Josh Allen had a great playoffs. A top-tier showing in the history of the game. After two games, eight quarters away from a probable lift of the Lombardi Trophy, it is over.
The Bills' cannon- throwing, next-level-gridiron-IQ quarterback genuinely couldn't have done anything more to help Buffalo secure its second-straight AFC Championship Game appearance. It would have taken one route to the Super Bowl through Western New York for the first time since January 1994, when figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was hit with a club.
Allen would not be born for another 28 months.
He will be 26 years old the next time he attempts a pass. Allen threw nine touchdown passes in the Bills Wild-Card win over New England and in the all-time classic against Kansas City.
Two of his four touchdown throws against the Chiefs came in the game's final 1:54, a pair of missiles to Gabriel Davis, who set an NFL record himself with four receiving touchdown in one playoff game. Allen and Davis will not be playing the game at home.
We probably watched the Super Bowl last night. Can anyone guess which team will win the conference championship game on Sunday? Since the Rams would be playing for the title at home for the second time in a row, it would be interesting to see which team challenges the winner in three weeks. It is hard to imagine the depth of the Chiefs being rattled by Jimmy Garoppolo or Matthew Stafford.
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The toughest test in the playoffs is behind them. Last night, he was outplayed at his position. Everyone else let Allen down. After the two-minute warning, Allen had three game-winning opportunities. He threw a touchdown pass to Davis on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Allen gave one of the best defenses a 3-point lead. Light years are when you leave Mahomes 114 seconds and three timeouts. We know this.
No problem for Allen. With 13 seconds left in the game, he vaulted the Bills back into a 3-point lead. That is the second game-winner. It had to be that. The Firebaugh, California native was the best quarterback in the world. It was the last time Allen touched the pigskin.
It is beyond explanation why Sean McDermott didn't call for a kick to run the clock down to 8 or 9 seconds. He fears the legs of Pringle more than the arm of Mahomes, who has been locked in for years with his receiving corps? The mistake was not amplified at the time. The Kansas City offense had to go 26 yards in 12 seconds for Harrison Butker to attempt to send the game to overtime.
The Bills defense was the best in the league in scoring defense. No way the Chiefs could send the game to overtime with two quick plays. It did happen. Kansas City head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy made some great play calls that resulted in a 44 yard touchdown run by Travis Kelce in 10 seconds. Butker only had a 48 yard try from the left mark, a kick he has made his entire career with ease. The end-of-regulation attempt was no different.
The coin toss was Allen's final chance to win the game. His season was decided by a coin flip. Both defenses were gassed. It was up to the heads or tails of the offense to keep the ball away from their opponent. Allen could only watch his season end from a bench.
Allen had heroics over the last two weekends. His five touchdown passes against the Pats were one shy of tying the single-game NFL record, a three-way tie shared by the likes of Tom Brady and Steve Young. Allen would have broken the record for touchdown passes in a single playoff game, 11 in a three-way tie with Joe Montana, Kurt Warner and Joe Flacco, per PFF.
After this season, the record will likely be Mahomes'. His team took another opportunity from Allen. Allen should have gotten another chance to throw the ball. Rules are what they are. Should the coin have landed on the other side, he wouldn't be complaining. If the Bills defense made two crucial stops. Outside of Western New York and parts of Canada, Allen will be remembered as the greatest postseason of all time.
It would have been life-changing for everyone around him if he had torn through the Bengals. The inability of overtime will fuel him and make him better. He is dealing with massive FOMO right now. After watching the Buffalo Bills lose to the Kansas City Chiefs last season, Allen said there was always next year for him.
He will get his chance soon. Allen will play in a Super Bowl in the next few years. This one would have been sweeter.
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