Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills are finally headed back to the AFC championship game, while Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens came up just short in the playoffs once again.

A dropped 2-point conversion attempt by Baltimore's Mark Andrews in the final minutes was the difference as the Bills held on for a 27-25 victory over the Ravens in Sunday's thrilling divisional round clash between the top two candidates for this season's NFL MVP.

The Bills ended a run of divisional-round losses in each of the previous three seasons to set up a showdown with the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs in Kansas City in next week's AFC title game. Their 11-point half-time lead nearly vanished, however, after Jackson found Isaiah Likely for a 24-yard touchdown pass that brought Baltimore within 27-25 with 1:33 left to play.

Jackson then delivered a well-thrown short pass to Andrews on the ensuing 2-point try, but the normally sure-handed tight end had the ball bounce off his chest before the Ravens failed on an onside kick attempt and Buffalo ran out the remaining clock.

10-0.

The @BuffaloBills didn't lose at home all seasonpic.twitter.com/EGY5VtorIm

— NFL (@NFL) January 20, 2025

Andrews' drop was one of several Baltimore miscues that led to Jackson's fifth loss in eight career post-season starts. The Ravens were also hurt by three turnovers, including a fumble by Andrews near midfield earlier in the fourth quarter.

Allen managed just 127 yards on 16-of-22 passing, but did not have a giveaway and rushed for two short touchdowns in the second quarter that helped Buffalo build a 21-10 advantage at half-time.

The Ravens closed the gap, however, with a dominant third quarter in which they put together two long scoring drives. The first ended with Justin Tucker's 47-yard field goal and the second, a seven-play, 80-yard series, was capped by Derrick Henry's 5-yard touchdown run that cut the deficit to 24-19. 

Baltimore also failed on the 2-point conversion following Henry's score, as Jackson's intended pass for Likely was broken up.

Two Tyler Bass field goals, the second set up by Andrews' fumble, extended Buffalo's lead to 27-19 before Jackson moved the Ravens 88 yards in eight plays on the drive culminating in Likely's touchdown.

Jackson also threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Rashod Bateman in the first quarter and finished 18 for 25 for 254 yards. The two-time league MVP also had an interception and fumbled when sacked in the second quarter, with that turnover leading to Allen's first touchdown run of the game.

Barkley's 205 yards, two touchdowns send Eagles to NFC title game

Saquon Barkley rushed for 205 yards and two touchdowns, including a game-sealing 78-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter, to carry the Philadelphia Eagles to the NFC championship game with a 28-22 win over the Los Angeles Rams.

Barkley also had a 62-yard touchdown in the first quarter on the way to setting a franchise post-season record for rushing yards in a game. Philadelphia amassed 285 yards on the ground in all on a snow-covered Lincoln Financial Field, where the Eagles will host the NFC East-rival Washington Commanders next week with a spot in the Super Bowl at stake.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts added a 44-yard touchdown run in the victory, while the Philadelphia defence forced and recovered two fourth-quarter fumbles to help the Eagles pull away after clinging to a 16-15 lead after three quarters.

Hurts was held to 128 passing yards while taking seven sacks from Los Angeles' defence, including one from Neville Gallimore for a safety near the end of the third quarter that brought the Rams within a point.

Two plays after the safety, Los Angeles' Kyren Williams was stripped of the ball on a rush attempt, with Philadelphia's Isaiah Rodgers returning the fumble 40 yards to set up Jake Elliott's 23-yard field goal that extended the Eagles' advantage to 19-15.

The Rams turned it over on their next possession as well, as quarterback Matthew Stafford fumbled when sacked and the Eagles recovered at the Los Angeles 38. The takeaway led to another Elliott field goal, a 37-yard kick, to push the lead to 22-15.

After the Eagles' defence forced a three-and-out on the Rams' next series, Barkley broke free off left tackle and raced untouched into the end zone to all but put the game out of reach with 4:36 left.

Rushing into a winter wonderland@PondLehocky | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/klcqjmTnpt

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 20, 2025

Stafford finished with 324 passing yards and two touchdowns, including a 4-yard strike to Colby Parkinson to get the Rams within 28-22 with 2:48 left. Los Angeles was stopped on downs on its final possession, however, before the Eagles ran out the remaining 26 seconds.

Tyler Higbee also had a touchdown catch for Los Angeles, a 4-yard grab in the first quarter that gave the Rams a 7-6 edge until Barkley's 62-yard touchdown run less than 5 1/2 minutes later.