1) Josh Allen: Whether he is voted the league’s MVP or not, Allen is a singular, blunt force for the Bills. He bulled his way into the end zone for two first half touchdowns, carrying Ravens defenders with him on the second. Even more importantly, he avoided the kinds of mistakes that undid his counterpart, Lamar Jackson. After Mark Andrews fumbled midway through the fourth quarter, Allen led a surgical drive that ended with a field goal. The Bills had lost in the Divisional Round in each of the past three seasons. Allen made sure it did not happen again to set up a rematch with the Chiefs. When the Bills beat them in November, Allen made clear that the only thing that really mattered was if Buffalo could do it in January. In what will be a legacy-defining game for Allen, we’re about to find out.

2) Sean McDermott: This was an important hurdle for McDermott, too. He said he considered going for it on fourth down instead of kicking the field goal to extend the lead to eight points in the fourth quarter. McDermott has often been accused of being too conservative, but in this case, he trusted the defense — one that had mostly bottled up Baltimore — to stop the Ravens from getting into the end zone twice in the final two minutes to tie the game. The Bills turned over a large chunk of their roster this season, shedding big names and going with younger players. There has been no step back. That’s thanks to Allen’s excellence and McDermott’s steadiness.

3) The Bills’ defense: The Bills heard it all week — they were not big enough or fast enough to stay with Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson. As they went into the locker room after the win, Buffalo’s defenders made sure everyone knew they’d heard it. The Ravens had 176 rushing yards, but the Bills’ defense did enough to stop Henry and Jackson from taking over the game. During the regular season, Baltimore ran roughshod over Buffalo in a 35-10 win, rushing for 271 yards. The presence of Matt Milano surely helped on Sunday — he had missed the September loss in Baltimore due to injury — but the Bills were also determined not to get run out of their own stadium.

4) Winter weather: If you’re a fan of wintry mix, Sunday was your day. This was not the big fluffy flakes of your childhood memories. This was cold, wet and sloppy. Fields in Buffalo and Philadelphia were coated — especially in Philly, where the snow accumulated rapidly in the second half. Players slid, footballs dribbled away. Defensive players, in particular, looked a step slow as footing worsened. With about 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the ball squirted out of Matthew Stafford’s hand when he was being sacked. When the elements are that bad, they test a team’s adaptability. Philadelphia did a good job adapting, throwing short, safe passes near the boundary to set up a field goal. The Eagles have the advantage of practicing in bad weather and their field goal operation on Jake Elliott’s 37-yarder in the fourth quarter bore that out. Philly was able to clear a small patch of turf, Braden Mann fielded an off-target snap for a good hold and Elliott drilled the kick that gave the Eagles a seven-point lead.

5) Saquon Barkley: The only person who appeared unbothered by the conditions in Philadelphia was Barkley, whose 78-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter essentially sealed the victory for the Eagles and was a marvel of both speed and footing. Most daunting about him is that, once he bursts through a hole, his speed allows him to pull away. He finished with 205 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Barkley has six touchdown runs of at least 60 yards this season. Four of them came against the Rams.