The Final Moments: A Tale of Two Teams

Denver — The Buffalo Bills and quarterback Josh Allen had the ball in overtime with a chance to win the game. After getting two first downs to get out of the deep end of their own side of the field, Allen threw an interception on a deep ball to receiver Brandin Cooks. That was Allen’s fourth turnover of the game, giving the Broncos the ball with their own chance to drive for a win.

A Tre’Davious White defensive pass interference gave Denver the ball on the doorstep of the goal line, and Wil Lutz drilled a short, 23-yard field goal to end Buffalo’s season. Here are some instant observations of the game. The Broncos won 33-30.

Matt Prater Saves Season

The Bills gave up an inexplicable touchdown drive to the Broncos late in the fourth quarter after suffocating the Denver offense for most of the second half. Tre’Davious White was injured with 1:01 left in the game and the ball at Buffalo’s 26-yard line.

Veteran cornerback Dane Jackson, who spent the entire season on the practice squad before getting signed following rookie Maxwell Hairston’s ankle injury in the regular-season finale, was suddenly thrust into action. And Bo Nix went right after Jackson, throwing a back-shoulder fade for a touchdown.

Allen had 55 seconds to work with and needed to get Buffalo into field goal range, down three points. A hook-and-ladder play worked again when Allen threw short to Khalil Shakir, who pitched it to Ray Davis for a huge gain. Prater came onto the field with 10 seconds to play and drilled a 50-yard field goal to send the game into overtime.

Keon Coleman Has a Moment

The Bills’ offense needed to make something happen in the third quarter after allowing four straight scores by the Broncos. Allen had lost a pair of fumbles on the last two Bills’ drives, and he needed to lead a scoring drive. A Dalton Kincaid sighting got the party started, giving the Bills some life on the Broncos’ side of the field.

Allen drove the Bills down to the red zone, where the Broncos have thrived all season. Denver allowed touchdowns on only 43% of opponents’ trips into the scoring zone this season. With a 2nd-and-1 from the Denver 10-yard line, Allen rifled a quick screen pass to Coleman, who stopped on a dime, and drove his way through the cornerback. He dove for the goal line and made it for the touchdown.

Bills coach Sean McDermott said earlier this week that Coleman needed to step up with Gabe Davis and Tyrell Shavers both tearing their ACLs in the win over the Jaguars last week. Coleman made his biggest play of the season when the season seemed to be slipping away from the Bills.

Allen, Nix Trade Head-Scratchers

After the Coleman touchdown, Broncos quarterback Bo Nix threw an incomplete pass and then tossed a gift-wrapped short pass right into the awaiting arms of Bills defensive tackle Deone Walker. The Bills took over in Denver territory and had an opportunity to take the lead.

On Allen’s second throw, he got some time in the pocket and then floated up a deep ball to Curtis Samuel. The ball was a little late to come out, and it hung in the air. Broncos safety P.J. Locke came flying across the field to swoop in for the interception.

Allen had a throwback performance – and not in a good way. He was careless with the football all afternoon, throwing an interception and fumbling four times (only losing two). Allen made a few unbelievable plays in the second half, too. The touchdown pass to Kincaid to regain the lead early in the fourth quarter was sensational.

Defense Bows Up in Second Half

After the four straight scores to end the first half, the Bills’ defense forced an interception and then two straight punts. Matt Milano came alive with a few monster tackles, and Cole Bishop added a few stops. Cam Lewis, starting in place of the injured Jordan Poyer, had an incredible showing. He made a few key pass breakups and helped in a few key stops in the second half.

Ed Oliver made his long-awaited return, but he was forced out in the second half with a knee injury. He played 16 snaps before leaving the game. He had a knee procedure late in December to clean up his meniscus after sustaining an injury during rehab from a torn biceps.

Half Full of Mishaps

The Broncos hit the Bills with a 14-play, 64-yard opening drive that ended in a field goal. Denver kicker Wil Lutz should have never had a chance to score because running back Jaleel McLaughlin fumbled the ball down in the red zone.

The Bills recovered the ball, but defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi was offside on the play, costing the Bills three points. Ogunjobi was a healthy scratch last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Buffalo opted to scratch Phidarian Mathis this week in favor of Ogunjobi.

Buffalo was driving late in the first quarter with a 7-3 lead, looking to take full control of the game. On a 1st-and-10 run from the Broncos’ 32-yard line, running back James Cook took a handoff and coughed up the ball. The Broncos took advantage of Buffalo’s mistake, driving 69 yards on eight plays to take a 10-7 lead.

Cook had four fumbles over a two-game stretch late in the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals. He had only two total the rest of the season, but the fumble against the Broncos completely shifted the momentum of the game.

Perhaps the most mind-boggling gaffe of the half was when Allen pulled it down to run with just 16 seconds left in the half and no timeouts from his own 30-yard line. The Bills had little chance of scoring before half, and they had just gone down 17-10.

Allen seemed determined to gain as many yards as possible with the clock running. When he realized he was in trouble and had no chance of making it to the sideline, he was spun around, and the ball came flying out. The Broncos recovered and then sneaked in a field goal with just two seconds left in the half.