Heartbreak for Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills

DENVER — For Josh Allen, the journey to the Super Bowl has been a long and painful one. In a recent playoff game against the Denver Broncos, Allen faced yet another heartbreaking loss, this time in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs. The defeat came with a heavy emotional toll, as Allen stood at a microphone and wiped away tears after the 33-30 loss.

This game might have been the best chance for Allen and the Bills to reach the Super Bowl. However, the team’s performance fell short, with Allen committing four of Buffalo’s five turnovers. These mistakes proved costly, as they were converted into 16 points by the Broncos, including the game-winning 23-yard field goal by Wil Lutz.

Allen expressed his deep disappointment, saying, “Extremely difficult.” He added, “I felt like I let my teammates down.” For the first time in a while, there was no Patrick Mahomes or the Chiefs, no Lamar Jackson or the Ravens, and no Joe Burrow or the Bengals standing in their way. Instead, it was Bo Nix and the top-seeded but unproven Denver Broncos.

Despite the loss, the Bills made history by becoming the first NFL team to win a playoff game in six straight seasons without capturing a Super Bowl. Allen’s eight playoff wins are the most for any quarterback in the Super Bowl era who hasn’t played in a Super Bowl. Additionally, he became the second player in the last 20 postseasons with two or more interceptions and at least two lost fumbles, joining Arizona’s Carson Palmer from the 2015 NFC championship game.

The thought is beginning to dawn on Allen and Bills fans that it may no longer be inevitable that he will hoist a Lombardi Trophy. The last season’s MVP, who often seems to will the Bills to victory by himself, turns 30 in May.

“I haven’t been doing a lot of talking other than I love my teammates,” said Allen, who threw for 283 yards and three touchdowns while running for 66 yards. “Extremely sorry and disappointed.”

Bills coach Sean McDermott defended Allen, pointing out that the team had opportunities and that it wasn’t solely on Allen. “No, it’s not on him,” McDermott said. “We had opportunities — all of us — and I’m extremely proud of him. He’s a tremendous person, tremendous leader, tremendous quarterback. Yeah, there are plays we all want back.”

One of the plays that had McDermott upset occurred midway through overtime when Allen’s long pass to Brandin Cooks was wrestled away by Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian for an interception. McDermott believed Cooks had possession and down by contact. He called a timeout to get the officials to review the play. Had Cooks caught the ball, the Bills would have been within field-goal range.

“It’s hard for me to understand why it was ruled the way it was ruled,” McDermott said. “And if it is ruled that way, then why wasn’t it slowed down, just to make sure that we have this right. That would’ve made a lot of sense to me. To make sure we have this thing right.”

Referee Carl Cheffers explained the ruling: “The receiver has to complete the process of a catch. He was going to the ground as part of the process of the catch and he lost possession of the ball when he hit the ground. The defender gained possession of it at that point. The defender is the one that completed the process of the catch, so the defender was awarded the ball.”

After the pick, the Broncos drove the ball deep into Bills territory due to a pair of pass-interference calls, one on Taron Johnson and another from Tre’Davious White, who also drew an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty. Those flags got the Broncos so close that Lutz’s game-ending kick was a formality.

“It’s going to stick with me for a long time,” Allen said. “Losing in the playoffs is not fun.”