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Bills’ Dion Dawkins sends tearful message to Josh Allen after loss to Broncos
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- Bills’ Dion Dawkins sends tearful message to Josh Allen after loss to Broncos
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The Buffalo Bills ' 33-30 overtime defeat to the Denver Broncos in the AFC divisional round at Empower Field at Mile High on Saturday ended their season. Two-time All-Pro tackle Dion Dawkins was unable to hold back tears as he defended quarterback Josh Allen following the loss.
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"We love you," Dawkins said postgame, when asked about his message to Allen. "I hate to keep it short, but we love you, you know? We're thankful for him." He added quietly, "He didn't let us down," before turning his back to the cameras as emotions took over.
Allen, the league's reigning MVP, carried Buffalo throughout the season but committed four turnovers on Saturday — two interceptions and two lost fumbles — which contributed to the Bills' five total giveaways. His first-half fumble, forced by Denver edge rusher Nik Bonitto , allowed the Broncos to kick a 50-yard field goal as time expired, giving Denver a 20-10 halftime lead. Allen lost another fumble on Buffalo's second play of the third quarter, which resulted in a Broncos field goal. He was intercepted again on the Bills' first possession of overtime, a play that set the stage for Denver kicker Wil Lutz's game-winning 24-yard field goal after two costly defensive pass interference penalties.
Despite the turnovers, Allen remained the centerpiece of Buffalo's offense. He finished 25 of 39 for 283 yards with three touchdowns and rushed for 66 yards. The Bills outgained the Broncos by over 100 yards, converted 66% of their third downs, had six more first downs, and held the ball for more than ten additional minutes. Allen threw second-half touchdown passes to Keon Coleman and Dalton Kincaid , helping Buffalo take a 27-23 lead, but Denver took a 30-27 lead thanks to quarterback Bo Nix's 26-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Mims Jr with 55 seconds remaining. Allen orchestrated a tying drive with five seconds remaining, setting up Matt Prater's 50-yard field goal to force overtime.
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After the loss, Allen appeared emotional and tearful , admitting he felt he let his teammates down.
"It's extremely difficult. I feel like I let my teammates down tonight," Allen said. "Just missed opportunities throughout the game. It's a long season. I hate how it ended. It's going to stick with me for a long time."
Allen, who will turn 30 this offseason, dropped a string of passes and fumbles in a period of just a few snaps that directly led to the Broncos' points, ending his playoff streak of 200 consecutive passes without an interception.
"You can't win with five turnovers," he said. "I fumbled twice, threw two picks. You shoot yourself in the foot like that, you don't deserve to win football games. Losing that way, regardless, losing in the playoffs is not fun."
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The Bills entered the playoffs as the No. 6 seed after finishing second in the AFC East with an opportunity to advance in a bracket lacking dominant contenders such as Patrick Mahomes , Lamar Jackson , and Joe Burrow . Allen was arguably the most experienced quarterback remaining in the AFC, but Buffalo's wide receiver corps, decimated by injuries, left him with limited options. No receiver on the team surpassed 750 yards during the regular season, and only two had more than 400 yards.
With the loss, the Bills' dream of a first Super Bowl ended, a title that has eluded the franchise even after reaching the game four times.
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