Joe Burrow has passed for 244 yards and two first-half touchdowns as the Cincinnati Bengals ended a 31-year NFL postseason losing streak with a 26-19 victory over the visiting Las Vegas Raiders.

Evan McPherson kicked four field goals for the Bengals.

Cincinnati advanced out of the opening round of the playoffs for the first time since the 1990 season.

"It's a great win for us, for the city and the organisation, but, you know, we expected this. So, it's not gonna be a big celebration like it was when we won the division," Burrow said.

"We took care of business, now it's on to the next round."

Cincinnati led by 10 points after McPherson's fourth field goal, a 28-yarder, with 6:46 to play.

The Raiders pulled to within 26-19 on the ensuing drive on Daniel Carlson's 28-yard FG - his fourth of the game as well -- with 3:37 remaining. Las Vegas converted a huge fourth-and-5 from its own 44-yard line to keep alive the drive.

The Bengals could not run out the clock, giving Las Vegas the ball at their own 35 with 1:51 to play. The Raiders moved to the Cincinnati 9-yard line but failed to get the tying score on four snaps, the final one ending with an interception by the Bengals' Germaine Pratt with 12 seconds to play.

Derek Carr threw for 310 yards and a touchdown in the loss for Las Vegas, completing passes to seven different receivers. Josh Jacobs rushed for 83 yards on 13 carries.

The Raiders, making their first playoff appearance since 2016, have not recorded a postseason victory since the 2002 season.

"The Bengals beat us today -- we came up short today," Carr said.

"Honestly, I'm just trying to hold back emotion because I didn't plan on that happening."

Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills erased any doubt of who now rules the AFC East.

Allen set a team playoff record with five touchdown passes, including two to Dawson Knox, and Devin Singletary ran for two scores in the first half of a 47-17 throttling of the division rival New England Patriots.

Allen finished 21 of 25 for 308 yards in a game Buffalo scored on each of its seven possessions that didn't end with a kneeldown.

The margin of defeat was the largest for New England in coach Bill Belichick's tenure, which began in 2000.

- with PA