The Buffalo Bills are known more for their offense than defense in 2020, but it was the latter unit whose Saturday night heroics stole the show against the visiting Baltimore Ravens. Leading by seven with under a minute to play in the third quarter of arguably the most anticipated matchup of the Divisional Round, the Bills thwarted a third-and-goal when Taron Johnson intercepted Lamar Jackson and proceeded to race 101 yards for the pick-six. But that's not all they did. Johnson's big takeaway also made NFL history.
Specific to Saturday night's game, Johnson's pick-six was monumental enough. Not only did it erase a potential scoring drive from Baltimore and build the Bills' lead to 14 entering the fourth quarter, but it handed Jackson the first red-zone pick of his entire career, putting an unofficial nail in the coffin of the Ravens' aspirations of an AFC Championship appearance.
101-yard PICK SIX for the #Bills
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) January 17, 2021
😳👀
(Via @NFL)
pic.twitter.com/NG8Uvz8S2Y
Bills quarterback Josh Allen called Taron Johnson's interception a "franchise-altering play" and said "he will be remembered for a long time here in Buffalo" during his postgame interview.
In the bigger picture, however, Johnson's pick-six was just as notable. By racing past the Ravens -- Jackson included -- the veteran Bills cornerback for 101 yards, he tied the NFL record for longest postseason interception return ever logged, matching a record first set by former Green Bay Packers safety George Teague in the 1993 playoffs.
