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Bush Hill Beauty By Douglas Sciorra

History, Lamar Jackson’s stats pile up against the Buffalo Bills, but Josh Allen wants to hear “Mr. Brightside”

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Cutline: Chuck Pollock points out, Josh Allen walks into the game against Lamar Jackson who, including last week’s playoff win over Pittsburgh, has thrown 43 touchdown passes with four interceptions and has rushed for 996 yards and four TDs. Benn Green/Buffalo Bills photo.

A column by CHUCK POLLOCK, Wellsville Sun Senior Sports Columnist

The stigma remains, though the Bills’ administration, coaches and players don’t much like talking about it.

Coach Sean McDermott, after an 0-2 start, has rallied to make his playoff record 6-6 over eight seasons.

Unfortunately, three of those defeats have come consecutively in the NFL Divisional Round, the last two of them at Highmark Stadium.

A year ago, it was a 27-24 heartbreaker by the Chiefs. Two seasons ago came a 27-10 pounding from Cincinnati. And, three years back, the most galling of divisional defeats, the embarrassing “13 seconds” 42-36 overtime loss at Kansas City, for which McDermott has still declined to take the blame, though anonymous observers maintain that was, in fact, the case.

Come Sunday night, back at Highmark (6:30, CBS-TV, Bills Radio Network) , he gets another home shot at a divisional triumph, this time his No. 2-seeded Bills (14-4) host third-seeded Baltimore (13-5), a team it beat, 17-3 in a 2020 wild-card game in Orchard Park

McDERMOTT is understandably defensive about the current streak of three divisional losses.

“Overall we’ve won a lot of games … sometimes it’s a mindset too,” he said. The early ’90s, (they went to) four straight Super Bowls, and though they were all losses, I don’t think that will ever be replicated again. The way I look at that personally, that’s a lot of winning right there on that end and what we’ve been able to do so far.”

When the game’s betting line opened, Buffalo was favored by a point, now it’s switched with the Ravens giving either one or 1 1/2.

Part of the reason is Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson who, including last week’s playoff win over Pittsburgh, has thrown 43 touchdown passes with four interceptions and has rushed for 996 yards and four TDs.

And he’s only half of the Ravens’ 1-2 punch, the other is running back Derrick Henry who, through 18 games, has rushed for 2,107 yards and 18 touchdowns and added four receiving scores.

“They’re a very talented team across the board,” McDermott said. “With the running game, they do a tremendous job … they move people off the line of scrimmage, they out-scheme people. I think coach Monken (Todd offensive coordinator) is one of the best. And then you’ve got to be able to tackle Derrick Henry (6-foot-3, 250 pounds).

“They present a lot of challenges with their passing game and the combination of Lamar and Derrick.  We have a tremendous amount of respect for both of those players … they’re hard to stop. Just that two-dimensional  type of weaponry is tough on people. (It’s) unlike anything  I’ve seen with Lamar and Derrick., then you add the passing game and the scrambles. I don’t know if the NFL has ever seen that kind of combination … power, speed, explosiveness.”

ONE REASON the Ravens are favored is that these two teams played in late September at Baltimore, which hung the first loss on Buffalo, a 35-10 decision. Henry ran 87 yards for a touchdown on the game’s first play and finished with 199 and two scores. But the most galling part of that game was a trick play by Buffalo in which wide receiver Curtis Samuel took the snap, tossed awkwardly to quarterback Josh Allen who took a hard sack, fumbled and hurt his hand. The Ravens turned the takeaway into the score that put the game out of reach.

As McDermott noted, “There were a lot of lessons we were taught in that game … they controlled (it) from the start. We try to learn from the past, after wins or losses, every week and try to grow ourselves into a better team.”

As Allen recalled of the loss, “Going back and watching it, it wasn’t our best effort … it felt like we didn’t play our best football. But they’ve got a really good team and they’re playing this week for a reason. Their defense, the last eight to 10 weeks, has been superb and their offense is fantastic as well … they’ve got a lot of studs over there led by Lamar, obviously. It’s a tough team to play regardless”

What makes Sunday’s game unique, though, is that it’s billed as a square-off  between the two leading contenders for NFL MVP, Jackson and Allen.

“Not short-changing either of them, they’re the best … the top shelf in the NFL,” McDermott maintained. “It probably isn’t fair to compare them from a skill-set standpoint though they’re both extremely skilled, but they’re both unique in their own ways.”

Allen pointed out, “In my history of football I’ve never really played against another quarterback, I’ve played against their defense. That’s why you play in this game, to be in moments like these.

“Our team is extremely happy and blessed to be playing and we’re just trying to find a way to be 1-0. We’ll have to use the fan advantage when they’re on second and third down.  Our goal is to get to the fourth quarter and have Mr. Brightside be playing … that gives us a shot of energy and the vibes that we’ll need.”

“It’s going to take a heck of an effort from our football team,” McDermott said.  “You’ve got to be ready to play seven or eight seconds at least on a play and maybe then some to go up against that team and what they have in all three phases.

“At the end of the day, there’s only one Lamar Jackson … so you do the best that you can to simulate (him)… good luck.”

BUFFALO got good news on its injury report as the only questionable player is running back Ray Davis. He suffered a concussion in a violent collision with Denver safety Brandon Jones who was charged with unnecessary roughness. Allen actually overthrew the rookie and the violence of the hit was unintentional. Jones jumped to his feet, pounded his chest apologetically as if to sat “totally my fault” and didn’t dispute the penalty.

The lone uncertainty for Baltimore is wide receiver  Zay Flowers who missed Friday’s practice with a knee injury.

POLLOCK’S PICK: Ravens 27, Bills 20

(Chuck Pollock, a Wellsville Sun and Olean Star senior sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@wnynet.net.)

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• Where the St. Bonaventure victory over VCU ranks in program history

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• What happened during those six lost days

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• The media missed the point with questions of McDermott

• We did not expect the Rams-Bills results as Josh Allen sets major records

• Will the Bills be motivated against the Rams?

• Schmidt doesn’t want the Bonnies to get caught up in 12-1 talk

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