Bills 2-point conversion, explained: How Josh Allen’s costly errant pass ended Bills' shot at AFC East

David Suggs

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Bills 2-point conversion, explained: How Josh Allen’s costly errant pass ended Bills' shot at AFC East image

Facing a one-point deficit against the Eagles and mere seconds left on the clock, the Bills put the ball into the hands of their standout signal-caller, Josh Allen. Their decision backfired.

Buffalo endured all it could handle from a harrowing Philadelphia defense, with Allen failing to record a passing touchdown for the second time in as many games. He nearly overcame those struggles to lead the Bills to a win. But they were denied the victory -- and a chance at the AFC East title -- via an uncharacteristic mistake from its best player.

With that, here's a look at how Allen's missed throw on Buffalo's two-point conversion dashed the Bills' chances at landing a sixth-straight divisional crown.

Josh Allen's missed 2-point conversion attempt

After toiling through the opening three quarters, Allen found life as Buffalo attempted to author up another dramatic fourth-quarter turnaround. He found the end zone with one of his signature QB sneaks with about five minutes left to cut Buffalo's deficit to seven (Michael Badgley's subsequent PAT attempt was swatted away.)

Two minutes later, Allen led the Bills down the field again. After finding success on a pair of long-range efforts to Tyrell Shavers and Brandin Cooks, Allen walked the ball into the end zone from short-range to bring Buffalo within one.

Given Badgley's shoddy kicking as of late – he's seen five PATs blocked between his time in Indianapolis and Buffalo this season — head coach Sean McDermott opted to place the ball in the hands of the reigning MVP. The Bills returned to offense for the two-point conversion, with Allen selling the play-action before flicking the ball towards a wide-open Khalil Shakir in the back of the end zone.

It was a throw we've seen Allen complete myriad times throughout his glistening career. But this time around, he missed his mark. Allen's throw spurned Shakir by a few feet, condemning Buffalo to defeat and second-place in the AFC East.

Allen was dismayed with his effort, ripping his helmet off and yelling expletives as he disappeared into the sideline.

Allen has enjoyed another MVP caliber campaign. But his faux pas at the end of Sunday night's thriller is certain to linger in the minds of many an observer, especially given its implications on Buffalo's playoff seeding.

AFC East standings

The Patriots took control of the AFC East in the second half of the season, controlling their own destiny for the majority of the year. With the Bills loss in Week 17, New England officially clinches the division title for the first time since 2019.

Therefore, the Bills clinch second in the AFC East this year but will still head to the playoffs anyway.

RankTeamRecord
1.New England Patriots13-3
2.Buffalo Bills11-5
3.Miami Dolphins6-10
4.New York Jets3-13

Bills playoff picture

Buffalo's loss drops it to No. 7 in the AFC standings. There's still expected to be plenty of jostling within the ranks before the end of the season, with the Bills capable of rising to as high as No. 5 depending on results.

However, both the Texans (No. 5) and Chargers (No. 6) hold tiebreakers over the Bills. As such, if they all finish with the same record, things will stay pat with Buffalo locked into the No. 7 seed.

RankTeamRecord
1.Denver Broncos13-3
2.New England Patriots13-3
3.Jacksonville Jaguars12-4
4.Pittsburgh Steelers9-7
5.Houston Texans11-5
6.Los Angeles Chargers11-5
7.Buffalo Bills11-5
8.Indianapolis Colts8-8
9.Baltimore Ravens8-8
10.Miami Dolphins7-9
11.Kansas City Chiefs6-10
12.Cincinnati Bengals6-10
13.Cleveland Browns4-12
14.Tennessee Titans3-13
15.New York Jets3-13
16.Las Vegas Raiders2-14

If the standings were to hold, the Bills would face off against the Patriots in the opening round of the postseason.

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