DENVER (AP) — Josh Allen knows all about heartbreaking losses in the playoffs. After yet another one Saturday, he stood at a microphone and wiped away tears.
This might have been the best chance for Allen and the Bills to get to the Super Bowl. He’s heard that, too, and after he committed four of Buffalo’s five turnovers in a 33-30 loss to Denver in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs, he had to answer questions about coming up short yet again.
“Extremely difficult,” Allen said, while choking back tears. “I felt like I let my teammates down.”
For a change, there was no Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in his way, no Lamar Jackson and the Ravens or Joe Burrow and the Bengals. Only Bo Nix and the top-seeded but unproven Denver Broncos. Denver turned all those turnovers into 16 points, including the game-ending 23-yard field goal by Wil Lutz.
Allen watched Lutz’s field goal sail through the uprights, then quickly hopped up, headed onto the field and then into the locker room. He will watch as the Broncos move on to face either New England or Houston without Nix, who broke his right ankle late in overtime and will have surgery that will sideline him for the rest of the playoffs.
“Can’t win with five turnovers,” said Allen, who threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles. “You shoot yourself in the foot like that you don’t deserve to win football games.”
The Bills, who beat Jacksonville in the wild-card round, became the first NFL team to win a playoff game in six straight seasons without capturing a Super Bowl. Allen’s eight playoff wins are most for any QB in the Super Bowl era who hasn’t played in a Super Bowl.
What’s more, Allen became the second player in the last 20 postseasons with two or more interceptions and at least two lost fumbles, joining Arizona’s Carson Palmer, who accomplished the feat against the Panthers in the 2015 NFC championship game.
The thought could be dawning on Allen and Bills fans that it’s no longer inevitable that he’ll hoist a Lombardi Trophy someday. Last season’s MVP, who often seems to will the Bills to victory by himself, turns 30 in May.
“I haven’t been doing a lot of talking other than I love my teammates,” said Allen, who threw for 283 yards and three touchdowns while running for 66 yards. “Extremely sorry and disappointed.”
Bills coach Sean McDermott defended Allen, who lost a fumble on a scramble in the closing seconds of the first half to set up a long field goal by Denver to make it 20-10.
“No, it’s not on him,” McDermott said. “We had opportunities — all of us — and I’m extremely proud of him. He’s a tremendous person, tremendous leader, tremendous quarterback. Yeah, there are plays we all want back.”
One of the plays that had McDermott miffed after the game occurred midway through overtime, when Allen’s long pass to Brandin Cooks was wrestled away by Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian for an interception. McDermott thought Cooks had possession and down by contact.
McDermott called timeout to get the officials to at least take a longer look at the play. Had Cooks caught the ball, the Bills would have been well within field-goal range.
“It’s hard for me to understand why it was ruled the way it was ruled,” McDermott said. “And if it is ruled that way, then why wasn’t it slowed down, just to make sure that we have this right. That would’ve made a lot of sense to me. To make sure we have this thing right.
“I’m saying it because I’m standing up for Buffalo … I’m standing up for us. What went on is not how it should go down.”
Referee Carl Cheffers explained to a pool reporter: “The receiver has to complete the process of a catch. He was going to the ground as part of the process of the catch and he lost possession of the ball when he hit the ground. The defender gained possession of it at that point. The defender is the one that completed the process of the catch, so the defender was awarded the ball.”
After the pick, the Broncos drove the ball deep into Bills territory courtesy of a pair of pass-interference calls, one on Taron Johnson and another from Tre’Davious White, who also drew an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty. Those flags got the Broncos so close that Lutz’s game-ending kick was a formality.
“It’s going to stick with me for a long time,” Allen said. “Losing in the playoffs is not fun.”
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