Bills QB Josh Allen Assigns Blame After Brutal Loss to Broncos

The Buffalo Bills‘ dream of finally winning the Lombardi Trophy came crashing down against the Denver Broncos in the AFC divisional round on January 17.

The Bills lost 33-30 in overtime, another heartbreaking postseason ending for the franchise. While Bills star Josh Allen is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL — he’s the reigning MVP, this was not his night.

He completed 25-of-39 passes for 283 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. While there were bursts of brilliance, the Bills’ offense as a whole struggled against the Broncos, committing five total turnovers, four of them on Allen.

Speaking to reporters after the game, the 29-year-old quarterback couldn’t hold back his tears.

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Josh Allen Took the Blame for the Bills’ OT Loss to the Broncos

“It’s truly difficult,” Allen said. “I feel like I let my teammates down… just missed opportunities throughout the game. It’s been a long season. I hate how it ended. It’s going to stick with me for a long time.”

“Can’t win with five turnovers,” he continued. “You shoot yourselves in the foot like that, you don’t deserve to win a football match.”

When asked about the questionable calls toward the end of the game, the Bills star struggled to find the right words. “I mean, losing that way, regardless, losing in the playoffs is not fun.”

Allen knows he made some crucial mistakes. One in particular stands out — with seconds left in the second quarter and no timeouts, Allen attempted to rush the ball to the sideline but held the ball recklessly. Broncos defensive end Nik Bonitto popped the ball out, marking Allen’s first turnover in six playoff games. The Broncos capitalized on the mistake with a field goal as the clock expired.

Instead of going into halftime down 17-10, he gave Denver a 10-point lead.

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Josh Allen Threw a Questionable Interception in OT

In overtime, Allen appeared to connect with Brandin Cooks, who had the ball for a big catch but Broncos’ Ja’Quan McMillian came away with it. While it looked like Cooks was down by contact, it was ruled an interception. If Cooks’ catch held, the Bills would’ve been at the 20-yard line where a field goal would’ve won the game.

Following the turnover, Broncos quarterback Bo Nix led a six-play drive down the field bolstered by two pass interference calls on Buffalo that set up kicker Will Lutz to drill the game-winning 23-yard field goal.

While the Broncos move on the face either the New England Patriots or the Houston Texans in the AFC Championship game, the Bills must take a hard look at how to get over the playoff hump this offseason.

“We played a really good football team,” Nix told reporters after the game. “They played really well tonight. They gave us a great shot on a short week after a tough game last week, so hat’s off to them. We found a way to win again and our defense made stops and I’m just proud of our guys. I’m just proud of this organization. I’m proud of the way we compete, we fight.”