The narrative started before the NFL playoffs even started: This was a prime chance for Josh Allen to finally make a Super Bowl, and anything short of that would be a personal failure.
That's irrational in many ways, but Allen showed again Sunday why it is reasonable to predict him to carry a flawed Buffalo Bills team to Super Bowl LX. There's a good reason he is the reigning NFL MVP.
Allen was hit often and hit hard, but he kept coming back and helped carry the Bills to a hard-fought 27-24 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC wild-card round. The Bills will next travel to Denver to face the top-seeded Broncos in the divisional round on Saturday.
When the Bills fell behind Sunday with a little more than four minutes to play, Allen put together a drive that epitomized his value to Buffalo. He hit a long pass to Brandin Cooks to get the Bills into Jaguars territory, then atush push on fourth-and-inches ended up gaining 10 yards to Jacksonville's 1-yard line when he kept pushing ahead. The Jaguars seemed to let Allen score on another tush push with 1:02 remaining.
JOSH ALLEN TUSH PUSHES FOR 10 YARDSBUFvsJAX on CBS/Paramount+Stream on@NFLPluspic.twitter.com/euKB0arG2m
— NFL (@NFL)January 11, 2026
JOSH ALLEN GIVES THE BILLS THE LEAD WITH 1:04 LEFT IN THE GAME 🤯(via@NFL)pic.twitter.com/bRndYVmtFV
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports)January 11, 2026
When theBills picked off Jacksonvilleon the first play of their next drive, that sealed the victory. Allen had 273 yards and a touchdown passing, and also two rushing touchdowns.
The Bills move on. They've had bad playoff luck before, but they're still alive, and Allen gives them a shot at a long run.
Bills build halftime lead
Allen seemed to have a reserved seat in the medical tent through the first half.
He was hit in the head after he was tackled on a third-down run and was evaluated. His knee bent awkwardly on a touchdown run when he got hit hard, and went to the tent for that too. Allen hurt his finger when it hit a helmet following through on a pass, and that caused more pain.
But Allen didn't miss any plays. And he played very well.
The Bills turn to Allen to carry the load and he often delivers. His touchdown run on third-and-goal from the Jaguars' 2-yard line was the difference in Buffalo's halftime lead.
The Jaguars made some key mistakes. Trevor Lawrence, who had played mostly mistake-free football in the second half of the regular season, threw an interception that led directly to a Bills field goal. On a fourth down near the end zone, the Jaguars went for it and Lawrence tried to run for it, but he dove instead of trying to run through contact and when he did, his shin hit the ground and he was short of the first down.
Then at the end of the half, the Jaguars caught a break when the Bills had an offsides penalty to allow Jacksonville one second to try a field goal. But Cam Little's hot streak ended when he missed a 54-yard FG attempt to the left.
The game featured two quarterbacks who had fantastic seasons, but it quickly became a typical playoff game with nothing coming easy for either team.
Another dramatic playoff game
The NFL playoffs started with two excellent games Saturday of wild-card weekend, and the Bills and Jaguars made it 3 for 3 with another tense game.
The teams traded field goals in the third quarter, then the Jaguars leaned on the run a bit more for a long touchdown drive. Jacksonville ran it with success against a Bills team that struggled to stop the run most of the season, but the Jaguars went away from the run game too often. On an 11-play drive, they got it going again and it ended with Lawrence hitting Parker Washington for a 6-yard touchdown and a 17-13 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Allen answered back. He hit Dalton Kincaid for a 15-yard touchdown and the Bills had the lead again.
Before this season the Jaguars had been in the playoffs just once since the end of the 2017 season, but they didn't look overwhelmed by the moment. Lawrence led a big drive and hit Travis Etienne for a 14-yard touchdown to take the lead with a little more than four minutes remaining.
Allen made a huge play on what looked like a do-or-die drive for the Bills, finding a wide-open Brandin Cooks downfield for a 36-yard gain right before the two-minute warning. A fourth-and-inches from the 11-yard line was converted on a tush push by Allen, who kept pushing ahead until he was all the way to the 1-yard line. On the next play, the Jaguars lined up like they were preparing to defend the tush push but backed off and appeared to let Allen score.
Cole Bishop called game on the Jaguars' first offensive play after that. Cornerback Tre'Davious White got his hand on a pass to Jakobi Meyers over the middle, deflecting it, and Bishop picked off the pass to practically end the game.
The Bills are still alive. And they still have Allen, the best player left in the AFC field.
Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more as the Buffalo Bills travel to face the Jacksonville Jaguars in the wild-card round:
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Ian Casselberry
Ian Casselberry
Josh Allen limping in locker room, but says 'We're good'
Josh Allen said he got rolled up a little bit in the first half the touchdown play he came up limping. Allen said "we're good."
Allen was sporting a little bit of a limp in the locker room, too.
Buffalo wins in Jacksonville, 27-24, to advance to the divisional round.
Ian Casselberry
Trevor Lawrence intercepted by Tre'Davious White
Jacksonville's comeback attempt ends with a Trevor Lawrence interception. On first-and-10 from the 23-yard line, Lawrence is picked off by Tre'Davious White to clinch the playoff win for the Bills. The pass was tipped by Cole Bishop.
Mitch Wishowsky's 64-yard kickoff did not go into the end zone, forcing Bhayshul Tuten to return the kick. He ran 22 yards to give Jacksonville the ball at its 23-yard line.
Ian Casselberry
Touchdown, Buffalo: Bills 27, Jaguars 24
Josh Allen was ruled down at the 1-yard line after his QB sneak went nine yards. On the following play, he got into the end zone with another push up the middle.
The Jaguars will get the ball with 1:04 remaining, but have no timeouts.
Ian Casselberry
Josh Allen bulls forward for 10-yard run
The Bills called a QB sneak on fourth-and-inches, but Josh Allen surged ahead for nine yards. It appeared that he may have gone the full 10 yards and scored a touchdown, but Allen was ruled down at the 1-yard line after review.
On third-and-4 from the Jacksonville 14-yard line, Josh Allen completes a pass to Khalil Shakir in the flat. However, Shakir didn't get to the 10-yard line for the first down. That gives the Bills a fourth-and-inches with 1:10 remaining.
Ian Casselberry
Josh Allen to Brandin Cooks for 36 yards
After a tight James Cook run for a first down, Josh Allen opened it up with a deep 36-yard throw to Brandin Cooks down the left hash.
At the 2-minute warning, Buffalo has the ball at the Jacksonville 20-yard line.
Ian Casselberry
James Cook with a close first-down run
Following an 8-yard catch by Khalil Shakir on first-and-10, James Cook appeared to run 2 yards for the first down. The spot was measured and a first down was ruled.
The Jaguars regain the lead! Trevor Lawrence finds Travis Etienne in the right flat and the running back takes it in for a 14-yard touchdown. The former Clemson teammates put Jacksonville back on top.
Lawrence to Etienne! ANOTHER lead change in this game!
The Jaguars went 77 yards in 10 plays, covering 4:53 on the clock. Jacksonville has a 4-point lead with 4:03 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Ian Casselberry
Parker Washington makes 31-yard catch
On second-and-10 from their 44-yard line, Jacksonville gets a first down on a 31-yard pass from Trevor Lawrence to Parker Washington. Lawrence hit Washington on a deep post pattern.
That moves the Jaguars to the Bills' 25-yard line.
Ian Casselberry
Jaguars get first down on defensive holding penalty
Jacksonville faced a third-and-8 from its 38-yard line. Trevor Lawrence's pass to Brenton Strange was incomplete, but Christian Benford was flagged for defensive holding and the Jaguars get a first down.
Davis appeared to be hurt when he was hit by three defenders attempting to make a first-down catch with 10:47 remaining in the game.
Ian Casselberry
Touchdown, Buffalo: Bills 20, Jaguars 17
After getting a first down on a QB sneak, Josh Allen follows up by connecting with Dalton Kincaid on a wheel route down the left sideline for a 15-yard touchdown.
On third-and-6 from the Jaguars' 24-yard line, Josh Allen ran up the middle for an apparent first down. But he may have begun his slide before the line to gain at the 19-yard line. The play is now under review.
