BILLS BELIEVE IT’S THEIR YEAR

THE Buffalo Bills are in the AFC Championship game for the first time in 27 years after a gutsy 17-3 win over the Baltimore Ravens. In a fierce, bitter wind which made points tough to come by, Buffalo’s defence stymied Lamar Jackson, reducing the current MVP to 162 yards in the air and 34 on the ground. In front of 6,772 fans and with the score 3-3 at half-time, the game was effectively over in the third quarter, such was the Bills’ dominance and mastery of conditions. After taking a 10-3 lead thanks to Stefon Diggs’ three-yard touchdown, Bills cornerback Taron Jackson intercepted namesake Jackson to score a 101-yard pick six. At the end of the quarter, the Ravens quarterback left with a concussion. ‘Taron Johnson’s is a play that people are going to remember for a long time here in Buffalo, potentially a franchise-altering play,’ said Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Success-starved Buffalo — who reached four straight Super Bowls under head coach Marv Levy between 1991-94 and lost them all — will face the Kansas City Chiefs or the equally long-suffering Cleveland Browns. And there is genuine optimism that the current crop can finally win a Vince Lombardi Trophy. The Bills have a swagger befitting a team who have won eight games in a row and 11 of their last 12. Elsewhere, the Green Bay Packers are into their second straight NFC Championship game after beating the LA Rams 32-18. They will host the New Orleans Saints or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.