- Bills beat Buccaneers 24-18
- Josh Allen’s strong performance
- Tampa Bay’s late rally
On Thursday night, the Buffalo Bills prevailed 24-18 over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, despite Josh Allen’s two touchdown passes and one touchdown run while shaking off an aggravating shoulder injury.
Following a week of scepticism regarding his “low-energy” demeanour and the sluggish start of Buffalo’s offence, Allen delivered with 31-of-40 passing for 324 yards for the Bills (5-3). The Bills’ report indicated that he sustained a right shoulder injury; he was evaluated in the blue medical tent during the second quarter but continued to play.
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Gabriel Davis recorded a career-high nine receptions for 87 yards and one touchdown, while Dalton Kincaid, a freshman tight end, caught 22 yards for his first-ever touchdown.
Strong Defensive Play
The Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield-led offence was limited to less than 200 yards of offence through three quarters and 302 yards overall by Buffalo’s defence. Additionally, Sam Martin, a punter for the Bills, made a contribution by placing three of his three attempts inside Tampa Bay’s 10.
Late Rally by Tampa Bay
Late on, Mayfield attempted to rally Tampa Bay (3-4) from a deficit. Cade Otton converted a two-point conversion after he tossed a 24-yard touchdown pass to Mike Evans, bringing the Buccaneers within six points with 2:44 remaining. For that score, however, it took Tampa Bay 17 plays and 7:21 to advance 92 yards.
From his own 45 yards out, Mayfield’s Hail Mary attempt failed between several players in the end zone, bringing an end to the contest. Since a 2-0 start, the Buccaneers have dropped three consecutive games and four of five.
At halftime, Buffalo held a 17-10 advantage and never trailed. The Bills had accumulated seven fewer points in that period during the first halves of their previous three games, two of which were losses.
The lead alleviated the pressure for a defense that was missing three important starters.
Mayfield completed 25 of 42 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns, including a three-yard pass to Chris Godwin, who stood closest to the target of Mayfield’s final pass before it was intercepted on the turf. Rachaad White, a running back, led the Buccaneers in scoring with seven receptions for 70 yards and nine carries for 39 yards.
The defence of Tampa Bay was without both of its starting defensive tackles. A groin injury ruled out Vita Vea, and Logan Hall sustained the same injury during pre-game warmups.
Allen capitalised by surpassing 300 yards on 23 occasions during his career.
His 43 touchdown runs tied with Steve Young for the second-most among quarterbacks all-time. Furthermore, with a combined 199 passing and rushing touchdowns, he currently ranks second among quarterbacks in their first half-decades, tied with Hall of Famer Dan Marino.
Allen’s Comeback and Team Effort
Allen acknowledged on Tuesday that he may have contributed to Buffalo’s sluggish start as an offensive unit, following his deliberate choice to control his emotions a month ago. Allen referred to it as a “low-positive” strategy and admitted that he may have diminished his energy level excessively.
The only subdued aspect of Allen was his exuberance after the 13-yard scoring run that followed. Allen, positioned in the left corner of the end zone amid a jubilant audience, dejectedly ascended the sidelines subsequent to receiving commendations from a number of his teammates.
Before his touchdown run, Allen threw an interception along the sideline, and that interception led him to seek a shoulder evaluation at the medical pavilion. Upon his return in time for Buffalo’s subsequent possession, he threw an interception when defensive lineman William Gholston caught a pass that deflected off the fingers of Antoine Winfield Jr.
Two plays later, on Mayfield’s pass to Godwin, the Buccaneers tied the game at 10-all.
After that, Allen led Buffalo on a nine-play, 75-yard drive, finishing with Kincaid open over the middle while rolling right.
The offence appeared to have recovered everything that it had seemed to lack for the previous three weeks. The Bills occasionally accelerated their cadence in an effort to throw the Buccaneers off balance. Furthermore, Allen ventured into the centre of the field, an area he had avoided doing in his previous two appearances.
