The Buffalo Bills scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to cement a 44-32 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Highmark Stadium Sunday. Josh Allen scored six total touchdowns to lead the Bills to the victory.
In a game where there were nine lead changes and an abundance of touchdowns, the Buffalo Bills scored the final two touchdowns to seal a 44-32 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday afternoon at Highmark Stadium.
The Bills started slow in the first quarter, but quarterback Josh Allen was not worried. He knew everything would come together.
“I think at the end of the first quarter, just the way how things were going, I’m just knowing that we’re gonna have to put our hard hats on and go to work,” Allen said to reporters after the game. “And I thought we made some plays today.”
The Bucs went up 32-31 early in the third quarter on Baker Mayfield's 28-yard scoring pass to running back Sean Tucker. The Bills would take over from there and score 13 unanswered points to win the game.
"You score 32 points, you're supposed to win the game," said Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles after the game.
Allen led the final two touchdown drives of 81 and 85 yards, finishing both of them with touchdown runs, his second third of the game.
“Starting off 4-0 and we’re the best team in the world. And we lose two in a row and now we’re the worst team in the world,” Allen said. “We don’t want to ride that. We want to stay here, stay consistent.”
The NFL's current MVP also tossed the ball for 317 yards and three touchdowns. He did suffer two interceptions. Bowles thought they could contain the former Wyoming star, but it just did not work out that way.
"When we went after him, he made some plays in the second half," said Bowles. "When we covered, he stayed in the pocket longer and beat us with his feet. He's a great player and he did a heck of a job. Hats off to him."
For the Bills, they intercepted Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, who threw just his third interception of the season, and it helped turn the tables Buffalo's way and they maintained control in the second half.
Tampa Bay maintained a slim 26-24 lead late in the third quarter when Bills' safety Cole Bishop made a diving interception on the positive side of the field. Allen then tossed a 25-yard scoring strike to running back James Cook.
"We didn't make enough plays today," said Mayfield. "It goes back to where the momentum swung on the interception in the third quarter. That can't happen."
The Bills did not play wide receiver Keon Coleman, as indicated earlier in the week, by Bills coach Sean McDermott.
Coleman was a healthy scratch due to missing a team meeting after last week's loss to the Miami Dolphins. The Bills elevated Gabe Davis off the practice squad and signed veteran Mecole Hardman.
While McDermott did not want to address Coleman's situation after the game, he did say he stood behind Coleman and knows he will learn from the error of his ways.
“Yeah, it is disappointing, but I still believe in the young man,” McDermott said of Buffalo’s top pick in the 2024 draft. “I believe he will learn from it.”
McDermott also took the time to complement the two quarterbacks. He said his heart could not withstand more ups and downs,
“High-level competition, two great quarterbacks, two great teams,” coach Sean McDermott said, “Fun, yeah. My heart could have used a little bit different type of game,” he added. “This win right here showed me how tough we are.”