ORCHARD PARK — Offensive coordinator Joe Brady was screaming in the headset for Josh Allen to slide. And then he powered through a tackle from Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee and out-ran the rest of the defense for a 52-yard touchdown.
It was the longest touchdown run in Buffalo Bills playoff history, a run that surprised no one and still made everyone howl. Few, if any, other quarterbacks could have made that run and it may not have been his best play of the game.
For most of the game, Allen was masterful before and after the snap. He manipulated the Steelers defense with his mind and overpowered them with his talent. In other words, it was just another AFC wild-card win for Allen, who improved to 4-1 in the first round after Buffalo beat Pittsburgh 34-17 at frigid Highmark Stadium.
Allen finished the day 21 of 30 for 203 yards and three touchdowns, while running for 74 more yards and another score. He’s now averaging 351.4 total yards per game, 16 total touchdowns and two interceptions in the first round and the Bills are going to need the same if their season is going to continue beyond the titanic tilt with the Kansas City Chiefs at 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
Allen was able to get the Bills to a 21-0 lead against the Steelers and the running game preserved the lead late, but what happens when Patrick Mahomes strolls into town and the game starts even?
A Bills defense missing three starters lost four more against the Steelers. Who will be healthy by Sunday is currently unknown, but it’s never safe to play Mahomes and the Chiefs shorthanded, even during a “down” year.
If the Bills want to win Round 3 with the Chiefs, putting the ball in Allen’s hands seems to be the most logical solution.
“I think we’re playing at a comfortable level because of the uncomfortable situations that we’ve been in this last six, seven weeks,” Allen said. “It’s almost a sense of a breath of fresh air and knowing that everybody’s in the same position that we are. Win or go home. To be in that situation, the dividends that it’s going to pay off. And I think you kind of saw that tonight.”
Allen threw for just 200 yards but it was one of his best passing games of the season, and not just because he didn’t throw an interception for just the fourth time all season. On the first drive, Allen went 3 for 3 against the blitz, including a touchdown pass to tight end Dawson Knox, a play in which the Steelers miscommunicated their pressure and Allen saw it immediately.
On his second touchdown pass, Brady called a play they practiced against the specific look given by the Steelers. Both safeties were wide, Allen looked off the safety to his left as tight end Dalton Kincaid ran past linebacker Myles Jack down the middle of the field and Allen threw a missile on a line.
And then, of course, there was the 52-yard touchdown run that came on the heels of Kaiir Elam’s interception in the end zone.
“They played man, we didn’t have a great man call on so I decided to try to find a lane and got 15-20 yards downfield and there’s a lot of guys screaming slide,” Allen said. “And didn’t slide and scored. So it worked out that time.”
Allen controlled the game during the first half, going 15 of 22 for 145 yards and three total touchdowns. He only needed to throw eight passes in the second half to win the game, but that doesn’t seem feasible against the Chiefs.
The Bills ran the ball for 179 yards against the Steelers, surpassing 150 yards for the sixth time this season. The Chiefs have given up 150 twice all season — both in losses — and haven’t allowed more than 157.
Kansas City is also fresh off giving up 76 to the Miami Dolphins in their wild-card game. Buffalo also ran for 118 against the Chiefs in Week 14, the second-fewest over the last nine games.
The Allen that has shown up the last two weeks? That’s a guy who can win games nearly by himself, accumulating 703 yards and six touchdowns total.
But Bills coach Sean McDermott’s tendency when his defense is struggling is to squeeze the ball. We’ll see if he can shake the trend.
“(Allen’s) just a freak of nature,” Bills receiver Khalil Shakir said. “He’s a guy that can make anything happen at any given time. And when you have a guy like that on your team, especially leading the team at quarterback, shoot. Good luck.”