Josh Allen’s undefeated streak on Thursday Night Football continued, with the quarterback guiding the Buffalo Bills to a 24-18 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Allen had an impressive night, completing 78 percent of his passes and accumulating 324 passing yards while throwing two touchdowns. He did have one hiccup when his pass was tipped shortly after release, resulting in an interception.
Josh Allen rushed for 41 yards and a touchdown on seven carries, using his feet to avoid contact when necessary. Rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid, the only tight end on the roster due to injuries, caught five passes for 65 yards and his first career touchdown.
Allen found Kincaid for the touchdown after rolling to the right and finding him open in the end zone. Kincaid held on to the ball, which he will likely cherish, and jumped into the stands to celebrate his first score as a pro.
The Bills offense scored 17 points in the first half, after scoring a combined 10 points in the first half of their previous three games. Tyler Bass made a 37-yard field goal after the Bills’ first drive to give them the lead, and they never trailed again.
The Buffalo Bills’ defense and special teams played a crucial role in the first half, effectively containing Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offense. In their second drive of the game, defensive end Shaq Lawson tipped Chase McLaughlin’s field goal attempt when the Buccaneers were in Buffalo’s territory, preventing them from scoring.
Although the Bills’ offense didn’t manage to score a touchdown in the first quarter, they heated up in the second quarter. In the red zone, Josh Allen spotted a significant opening from the Tampa Bay 13-yard line and decided to run it in himself for a touchdown. This marked his fifth rushing touchdown of the year.
As Baker Mayfield started finding his groove for the Buccaneers, he connected with receiver Chris Godwin for a substantial gain, setting up a 57-yard field goal, which McLaughlin successfully kicked through the posts, giving Tampa Bay their first points of the game and narrowing the score to 10-3.
Following Allen’s interception, Mayfield needed just two plays to throw a touchdown pass to Godwin. Godwin made an impressive catch, tying the game just before Dalton Kincaid’s touchdown put Buffalo back in the lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, Josh Allen wasted no time and threw to Dalton Kincaid for an 18-yard gain on the very first play. Allen then led a smooth 9-play drive, capping it off with a quick pass to Gabe Davis for their final touchdown of the day.
The following part of the game featured six consecutive punts, as both teams struggled to put together scoring drives. Kudos to Bills punter Sam Martin for his precision punting, with three out of his four punts landing inside the 10-yard line, and two of those inside the 5-yard line. Unfortunately, his final punt took an unfavorable bounce, and despite Cam Lewis’s best effort to down it, the ball rolled into the end zone for a touchback.
Tampa Bay made a late-game push to challenge Buffalo’s lead. They executed a long drive that ended with a touchdown catch by Mike Evans and a successful two-point conversion. After Buffalo had to punt, Baker Mayfield led the Buccaneers to their own 45-yard line, where they attempted a Hail Mary pass.
As a group of Bills defenders and Bucs receivers leaped for the ball, it fell onto the blue turf of the Bills’ end zone, marking the end of the game.
The Bills have now improved their season record to 5-3. Next Sunday, they will travel to Cincinnati to face the Bengals at 8:20 p.m.
Key Stats and Fun Facts:
- Josh Allen’s performance in Thursday’s win, with 3 total touchdowns, has tied him with quarterback Dan Marino for the second-most touchdowns in a player’s first six seasons at 199. Only Patrick Mahomes (204) has more.
- Allen’s rushing touchdown was the 43rd of his career, putting him on par with Steve Young for the second-most rushing touchdowns by an NFL quarterback. Cam Newton leads all quarterbacks with 75.
- Josh Allen maintains a perfect 6-0 record on Thursday games in his career. Interestingly, Baker Mayfield had been undefeated on Thursday Night Football prior to the Buccaneers’ loss tonight.
- Dalton Kincaid played a significant role in the Bills’ passing game, accumulating an impressive 65 yards. Notably, Kincaid has caught 30 out of 34 targets this season, giving him the highest catch rate among all rookies and the sixth-highest catch rate overall in the NFL.
- In the second quarter, Ed Oliver recorded a sack, tying his personal season-high, which he previously achieved in 2019. The Bills’ defensive tackle contributed with two total tackles after missing last week due to a toe injury.
- Josh Allen’s pass to Kincaid was part of a larger trend: he has thrown 18 passing touchdowns on scrambles outside the tackle box to the right side of the formation since 2020, the most in the NFL during that period.
- Gabe Davis had a standout performance with nine receptions, marking a career high for the fourth-year receiver. His previous best was six receptions, a feat he had achieved three times before.
Scoring Summary:
- 1st Quarter, 8:04: Buffalo 3, Tampa Bay 0 – Tyler Bass nails a 37-yard field goal.
- 2nd Quarter, 11:03: Buffalo 10, Tampa Bay 0 – Josh Allen dashes up the middle for 13 yards, scoring a touchdown.
- 2nd Quarter, 7:40: Buffalo 10, Tampa Bay 3 – Chase McLaughlin successfully kicks a 57-yard field goal.
- 2nd Quarter, 6:46: Buffalo 10, Tampa Bay 10 – Baker Mayfield completes a 3-yard pass to Chris Godwin for a touchdown.
- 2nd Quarter, 2:40: Buffalo 17, Tampa Bay 10 – Josh Allen connects with Dalton Kincaid for a 22-yard touchdown pass to take the lead.
- 3rd Quarter, 10:40: Buffalo 24, Tampa Bay 10 – Josh Allen throws a 4-yard touchdown pass to Gabe Davis.
- 4th Quarter, 2:44: Buffalo 24, Tampa Bay 17 – Baker Mayfield finds Mike Evans with a 24-yard touchdown pass. Mayfield connects with Cade Otten for a two-point conversion to narrow the gap.