The Buffalo Bills made a key decision in the third quarter of their wild-card matchup against the Denver Broncos. They had a chance to go for a field goal to put themselves up nine points on a fourth-and-1 in Denver’s territory.
Instead, they went for it. Rather than run the ball with Josh Allen, as they had throughout the game, they decided to throw it.
Initially, it appeared Allen would be in trouble on the play. He scrambled out to his right, and it appeared like he wanted to run the ball after seeing that no receiver was open.
The Broncos defense was disciplined. It denied Allen a running lane and, as it collapsed on him, he had to unleash a downfield throw. He pointed downfield, instructing running back Ty Johnson to work the back line of the end zone, and released the ball.
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Somehow, Johnson managed to get his hands under the ball while sliding to reel it in. Even more impressively, he managed to keep both of his feet and his legs from hitting the back line as he secured the ball.
Below is a look at the spectacular catch:
Johnson had just two total touches in the game before his touchdown catch. He handled two carries for 12 yards but drew some extra snaps after backup running back Ray Davis exited the game after taking a hit to the head earlier on the drive.
Johnson’s score provided the Bills with a key momentum swing. It, along with Keon Coleman’s two-point conversion catch, guaranteed the Broncos would need to score two touchdowns to tie the Bills, who extended their lead to 14 points.
The play also marked the 22nd career passing touchdown of Allen’s career. That broke a tie with Hall of Famer Jim Kelly for the most playoff passing touchdowns in Bills history.
But most importantly, the score has the Bills tracking toward another wild-card win and a divisional round date with the Baltimore Ravens.