ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — All-Pro quarterback Josh Allen has called Ty Johnson the “best third-down back in football” all year.
The Cumberland native just might be the best fourth-down back too after the 27-year-old Buffalo Bills’ performance in the wild card round.
With Buffalo leading the Denver Broncos 13-7 in the third quarter, Allen scrambled on 4th-and-1 and found a sliding Johnson inches inside the back of the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown pass.
Buffalo went on to roll 31-7 to force a divisional round matchup with Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens next week.
Johnson’s reception was the play that all but ended Denver’s upset bid.
“I’ve been saying it all year long that Ty Johnson’s the best third down back in football,” Allen said in the postgame presser. “The things that he’s able to do for us, the way we communicate, him in the pass game, blocking and running the ball. He does it all.
“I’m so happy for him, so proud of him. He made a heck of a play. It was fourth down, no point in holding it and taking a sack there. They played man (coverage) and I just gave him a chance.”
Johnson, a two-time Area Player of the Year at Fort Hill and a standout at the University of Maryland, became the first area player in 41 years to appear in the playoffs last season with the Bills.
Fort Hill legend Steve Trimble was the last to do so in 1983 with the Broncos.
Johnson had 66 rushing yards on 15 attempts in two playoffs games in 2024, but his role was greatly expanded in his second postseason expedition.
The sixth-year veteran racked up 129 total yards Sunday. Johnson had nine carries for 44 yards, two receptions for 26 yards and a score and two kickoff returns for 59 yards.
Playoff games and legacies are often defined by singular plays, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a better one than the catch that Johnson made on Sunday evening.
“When I saw the ball in the air, I looked at (Amari Cooper) because he was the nearest person I think, and I was kind of nervous because I didn’t want a collision,” Johnson said to media after the game.
“But I was like ****, somebody’s gotta go to it. That’s when I sped up and obviously made the catch.”
The play was reviewed by the officials but it stood after Johnson appeared to establish possession while his feet were inches over the white out-of-bounds line.
“I knew I was close to the out of bounds, but more than anything, it was like, make sure I make the catch first because if I don’t catch it, it doesn’t even matter,” Johnson said.
During the regular season, Johnson had 41 carries for 213 yards and a touchdown — scored against the Bills’ next opponent, the Baltimore Ravens — 18 receptions for 284 yards and three scores and five kickoff returns for 130 yards.