The Buffalo Bills survived a fourth-quarter comeback attempt to claim their first playoff win in 25 years as they saw off the Indianapolis Colts 27-24 in a dramatic Wild Card clash.
Indianapolis, the seventh seed in the AFC playoffs, controlled proceedings in the first half but paid for a failure to take opportunities and the Bills led 14-10 at half-time thanks to a classic piece of improvisation from Josh Allen on a three-yard touchdown pass to Dawson Knox and a five-yard run from the Bills quarterback, Jonathan Taylor having found the endzone for the Colts on a one-yard plunge.
It was another game in which Allen demonstrated unerring accuracy both from the pocket and on the move, and he was on the money early in the fourth quarter on a 35-yard strike to Stefon Diggs that gave them a 24-10 lead.
The Colts produced an excellent response as veteran quarterback Philip Rivers capped a seven-play, 75-yard drive with a nine-yard scoring connection with Zach Pascal, a subsequent two-point conversion attempt coming up short.
Tyler Bass' 54-yard field goal, his second three-pointer of the day, turned an eight-point lead into an 11-point advantage, though that was soon trimmed to three.
The Bills made the mistake of leaving tight end Jack Doyle wide open for a 27-yard touchdown catch from Rivers, who went back to the same player for a successful two-point conversion.
Indianapolis, with help from a nearly calamitous fumble from Allen, got the ball back for a final drive and were given a reprieve on a 17-yard fourth-down throw from Rivers to Pascal, the officials inexplicably ruling the latter had been down by contact before losing the ball, with that call upheld on review.
But it mattered not as Rivers could not guide the Colts into position for a game-tying field goal and a Hail Mary throw in the waning seconds was batted down as the Bills clinched a first playoff win since their Wild Card triumph over the Miami Dolphins in the 1995 season.
Turning point - Rivers misses Pittman
The Colts looked set to take command of the contest in the second quarter when they drove down to the Bills' four-yard line with a 10-7 lead.
However, they failed on four attempts to find the endzone from there, a backfoot throw from Rivers going beyond the grasp of rookie Michael Pittman Jr, who otherwise impressed with 90 yards on five catches.
Buffalo subsequently went 96 yards on 10 plays on a drive capped by Allen's touchdown run. Though there were plenty of twists and turns thereafter, the Bills never surrendered the lead from that point.
Allen enters Bills record books
The Bills ended the third-longest active run without a playoff win by defeating the Colts, having gone 24 seasons without success in the postseason. Only the Detroit Lions (29 seasons) and Cincinnati Bengals (30 seasons) have longer streaks.
Buffalo's victory makes Allen, who threw for 324 yards, the first Bills quarterback to win a playoff game since Hall of Famer Jim Kelly. His first of two touchdown throws made him the first Bills quarterback to throw a touchdown pass in a postseason matchup since Doug Flutie in the 1998 Wild Card round - a gap of 8,043 days.
What's next?
The Bills can look forward to a Divisional Round matchup with either the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans or Baltimore Ravens.
It is an important offseason for the Colts, with the biggest decision surrounding whether they bring Rivers back for another year or turn to a new face at quarterback.