Thad Brown: Bills other MVP provides Super Bowl hope

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WROC) — Quick heads up... I'm gonna talk about the MVP discussion for second.

I know there's a good chunk of football fans with zero interest in cracking that chestnut open again. You're all tired of it. I'm there with you. Just trying to avoid the angry "Enough, already!" click out of my column here.

One of the checkmarks on the pro side for Josh Allen's MVP case is that Lamar Jackson has Derrick Henry and Allen does not.

While Henry continues to stiff arm Father Time as one of the game's elite running backs, the Bills might have a supporting player of equal caliber on their offense. One that was at the top of their game Sunday against the Broncos.

Buffalo's offensive line has been a Bills strength all season. Probably THE strength that doesn't wear number 17. They were in the crosshairs of the top matchup in Sunday's Wild Card contest. The defense with the most sacks in the league against the offensive line that had allowed the least.

Sean McDermott said this week playoff games are won up front. The Bills offensive line didn't just win against the Broncos. It was a thrashing.

Denver had not allowed 150 rush yards all season. Buffalo had 173 after the third quarter. They ended up with 210, a season high for a game that wasn't played in multiple inches of snow.

You didn't even need the numbers to pick a winner. You didn't need to watch the ball. I spent all afternoon just watching the battle in trenches. One team was constantly advancing. The other was always retreating. Even on the plays where it looked like Denver had plugged every hole, the Bills still bulldozed the mass of bodies 3-4 yards downfield.

There's too much talent on that defensive line to keep them down for every snap, so Jared Allen and D.J. Jones each had sacks. Otherwise, the Bills still did a fine job of protecting their QB and provided him with multiple snaps of extended surveying in the pocket.

If the Bills OL can have this performance against this defense, there's no defense they can't bully. There's no situation where the offense can't at least attempt to operate whatever plan Joe Brady has in mind. When the baseline is there WILL be holes for running backs and there WILL be time for the ridiculous quarterback to work his magic, the margin for error grows fairly wide.

The test next week is going to be nearly as tough. Denver was first in sacks and second in yards per rush allowed. Baltimore is first and second the opposite way. It shouldn't matter. If the Bills can throw 30 points on the board against the Broncos, they can absolutely do it against the Ravens or anyone else between here and a Vince Lombardi trophy. That's the most encouraging part of this win for Bills fans.

While the O-Line was prying open space, James Cook was doing a really good job making the most of it. This might have been the toughest I've ever seen him run, after a regular season where he turned the toughness meter up a notch or four. He had a run this game where he dragged a pile (with help) at least ten yards. I was also impressed with the number of patient runs that seemed to navigate heavier traffic situations. The offensive line did the heavy lifting, but Cook more than pulled his own weight.

This might have been the ideal McDermott game plan. Throttle an opponent with dominant rushing and sprinkle in a couple of Allen Superman moments. The Bills only second team All-Pro kept drives chugging multiple times in the first half with his legs. Then, he might have sealed the game with the incredible third quarter touchdown to Ty Johnson on 4th and one. The Bills didn't need Allen to deliver much in this game. Nor do they want to. But Allen hit on plenty of the occasions when they did.

Let's not overlook Johnson either. Great teams always seem to have that unsung weapon that can keep the train on the tracks when all else is failing. He's become that guy for the Bills. A 5th receiving option that's always better than the other team's 5th coverage option. A pass catcher that doesn't jump off the page physically, but just keeps making important plays.

The important plays on defense might have come in the second quarter. Sean Payton coached, for the most part, exactly how a team on the wrong side of a nine point spread should coach. The fake punt on 4th and 8 from their own 43 was straight out of the underdog handbook (and another straw that might break Matthew Smiley's back). It had Denver knocking on the door of game tying field goal, if not more.

Denver entered the game as a top receiver screen team. The Bills are actually bottom half against that play and have had to defend it almost more often than any other team (cue the Puka Nacua PTSD). On second and four after the fake punt, the Broncos went to the receiver screen. The Bills were ready. Terrel Bernard drilled it like a heat seeking missile for a three yard loss. On the next play, a creative blitz got Von Miller a free run at QB Bo Nix. Thus endeth the drive.

The second half of this game was dominated by Buffalo, so it's hard to say this sequence any sort of "saved" the win. It was still a huge moment and a great piece of work by Bobby Babich coordinating a defense in his first ever playoff game. Facing an offensive coach who has won a Super Bowl.

Babich also got his team to stop seven of nine third down tries. It was a huge improvement over the defense that averaged twice that percentage of conversions per game in the regular season and ranked 29th in third down stops. There wasn't much rush against the NFL's top pass protecting offensive line, but the Bills did enough in the secondary to open the second half with consecutive three-and-outs. No small part of salting this Wild Card win away.

This game produced a bit of hope that Matt Milano might be able to find another gear this postseason. His chase-out-of-bounds sack in the second quarter was as close to vintage as we've seen. There's nothing the Bills might need more than Milano at the top of his game to face Lamar Jackson next week.

One of my favorite privileges of covering an elite team like the Bills is a ringside seat for some of the sport's best games. Next week's contest between Buffalo and Baltimore might have it all. The two best QBs in the game, both unstoppable playmakers with their arm and their legs. Both teams with offenses that have been utter machines, shredding any defense unlucky enough to be in the way.

There are some decent stakes for both QBs. Jackson would go a long way towards erasing his reputation of coming up small in the playoffs with a win in Buffalo against Allen. A win for Allen would be his first against a fellow elite QB that wasn't weather hampered. The best part of January is legacies can sometimes change in just 60 minutes.

Neither quarterback can beat the other on their own (we think). Both will have a most valuable piece of help on their offense. Everyone knows Henry is still at the top of his game. The world found out Sunday Buffalo has an offensive line nearly as good.