NFL divisional round playoffs: Baltimore Ravens v Buffalo Bills – live updates

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TOUCHDOWN! Ravens 7-14 Bills, 8:52 2nd quarter

Allen takes it himself and the Bills take their first lead of this game, capitalizing on the Ravens turnover. Just moments ago Baltimore looked poise to put more points on the board, but instead it’s the home team that puts it in the endzone.

Both these turnovers are on Jackson, so he needs to figure this out, and fast.

Ravens 7-7 Bills, 8:56 2nd quarter

It’s first and goal to go now for Buffalo who are on the move following that turnover. They hand it to Cook who runs towards the endzone. He’s wrapped up, but he’s pushing. And pushing! The pile moves until the one yard line!

What an effort!

FUMBLE! Ravens 7-7 Bills, 11:05 2nd quarter

On 2nd & 10, Jackson drops back, then runs straight ahead, but Damar Hamlin frees the ball from Jackson! The ball is on the turf, that is until Von Miller picks it up! And he’s running free, all the way to the Baltimore 24! That’s the Ravens second turnover! Wow!

Ravens 7-7 Bills, 11:20 2nd quarter

On 2nd & 14, the Bills blitz but Jackson isn’t phased – he jump throws a completion a five yard pass. But now it’s 3rd & 9!

Can they convert? Yes they can! Jackson finds Miller streaking across the middle on a crossing route for a 16 yard gain. They’re at the Bills 28!

Ravens 7-7 Bills, 12:59 2nd quarter

Hill eats up more yardage on the ground, this time it’s an 11 yard gain.

Then Jackson has time but takes it himself! He runs to his right into open pastures! When he’s tackled, it’s in Bills territory. It’s a 16 yard gain. How do you stop this?

Ravens 7-7 Bills, end of 1st quarter

Henry has a head of steam and ten yards, right up the gut, up to the Ravens 19. Now Hill is bouncing to his right to the far sideline and has another nine yards.

And that’s how the first quarter ends. Much more to come!

Ravens 7-7 Bills, 0:41 1st quarter

Now it’s 3rd and long and Allen looks deep for Knox but it’s incomplete! That means the Ravens get their defense off the field, which is big following that interception. The Bills punt it down to the Ravens nine.

Ravens 7-7 Bills, 1:19 1st quarter

Just saw a replay of that pick, and it was just as ugly as the first time. No wonder Jackson was holding his head: it’s only his fifth pick of the season!

Meanwhile, Allen hits Kincaid, the tight end, over the middle, and now Samuel has a reception on the far side of the field. Except that’s called back for holding. Big flag there, and a replay shows Dion Dawkins wasn’t holding at all.

But then there’s a flag on Baltimore, a neutral zone infraction. So it’s 2nd & 17 on the Bills 48 when the dust settles.

INTERCEPTION! Ravens 7-7 Bills, 3:52 1st quarter

Jackson flings it to a wide open Taylor Rapp. The problem is, he plays for the Bills! What happened there? That was UGLY.

So I wondered if we were going to see some defense, just a few minutes ago. And there you have it, though Jackson didn’t make it too tough!

Bills have it at their 43-yard line when we return.

As it happened, twice

The drive

Eleven plays, 70 yards in 5:57. Nice and smooth. Are we going to see any defense today?

TOUCHDOWN! Ravens 7-7 Bills, 4:43 1st quarter

Rookie Ray Davis is in the endzone, and the Bills have come right back and answered!

Ravens 7-0 Bills, 5:03 1st quarter

The Bills continue to march: it’s first and goal at the five. Cook runs left for four yards. They’re a yard away.

Ravens 7-0 Bills, 6:03 1st quarter

They’re gonna go, and it’s Allen again! This time he runs right, finds space, and has enough for a fresh set of downs.

Now Cook has it and he’s dancing to his left and finding space! He even gets his hair pulled before being taken down for an eight yard gain. Bills at the Ravens 12!

Ravens 7-0 Bills, 7:44 1st quarter

Johnson bullies up the middle for eight yards, then Cook stumbles for one. It’s 3rd & short and Allen is going to keep it and he’s wrapped up! It’s 4th & 2! Will the Bills go for it?

Ravens 7-0 Bills, 8:52 1st quarter

Cook runs for two yards and it’s 3rd & 8. Allen from the 32 lets it fly! Shakir has it on the middle of the field for a rather large chunk of turf! That’s a 33-yard gain down to the Ravens 35. The Bills fans exhale!

Ravens 7-0 Bills, 10:35 1st quarter

Were the Ravens bothered by the snow? No. The cold? No. Weather talk is such nonsense. Here come the Bills now with Allen in the shotgun. He has time and overthrows an open Hoillins in his first attempt of the game.

The drive

Eight plays, 73 yards in just 4:20. Nice and smooth. Can the Bills answer?

TOUCHDOWN! Ravens 7-0 Bills, 10:40 1st quarter

Rashod Bateman is wide open and in the middle of the endzone! That is a 16-yard TD pass and the Ravens have come right down the field and dealt a blow to the Bills defense! A bit too easy!

Ravens 0-0 Bills, 12:56 1st quarter

Jackson moves to his right, fires and finds Likely who has all kinds of room! That’s a 40 yard gain into Bills territory!

Ravens 0-0 Bills, 12:56 1st quarter

Henry runs to his left and again is stifled for a single yard. That sets up 3rd & 8. Jackson back to pass, has time and takes off! He’s running towards the far sideline and has room and a first down!

That is going to be hard to stop.

Now Henry is open and…oops…he drops a slippery ball that would have gone for a big gain. The ball is on the Ravens 29.

We’re off!

The 2025 Quarterback Bowl is live! The Ravens will start from their 27! Henry is held to a single yard in his first run.

Prediction time

I think the loss of Flowers hurts the Ravens, but it’s hard to imagine them losing today. Yet I’m drawn to the Bills and Allen. What if it’s too cold and Jackson has to wear gloves? So I’m going 31-24 Buffalo. That doesn’t feel right either. If I were a betting man, I would stay away from this.

Kickoff from Orchard Park, NY, USA coming up next!

Eagles win!

Read all about it, hot off the press:

Jordan Phillips

The Bills defensive standout is the opposite of teammate Mack Hollins, with a more realistic pregame drip.

Zay Flowers

The Ravens standout wideout is out! He gave it a shot before the game but ultimately his knee was not up to the task. That means the Ravens won’t let it fly as much today, so it’s up to Henry and Jackson to wear down the Bills defense with their punishing ground game.

Rams 22-28 Eagles, FINAL

Stafford back to pass, he’s looking for Nacua on the far sideline but it’s incomplete! That means LA turn the ball over on downs and the ballgame is over: the Philadelphia Eagles are heading to the NFC Championship and a match-up with the Washington Commanders at home next Sunday!

Rams 22-28 Eagles, 0:35 4th quarter

A short completion, and then a false start flag on LA backs up the Rams to their 24. Then Stafford finds Nacua for a 10-yard gain.

Next play, Stafford is sacked! He can’t take a sack there. So it’s 4th and season for LA!

Rams 22-28 Eagles, 1:19 4th quarter

On 2sn and 10, Darious Slay breaks up a pass intended for Nacua, but then Stafford comes back and hits Robinson over the middle for a first down!

And there’s more – Stafford airs in to Nacua on the far sideline – complete at the Eagles 21! Wow!

That’s the Bills Wide Receiver Mack Hollins showing off his beach body in balmy Buffalo as he arrives for a light workout v the Baltimore Ravens. Can’t say I would have done it much differently.

Rams 22-28 Eagles, 2:33 4th quarter

The Eagles have to punt! The Rams have no timeouts, but will have a chance to steal this game down in Philly! LA start at their own 18.

Rams 22-28 Eagles, 2:48 4th quarter

Over in the NFC matinee, the Rams are down six as the Eagles start a drive from their own 30-yard line. LA have all three timeouts.

Did I mention the weather?

My experience is that weather is something that the media LOVES to talk about. So do fans. And so did my dad. NFL players? My take? They don’t worry about it much at all. They just go out and play and are so focused on what they have to do that they zone past the conditions. Even dome teams. What weather impacts the game the most? I would say not snow or rain or cold, but probably wind. That said, one thing we know is that Lamar Jackson does not like gloves. In fact, if you ask him, he will tell you that he sucks in gloves. Don’t take it from me, here’s what the man himself said.

“I tried (wearing gloves) in practice. I was horrible. Leave that up to Teddy Two Gloves, Teddy Bridgewater. Shout out Teddy.”

So that’s interesting, because what if it is so cold that Jackson absolutely has to put them on? Something to think about and keep an eye on as we get closer to kickoff.

We are live!

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the 2025 Quarterback Bowl between Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. The Bills and Ravens are also set to appear.

Yes, it’s going to be a lot of fun for us to follow in the warm, cozy environs of wherever you’re reading. For the 100+ players and coaches set to bounce around Buffalo’s frozen turf, it’ll be less cozy: 18 degrees Fahrenheit, Celsius minus eight. There could be some snow too, adding to the backdrop of what must be the most eagerly anticipated NFL game of the season.

There’s a lot on the line, and it must seem somewhat unfair that these two teams had to play last week, before gearing up for a DEFCON five war of the football worlds, while the Chiefs got last week off, shot a few TV commercials, and then played a “playoff” scrimmage against the Texans, who aren’t a real NFL team. That means the Bills or the Ravens will have played the equivalent of two championship games just to get to the Super Bowl. Moral of the story? Whatever you have to do, get that top seed.

But it’s too late for that and now we have a death match between two quarterbacks that deserve MVP honors, and two quarterbacks that are desperate to get their teams over the hump and into the Super Bowl. Buffalo, to their credit, are here despite seemingly being on the slide coming into this season. They were weakened by the offseason loss of wideout Stefon Diggs, some key departures on defense and then were pounded by these Ravens in a week four 35-10 loss. Then they got healthy and ripped off 10 of 13 games to earn the second seed, saving themselves a second trip to Baltimore. Obviously, for the Bills, it’s all on Allen, but he does have one of the best offensive lines in the league to lean on. One stat to watch - their defense, not elite by any stretch, did lead the NFL in turnovers this season. Can they keep Baltimore off balance and force some errors?

That will be challenging, for there is a reason that the Ravens are favored on the road. Their offense was overwhelming this season, with a two-pronged rushing attack of Derrick Henry and Jackson, a duo that is seemingly built for the messy track we could have today. They’re also lethal in the air, but without a healthy Zay Flowers, that part of their game could be limited. The Ravens are a franchise built on defense, and they ranked 10th in yards allowed in 2024 and have been surging in the last few weeks.

So a heck of a ballgame coming up, don’t you think? And as we prepare, while peeking over to the Rams and Eagles NFC divisional game that’s finishing up, why not drop me a line and join the show? That’s right - your name in the Guardian! It can happen: X me or email me. Otherwise, get your popcorn ready for what should be an absolutely fabulous conclusion to this NFL weekend.

More to come, stick with us!

David will be here shortly, in the meantime here’s Oliver Connolly on what we learned from last week’s games:

Three AFC playoff games. Three blowouts. It’s a good job the league dropped the “Super” part from their Wildcard Weekend sales pitch.

But within those blowouts was something magical, the appetizer to what should be the tastiest main course of the season: Lamar Jackson and the Ravens against Josh Allen’s Bills in a win-or-go-home, be-crowned-or-memed, MVP-off in the divisional round this coming weekend.

Taken together, Jackson and Allen completed 36 of 47 passes, for 447 yards and four touchdowns with zero interceptions in the wildcard round. And this against two of the most fearsome defensive fronts in the NFL. No one has hunted quarterbacks this season like the Broncos, and no one brings four All-Pro caliber pass-rushers to the party like the Steelers.

It didn’t matter. By the advanced metrics, we saw two of the most efficient, impressive quarterback performances of the season. Jackson completed 12.8% more of his passes than expected against the Steelers on Saturday, according to Next Gen Stats. Not to be outdone, Allen completed 16.5% of his passes over expectation against the Broncos on Sunday.

In one sense, part of the joy in comparing Allen and Jackson is how similar they are. The way their legs change the math of the game, how they challenge defenses and orchestrate complicated offenses. They have mastered the details that excite the nerds, but at any point, they are a threat to drop a supernova highlight that overwhelms the TikTok servers.

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