Lance Lysowski: Sean McDermott's defense delivers in Bills' thrilling wild-card win
Buffalo won on the road in the playoffs for the first time since Jan. 17, 1993, when they beat the Dolphins in Miami to advance to a fourth consecutive Super Bowl. The Bills will face the Denver Broncos or the winner of the Patriots' game against the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC divisional round.
As his offense prepared to score the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter Sunday, Sean McDermott used his headset to listen to the chatter between the Buffalo Bills’ defensive coaches.
The group exchanged ideas on how to prevent Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence from reaching the 50-yard line. He had a little over one minute remaining, and he would not have to lead his teammates far because their record-breaking kicker, Cam Little, booted a 67-yard field goal one week earlier.
Bills players congratulate Cole Bishop on a game-winning interception against the Jaguars during the second half of
Sunday's AFC wild card playoff game at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville. Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
After the Bills took the lead on a 1-yard touchdown by Josh Allen, their defensive players huddled. They looked at one another and agreed on their mission: Be closers. A final stop did not happen in recent postseason losses for Buffalo, but the group showed on its final play at EverBank Stadium why everyone who stood on the Bills’ sideline for Lawrence’s final throw believed the defense would prevail.
Bills veteran cornerback Tre’Davious White tipped Lawrence’s pass and second-year safety Cole Bishop intercepted the football to ensure Allen’s touchdown would stand as the game-winner in a 27-24 victory that sent Buffalo to the AFC divisional round for the sixth consecutive season.
“That’s what people dream about,” said DaQuan Jones, a 34-year-old defensive tackle amid his 12th NFL season. “You always hear, ‘Defense wins championships.’ I don’t care where we ranked in the regular season or what our defensive stats were. It’s a whole new season.”
For the first time in nearly 33 years, the Bills won a playoff game on the road, and they’ll likely need to win two more to reach Super Bowl LV in Santa Clara, California. Their next game will be in Denver, Pittsburgh or Houston, depending on the result of the game Sunday night between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Chargers.
Most of the broadcasters on ESPN, Fox and CBS didn’t think they’d beat the Jaguars, in large part because of questions surrounding Buffalo’s defense.
History supported the narrative.
In four playoff defeats to Kansas City, the Bills allowed an average of 34.75 points and 381.7 yards. They forced three turnovers and sacked Patrick Mahomes five times. He needed just 13 seconds and two passes to move the Chiefs close enough for Harrison Butker to kick the game-tying field goal in an AFC divisional playoff game on Jan. 23, 2022. The Chiefs won in overtime to end Buffalo’s season.
There was enough anecdotal and statistical evidence from this season for people to still doubt the Bills. They were among the worst in the NFL at stopping the run. They struggled to pressure quarterbacks and get off the field on third down. This postseason is an opportunity to prove they are the defense that we’ve seen since Week 12 – Buffalo ranked second and ninth in points and yards allowed per game, respectively – instead of the one that allowed the Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow to throw four touchdown passes and Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry to rush for 169 yards in the season opener. The Bills did not take long Sunday to show they’re up for the challenge.
“Nobody blinked,” McDermott said proudly.
Shaq Thompson, a 10-year veteran linebacker filling in at middle linebacker, intercepted Lawrence’s fifth pass to give Allen and their offense the ball at the Jaguars’ 33-yard line. Buffalo gained 4 yards in three plays, before it settled for Matt Prater’s 50-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead with 3:00 left in the first quarter.
The Jaguars had a chance to take a 14-3 lead in the second quarter because Bills running back Ray Davis fumbled during a kick return, but Thompson tackled Lawrence short of a first down on fourth-and-2.
“You build off this,” said Thompson. “It’s a confidence builder. This group is resilient. We aren’t going to stop. We played good, complementary football. We got the picks and should have gotten more, but it’s a great team win.”
Jacksonville’s six first-half drives resulted in two punts, an interception, a turnover on downs, a missed field goal and Lawrence’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Brian Thomas Jr. for a 7-3 lead with 14:14 left in the third quarter. Some of the Bills’ weaknesses were on display during the second half, when there were four lead changes and they gave up 17 points.
Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. carried the ball around the right edge for a 26-yard gain to set up Little’s 43-yard field goal. Lawrence completed third-down passes for 18 and 14 yards before he threw a 6-yard, go-ahead touchdown pass to Parker Washington for a 17-13 lead.
Lawrence completed a 31-yard frozen rope to Washington in the middle of the field on second-and-10 from their 44-yard-line. Then rookie safety Jordan Hancock missed a tackle as Etienne scored on a 14-yard swing pass that put the Bills behind 24-20 with 4:10 left in the fourth quarter.
The final stat line was ugly for Buffalo’s defense. Jacksonville averaged 6.6 yards per play and totaled 359 yards, 154 of which were on the ground. It also went 5 of 9 on third down. Lawrence completed 18 of 30 passes for 207 yards, and he got sacked once by Greg Rousseau for a 2-yard loss. The Bills’ resolve does not get broken by mistakes or blown leads. Their experience – six of their 11 defensive starters have played double-digit playoff games – and leadership help them remain confident, even at times when their opponent cannot seem to be stopped.
“If there’s time left on the clock that means the fight isn’t over,” said Bills edge rusher A.J. Epenesa.
The Jaguars, winners of eight straight entering Sunday, were arguably the hottest team in the NFL. Lawrence threw one interception on 165 pass attempts in December, and the Bills could have picked him off three times Sunday. Jacksonville had not allowed 27 points since Oct. 12, yet Buffalo’s defense got enough stops to allow Allen to win a game in which James Cook rushed for just 46 yards on 15 carries.
Allen completed 28 of 35 passes for 273 yards and he scored two touchdowns (one passing) while playing through injuries to his right foot, right hand and left knee. Two of his wide receivers, Tyrell Shavers and Gabe Davis, got hurt Sunday. But even the best quarterbacks in NFL history needed a relentless, resilient defense to make game-changing plays to make a run at the Super Bowl.
It's been a chaotic, unpredictable season, one filled with devastating injuries and mistake-filled halves. Another leader on the Bills’ defense, safety Jordan Poyer, went down with an injury Sunday.
They lost safety Taylor Rapp, edge rusher Michael Hoecht and edge rusher Landon Jackson for the season. Maxwell Hairston, their first-round draft pick, could not play cornerback for Buffalo in Jacksonville because of an ankle issue that happened in the regular-season finale. Three different injuries cost Terrel Bernard, the Bills’ defensive captain and starting middle linebacker, six games this season. Ed Oliver, their best defensive tackle, has missed all but three games and may not be able to return if they reach the Super Bowl.
Mistakes will happen next weekend, no matter where and who the Bills play, but they’ve proven through 18 games that they can make enough stops to give their remarkable quarterback a chance to lead them to their ultimate goal.
“They executed at a high level,” said McDermott.