“This is what everyone’s been waiting for, right?”
That’s right. Sean McDermott is talking about the Bills playoff game next Sunday. Everyone’s been looking for another crack at the Baltimore Ravens.
But first, let’s deal with the Bills’ 31-7 dismantling of Denver in the wild card game.
It was impressive. They trailed through the first quarter, took control in the second, and slammed the door shut in the third.
In the third quarter the Broncos had two three-and-out possessions, 9 total yards, and gave up 11 points to the Bills, with another Buffalo touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter. 28-7 Bills. Game over.
The Bills were dominant on defense most of the afternoon but especially after the coaches made slight changes at halftime.
“I gotta give credit to the coaches,” McDermott said. “They do a great job making those adjustments at halftime — it’s important. And the players do a great job of absorbing the information in a short amount of time and going out and executing.”
Linebackers Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard were on point during the two Denver possessions in the third, but more on them later.
The Bills scored on a field goal early in the quarter and started a drive at their own 27. Five minutes later they had a fourth down at the Denver 24-yard line.
“Fourth and one,” McDermott said. “I trust Josh. I believe in him.”
Trust him to get the “tush-push” for one yard, maybe. Allen had other ideas.
“We just need to make a play there,” the Bills quarterback said. “Man-to-man, they played pretty good coverage on some of our underneath routes.” Allen drifted right for more than six-seconds. Finally, running back Ty Johnson broke free near the back line of the end zone.
“I just extended,” Allen said. “Ty did what Ty does — he made a heckuva play for us.”
Ty Johnson caught the pass, kept his feet inbounds, and the Bills took a two-touchdown lead. Goodnight Denver.
Still to come was a Greg Rousseau sack and a Damar Hamlin near-interception to cap an outstanding day for the Buffalo defense.
And now they need another.
The Baltimore Ravens have won five in a row including last Saturday’s 28-14 wipeout of the Steelers. Derrick Henry ran for 186 yards and two touchdowns in the game. Quarterback Lamar Jackson carried the ball 15 times for 81 yards and threw two touchdown passes.
After an 0-2 start, the Ravens got back to even by hammering the Bills 35-10 in Buffalo’s first loss of the season.
Josh Allen knows it. “We got a really good Baltimore team coming in here,” he says. “They put a thumpin’ on us earlier in the year — we know that. We understand that.”
What Josh didn’t say was that the Bills played that game without the heart of their defense. Terrel Bernard, Matt Milano, and Taron Johnson all missed the game with injuries.
They were missed badly on Henry’s 199-yard night, which included an 87-yard touchdown run on Baltimore’s first play from scrimmage.
They’re back Sunday night in Orchard Park. It’s the game of the year.
Even McDermott knows that.
John Murphy, the longtime Voice of the Bills, is writing columns for WIVB.com this season. Find more of his work here.