Getty Buffalo Bills quarterback and girlfriend Brittany Williams in 2020.
Emotions are still running high after the Buffalo Bills were eliminated from the playoffs by the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, January 23. The Bills’ 42-36 overtime loss was thrilling – and, for their fans, heartbreaking.
The final 13 seconds in regulation – during which Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes led his offense 44 yards down the field, allowing kicker Harrison Butker to drill a game-tying field goal – will haunt the team and its fans for a while.
“I’ll continue to watch it in my mind and in my gut for years,” Bills head coach Sean McDermott told reporters January 25.
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And Brittany Williams, girlfriend of Bills quarterback Josh Allen, posted a heartfelt tribute to her boyfriend.
“I have no other words that I’m so beyond proud of you 17,” she wrote on Instagram Stories, sharing a photo of Allen exiting the field.
@brittwilll/IGBrittany Williams posted a tribute to her boyfriend, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, following the team’s playoff loss.
Williams also posted a tweet from Fox Sports NFL that featured a picture of Allen and the caption, “This man battled his absolute heart out.” She wrote in response, “Yes, he did! He absolutely did!”
Allen completed 27 of 37 passes for 329 yards, threw four touchdowns and rushed for 68 yards. In the Bills’ two postseason games, he threw nine touchdowns with zero interceptions, which is a first in NFL history, per The Buffalo News’ Jason Wolf.
On January 25, William’s posted on Instagram to commemorate a Bills season in which they went 11-6 and won the AFC East. She captioned a photo of the couple, “It’s amazing watching you put your head down and work every day to be the best teammate, leader, and football player you can be. Through the ups & downs of this season, you remained calm and confident and it showed every time you stepped on the field.
“I really don’t know how you balance everything, but you always do it with a smile on your face and with the biggest heart. I love you ❤️ @joshallenqb.”
Allen’s Teammates Also Sent Encouraging Messages
Mahomes shouts out Josh Allen after a game for the ages 🙌 @brgridiron
After the game, several of Allen’s teammates spoke about his performance. Even the Chiefs’ Mahomes had to give credit where credit was due
“Josh is a remarkable competitor,” center Mitch Morse said, per Bills Wire. “He willed us on a few of those fourth downs and extended those drives to even put us in a position. We’re not the same team without Josh Allen, and it’s not even close.
“I wish you guys (in the media) could have been in that fourth down, I think it was the first fourth-down conversion with a minute and change. It was just a lot of love. Guys saying they loved each other: ‘Let’s execute, let’s do this for each other.’ It was Josh at the helm.”
Wide receiver Gabriel Davis, who caught all four of Allen’s touchdown passes, told Bills Wire: “He’s the best quarterback in the NFL. And I stand by that.”
Allen Didn’t Offer Excuses
All we can say is thank you.
The score was tied 36-36 at the end of regulation. After the Chiefs won the coin toss to determine who would get the ball in overtime, they marched down the field and scored a touchdown in eight plays.
Because the rules state that if a team scores a touchdown on its opening possession, Allen never got a chance to touch the ball in overtime. On Twitter, fans and analysts calling for the NFL to change its overtime rules.
The NFL is the greatest league in sports because of the parity. The last team drafts first, the first team drafts last. Not allowing Josh Allen, the best player in today’s game, to touch the ball in overtime is one thing the @NFL must fix.
The overtime rule for playoff games must change. If this one doesn’t spark a more fair approach nothing ever will.
After the game, Allen wasn’t looking for sympathy. “The rules are what they are and I can’t complain,” he said. If it was the other way around we’d be celebrating. We didn’t make enough plays tonight.”
“Pat played amazing. I got a lot of respect for him and the Chiefs as a whole.”
Josh Allen shows respect for Patrick Mahomes after their epic showdown.
“I’m proud of our guys and how we battled … Obviously, it hurts,” Allen said. “We don’t like feeling like this. Especially back-to-back years at the same place. So, we’ve got to find a way to get better next year and to accomplish what we want to accomplish.”
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