NEW YORK'S ORCHARD PARK — The New England Patriots were the AFC's top seed only a month ago. They're done after only one day in the playoffs, carried away by their own ill-timed slump and the Buffalo Bills, who rejoiced in heaping it on their despised foe on a freezing night that did little to dampen the chilled supporters' joy. If the Buffalo Bills started the season as the greatest danger to the Kansas City Chiefs' AFC dominance, the first day of Super Wild Card Weekend provided them with yet another challenge. In a nail-biter versus the Las Vegas Raiders, the Cincinnati Bengals hung on, announcing the acquisition of another young quarterback, Joe Burrow, to face Patrick Mahomes. There's a good chance Mahomes, Burrow, and Josh Allen will struggle for control of the conference for the next decade or so. Maybe Mac Jones may join them in the future. However, the Patriots' rebuilding efforts were resumed on Saturday, while the Raiders underwent yet another franchise change.
WINNERS
The city of Cincinnati: In the first quarter, the largest crowd in Paul Brown Stadium history forced three Raiders false starts, never sat down, and never let up.. For the Bengals, this felt like an exorcism, since it helped them win their first playoff game in 31 years. The Bengals' coach, Zac Taylor, presented the whole city with a game ball.
Go find footage of Joe Burrow's second-quarter in-stride rope to C.J. Uzomah for a 29-yard gain that zipped right by Divine Deablo's ear. Or the touchdown throw to him as he was ready to leave the field (set aside the fact it should have been waved off because of an inadvertent whistle). Or his psychic relationship with Ja'Marr Chase, who threw for 116 yards on nine catches. Burrow completed 24-of-34 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns in his first playoff game, and his calm post-game demeanor suggests he knew what to expect. The rest of us should also be prepared. The Bengals now have one of the top five quarterbacks in the NFL.
The Bills: Their thrashing of the Patriots served as a stark reminder of Buffalo's brilliant team-building efforts since 2018, when the Bills had a rookie quarterback in Josh Allen and a lot of money being paid to guys who were no longer on the club. It was tough not to feel like the Bills were sending a message to the rest of the AFC East with this thrashing. The Bills have referred to the Chiefs as the kings of the AFC hill since losing the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium last year.. The Bills have won five straight games, but their two greatest performances of the season were against the Patriots in their last two games of the regular season — they struggled mightily at home against the Falcons and Jets in the final two games of the regular season. Now it's time to keep playing like this against a team that's even better than the Patriots next week, most likely the Chiefs.
Josh Allen (Josh): There was nothing the Bills quarterback couldn't do on Saturday night. He snatched passes and broke ankles. Allen was a one-man wrecking crew, throwing for 308 yards and rushing for 66, but the Bills' offense as a whole was unstoppable. They scored a touchdown on each of their four first-half possessions, putting them up a 27-0 advantage. To put the game in Mac Jones' hands, the Bills put an emphasis on going out to an early lead. Done. They went on their journey after that. The Bills haven't punted against the Patriots since early in the third quarter of their first meeting this season.The Bills had a flawless offensive performance until they were forced to kneel, scoring a touchdown on every drive.. Harrison Phillips, a defensive lineman for the Buffalo Bills, raved over the offense, saying, "That sounds like something from Pop Warner. You could have done it on Madden."
Micah Hyde: Despite a stellar defensive performance overall, the Bills safety is singled out for one of the most athletic and timely plays ever seen.With the Bills leading by a touchdown but the Patriots moving the ball at will, quarterback Mac Jones had the Patriots with a first down at the Bills' 34-yard line on the first possession of the game. He sent a pass to Nelson Agholor, who was streaking down the left sideline, wide open in the end zone. When Hyde saw an opening, he sprinted to the point where Agholor would have collided with the pass. Hyde, who had been pursuing the ball the whole time, made a Willie Mays-style catch, turning a sure touchdown into a jaw-dropping interception that halted the Patriots' early momentum. The Patriots' offense never got back on track.
Both offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier are contenders for head coaching opportunities with the Buffalo Bills. This game will look well on their resumes.
Yes, the Patriots were eliminated in the wild-card round, but they rebuilt in a single season and made the playoffs with a rookie quarterback.This game showed their flaws, but it's a victory by any standard, save maybe the one that uses Tom Brady as the yardstick.
LOSERS
Bengals' red zone offense: It's strange to say this about a winning team, but the Bengals left too many points on the field, settling for field goals after a Derek Carr fumble and after starting a drive on the Raiders' 45-yard line, allowing the Raiders to stay in the game after the Bengals dominated the first half. Later, with less than 7 minutes remaining, a lengthy drive stopped on the Raiders' 25-yard line and another on the 10-yard line, with a chance to give the Bengals a two-touchdown advantage. The Bengals got away with it against the Raiders, but their red-zone issues may recur as they proceed and face more challenging opponents.
The Raiders: A great chance to steal a victory was
squandered, particularly against an injury-riddled defensive line that was receiving minimal pass pressure towards the conclusion of the game. After finishing the season with a fourth-down interception from the Bengals' 9-yard line, the Raiders are going into an offseason that will almost definitely include significant changes. squandering a down by kicking the ball with 29 seconds remaining. Rich Bisaccia, the Raiders' interim coach, did an amazing job of keeping the team together and bringing them into the playoffs after a season filled with adversity, but the Raiders are likely to undertake a complete coaching search. The Raiders and Derek Carr will then have to make choices regarding his future.
Super Wild Card Weekend pits the Las Vegas Raiders against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Officiating: It's never a good sign when the league announces that it will issue a statement on a contentious call during a game. The statement was prompted by an unintended whistle after a Bengals touchdown throw, which said that the whistle occurred after the touchdown reception was made, despite video review indicating that this was not the case. Aside from that, the game's administration was a disaster (officials gave the Raiders a timeout as the Bengals snapped the ball, then overlooked what appeared to be a late hit). on Burrow on the same play, for example). Officiating should never be the focus of attention after a game, much alone a playoff game. Alas.
The Patriots: A humiliating performance, especially on defense. Allen Matt Judon was spurned on a 26-yard Allen run early in the game as he ate up man-to-man coverage. The pass rush's decline was a major factor in their demise; they only had two sacks in their previous four defeats. Those strong defensive numbers from the regular season — second in points allowed and fourth in yards allowed — were bolstered by lesser opponents. The Bills, on the other hand, made the Patriots appear slow and exposed a lack of cover men.
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