Plays that defined 2020: Divisional round—Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills

What if someone told you they had the audacity to miss a Buffalo Bills game? What if you could show them one play, and one play only, to recap the whole thing? What play would you choose? Welcome to Plays that defined 2020...

Divisional Round: Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills

After lighting up the regular season two offensive juggernauts clashed in the AFC Divisional Round. And it turned into a defensive battle because sometimes life is just weird like that. When the dust settled the defense of the Buffalo Bills was much more elite than that of the Baltimore Ravens.

Levi Wallace sack (Q1, 9:40)

From the first whistle to the last, this game was all about defense. Buffalo was kept to their second-lowest point total of the entire year (tied) and the Ravens had by far their lowest scoring output. On the first drive of the game, Levi Wallace is set loose to try and track down the elusive Lamar Jackson. He succeeded.

Jerry Hughes sack (Q2, 8:17)

Buffalo would take down the quarterback four times in total with two coming from Jerry Hughes. They added eight quarterback hits and harassed Baltimore all night. In a twist from what we saw all season long, a dominant defense was the biggest reason for the win.

The Interception, Part II starring Taron Johnson (Q3, 0:58)

Buffalo was nursing a one-score lead after finally finding the end zone on offense in the third quarter. Baltimore looked primed to tie when Taron Johnson, The Interceptionist stepped in front of this pass and ran it back 101 yards. The Ravens couldn’t recover.

Lamar Jackson intentional grounding (Q3, 0:05)

Baltimore had plenty of time to mount a comeback, but couldn’t get out of their own way. Follies were a big theme of the game with eight penalties to Buffalo’s two. This one cost them 23 yards and a down when they really needed to get something going.

Ravens 19-yard run (Q4, 15:00)

The intentional grounding penalty also cost the Ravens their starting quarterback. Jackson exited the game and in came Tyler Huntley. A Baltimore team that had struggled to get anything going with their young star didn’t fare any better with their backup. Despite having plenty of clock left, the game was effectively over.

It’s time to vote for the play that defined the game. Remember, it’s the play that best tells the overall story of this contest, not necessarily a favorite play or best highlight.

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