Ty Johnson Buffalo BillsAssociated Press photo

Quarterback-receiver chemistry is vastly underrated, especially when it’s with a running back. Josh Allen and Ty Johnson proved it with 18 minutes left in the Bills’ 31-7 win over the Broncos in Saturday’s AFC wild-card playoff game.

Leading 13-7 and facing fourth-and-1 from Denver’s 24, Allen improvised. Rolling to his right and directing traffic, he looped a soft pass toward the back of the end zone. A sliding Johnson made a great adjustment to secure the catch, a critical touchdown that helped Buffalo (14-4) advance to a showdown next week against Baltimore in the divisional round.

“I’ve been saying it all year long, Ty Johnson’s the best third-down back in football,” said Allen, who finished 20 of 26 for 272 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, and improved his postseason record to 6-5 in the postseason. “The things that he’s able to do for us, the way we continue to use him in the pass game, blocking, and running the ball, he does it all. I’m so happy for him, so proud of him. He made a heck of a play. … No point in holding it, taking a sack there. They played man and he just gave him a chance.”

Johnson was the best fourth-down back on that play, and Buffalo scored 31 unanswered points largely on the strength of Allen’s late-down efforts. In addition to that fourth-down touchdown pass, Allen was 7-of-8 for 121 yards on third down, including a 55-yard strike to Curtis Samuel on the first play of the final period. And when Buffalo needed the big quarterback’s legs, he picked up five first downs on all five rushing attempts on either third or fourth down.

Now, Buffalo gets a home rematch with Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, who beat the Bills, 35-10, on Sept. 29 in Baltimore.

“They got after us earlier this year, so we got a lot of film to watch,” Allen said. “It’s a great team. It’s a great quarterback obviously with Lamar what he’s able to do. He’s one of the most dynamic, if not the most dynamic quarterback, in the league. He’s so fun to watch. But I’ll be watching their defense this week, so that’s our focus.”

Unfortunately, MVP voters can’t wait until after next week’s game to cast their ballots. Allen and Jackson are expected to occupy the top two spots in Associated Press voting. The winner will be revealed at NFL Honors on Feb. 6 in New Orleans. The NFL is expected to determine date, kickoff time and network late on Sunday night or at some point Monday.

Denver, meanwhile, finished an impressive season under rookie quarterback Bo Nix. In his first playoff possession for the Broncos (10-8), Nix launched a perfectly placed 43-yard touchdown to former Oregon teammate Troy Franklin to give the Broncos a 7-0 lead. Nix finished 13 of 22 for 144 yards and one touchdown. He also led the team with 43 yards on four carries.

For more information on the Bills and Broncos, visit the Buffalo and Denver team pages at ProFootballPost.com.


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By Zak Gilbert

Since his freshman year at the University of Colorado, Zak Gilbert has worked 30 years in sports, including 18 NFL seasons. He's spent time with four NFL teams, serving as head of communications for both the Raiders and Browns. A veteran of nine Super Bowls, he most recently worked six seasons in the NFL's New York league office.

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