ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. _ Led by a stout defense and a resurgent Lamar Jackson, the Ravens held off the Buffalo Bills, 24-17, to extend their franchise-record winning streak and clinch a playoff berth.
The ninth straight victory strengthened the Ravens' hold on the AFC North entering Thursday night's matchup with the New York Jets and dealt the Bills (9-4) their first defeat since Week 10 and their first loss at New Era Stadium since Week 8.
The Ravens (11-2) outgained Buffalo 257-209, finished with six sacks and saved their biggest stop for the Bills' final play. On fourth-and-8 from the Ravens' 18-yard line with just over a minute remaining, Josh Allen targeted wide receiver John Brown. But cornerback Marcus Peters batted the pass away easily, and the Ravens could take a knee.
Ravens' Lamar Jackson joins Michael Vick as only NFL QBs to rush for 1,000 yards in single season �
In a battle of second-year quarterbacks, Jackson (16-for-25 for 145 yards, three touchdowns and one interception) largely outplayed Buffalo's Allen (17-for-39 for 146 yards and a touchdown). After a forgettable first half _ his biggest highlight might've been crossing the 1,000-yard mark for rushing this season _ Jackson stared down pressure to find tight end Hayden Hurst for a 61-yard catch-and-run score early in the third quarter, Hurst's career-long reception. A 4-yard touchdown throw to wide receiver Willie Snead IV extended the Ravens' lead to 24-9 five minutes into the fourth quarter.
As chants of "M-V-P" bounced around the stadium, the Ravens defense started to wobble. A seven-play, 77-yard Bills drive ended with Allen finding wide receiver Cole Beasley in the end zone on a third-and-3 pick play. A successful 2-point conversion cut the Ravens' lead to 24-17 with seven minutes remaining.
After a three-and-out, the Ravens' sixth of the game, Buffalo took over at its 28-yard line. The Bills offense didn't move the ball so much as Ravens penalties did: two 15-yard unnecessary-roughness penalties and a 26-yard pass-interference penalty on cornerback Marlon Humprey on fourth-and-16. But when the defense needed to hold it did.
It was not a pretty game for the injury report or the broadcast audience. Ravens tight end Mark Andrews (knee) and special teams regulars Anthony Levine Sr. (ankle) and Chris Board (concussion protocol) suffered first-half injuries and did not return.
After Ravens TE Mark Andrews leaves game with knee injury, Hayden Hurst catches long TD pass �
The first-half offense was about as pleasant as the near-freezing weather. The running game was almost nonexistent. Jackson was 5-for-10 for 30 yards, a touchdown to tight end Nick Boyle and an interception after an unlucky deflection by wide receiver Willie Snead IV. It was Jackson's first pick since Week 5.
Allen was just as bad: 8-for-17 for 39 yards, and under constant pressure. The Bills had one drive of longer than 20 yards, but that ended with a field goal for kicker Stephen Hauschka (3-for-3). Buffalo entered halftime trailing 10-6 and averaging less than 2 yards per play.
Jackson finished with 11 carries for 40 yards, giving him 1,017 rushing yards for the season, just 22 from tying the all-time record for a quarterback set by Michael Vick in 2006. The Ravens had 33 carries for 118 yards, an average of 3.6 yards per attempt.
