Ravens Can't Overcome Miscues in 17-3 Loss to Bills in AFC Divisional Matchup
BUFFALO — The Ravens could not overcome several miscues on special teams, an interception that led to a 101-yard touchdown and costly penalties in a 17-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs.
Baltimore could not have picked a worse time for the sloppiest performance of its season. Buffalo advanced to its first AFC Championship game for the first time since the 1993 season.
"Congratulations on the Bills," Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said. "They were mistake-free and capitalized on their opportunities. It's a tough loss."
The usually reliable Justin Tucker missed two field-goal attempts in the first half amid a swirling wind. San Koch shanked a punt that led to a Buffalo field goal.
Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson was under pressure for most of the game and threw an interception on a third and goal to Taron Johnson, who ran 101 yards for the score and an insurmountable 17-3 lead with 41 seconds left in the third quarter.
"I think the guy popped out. It’s just one of the things where he popped out and made a great play,” said Ravens tight end Mark Andrews, who was the intended receiver.
Jackson managed just 34 yards rushing. He completed 14 of 24 pass attempts for 162 yards and was forced to leave the game late in the third quarter with a concussion after center Patrick Mekari sailed a snap toward the end zone.
Undrafted rookie Tyler Huntley played the entire fourth quarter and was 6 of 13 for 60 yards.
Overall, the Ravens' top-ranked running attack finished with 150 yards.
"They didn't do anything really that surprised us," Harbaugh said. "We were prepared for it...We weren't able to finish drives and get the points that we needed it."
Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen shook off a slow start and made key plays down the stretch. He was 23 of 37 for 206 yards with a touchdown (86.1 rating).
The Bills took a 10-3 lead on a 3-yard pass from Allen to Stefon Diggs in the opening drive of the second half. Several Ravens defenders appeared to be caught out of position on the play.
"It's a game of inches and we just didn't get it done," Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell said.
Diggs caught eight passes for 106 yards with the touchdown. John Brown, who played with the Ravens in 2018, caught eight passes for 62 yards and picked up several key first downs.
Baltimore struggled against the Bills' zone defense and its wide receivers could not get open downfield, which led to several coverage sacks. Andrews didn't catch a pass until there were 32 seconds left in the first half.
Tucker atoned for two earlier misses with a 34-yard field goal that tied the game 3-3 at the break. Baltimore never managed a lead, which has traditionally been a disastrous scenario.
"Tuck's the greatest kicker to ever play this game. I got a lot of respect for him," Baltimore left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. said.
The Ravens committed eight penalties for 59 yards. The Bills were flagged just twice for 11 yards.
"We were close," Andrews said. "They played a great game. You've got to give them credit because they won the game. They did enough."
