity, depending on the outcome Sunday of the Chiefs game against the Steelers. A trip to Kansas City would feature a rematch of last year’s AFC championship, which theChiefs won, 38-24.
Buffalo gained 300 yards of total offense, had 19 first downs and built a 27-3 lead at halftime. The 30-point margin of victory and 47 points scored were the second most by the Bills in a playoff game behind a 51-3 win over the Los Angeles Raiders in the AFC championship game on Jan. 20, 1991.
The Bills rolled into the postseason by winning their final four games to clinch their second consecutive division title. After losing 35 of 40 meetings to New England from 2000-19, Buffalo now has defeated the Patriots in four of the past five meetings, coinciding with Tom Brady’s departure to Tampa.