Getty Gabriel Davis #13 of the Buffalo Bills celebrates after scoring a 75 yard touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs during the fourth quarter in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 23, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri.
The Buffalo Bills‘ AFC Divisional Round playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs will go down as one of the most exciting, albeit, heartbreaking matchups in franchise history. While quarterback Josh Allen put on a show, an unlikely receiver emerged as his No. 1 target, Gabriel Davis.
Davis had the best performance of his NFL career on Sunday, January 23. He caught eight passes for 201 yards, and broke a new NFL playoff record by scoring four receiving touchdowns during the Bills’ 42-36 overtime loss to the Chiefs.
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While appearing on The Jim Rome Show on Thursday, January 27, the 22-year-old discussed what it feels like going from relatively unknown to playoff superstar overnight.
.@DavisGB1 says he would have never had his monster 4 TD game without @StefonDiggs.
“I thank god for this opportunity, to be able to make history,” Davis said. “I’m in the books next to two Hall-of-Famers, one that I grew up idolizing Larry Fitzgerald,” veteran Arizona Cardinals wide receiver, who caught three touchdown passes against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009.
Gabriel Davis: 8 catches, 201 receiving yards, 4 TDs
First WR in NFL history to have 4 TDs in a playoff game. GABRIEL. DAVIS.
While Davis stands alone at the top with four touchdown passes in a playoff game, other famous receivers who’ve caught three scores in a single postseason matchup include Travis Kelce, Randall Cobb, Rob Gronkowski, Willie Jackson, Amani Toomer, and Jerry Rice, the latter of whom tallied three touchdown passes in three different playoff games (1989, 1990, and 1995).
Davis Says There’s No Way He Could’ve Caught 4 TDs Without His Offensive Line Clearing the Way
GABRIEL DAVIS ARE YOU SERIOUS. HIS 4TH TD OF THE NIGHT GIVES BUFFALO THE LEAD AGAIN.
(via @NFL)
While Davis is proud of his performance, he knows that none of those scores would’ve been possible without the team’s franchise star quarterback throwing bullets, the coverage provided by the Bills’ offensive line, and the Chiefs defense focusing all their attention on two-time Pro-Bowler Stefon Diggs, veteran Cole Beasley, and Emmanuel Sanders.
“So, I’ve seen now the league is on notice of what I can do, but that would’ve never happened if I didn’t have the players that I have on the offensive side,” Davis told Rome.
“When I talk about the O-line, when I talk about great a quarterback like Josh Allen, then you have to think about cole Beasley and Stefon Diggs out there who’ve earned a reputation, earned a name on out there on that field to take the focus off of me. And guys like Emmanuel Sanders to give me the opportunity to go out there and win a 1-on-1 battle.”
The Bills were only one of three teams to have two WR’s finish the 2021 season with 80+ grades
🔹 Gabriel Davis: 81.5
🔹 Stefon Diggs: 81.0
Davis, who just wrapped up his sophomore year in the NFL, is grateful to be playing with such veteran receivers.
“I talked to Stefon the other day, to thank him for giving me that game. because he was getting doubled, and I was 1-on-1. And for him to have that type of reputation — Cole Beasley, as well. When we were all out there, for those guys to getting doubled in those situations to make a play. that’s what it was. that’s what made the game for so special.”
Davis Will Look to Have a More Consistent Starting Role in 2022
While it’s unknown yet whether Sanders will return next season, as he’s now a free agent, the Super Bowl champ would have to re-sign knowing that Davis will be taking a lot of his snaps in 2022.
While filling in for Sanders against the Carolina Panthers in December, Davis caught two touchdowns, proving that he’s always stayed ready for when his number was called.
Allen spoke highly of Davis during his end-of-season press conference on Monday, noting that he never complained about playing time during the regular season”
(Davis is) a guy that always does the right things. Coming in– it doesn’t feel real that he’s only a second-year guy in the league, it feels like he’s been here so much longer than that. For him to do that yesterday was unbelievable. At the start of the season, he was begging for more opportunities. I just told him to just stay the course and that’s exactly what he did and he didn’t complain. He didn’t pout. He didn’t give up. He just put his head down and worked his a** off.
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