Nine lead changes. 76 combined points. 10 total touchdowns. That's what Sunday's game at Highmark Stadium between the Buffalo Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers produced. In one of the most entertaining games of the NFL season, the Bills made enough key plays and emerged victorious over the Buccaneers by a score of 44-32, bouncing back from last week's stunning loss in Miami.
Quarterback Josh Allen got off to a bumpy start for the Bills (7-3), completing just eight out of 17 pass attempts for 155 yards with two interceptions in a first half that saw five lead changes. However, he also threw for a pair of touchdowns and ran for another as his team took a 21-20 lead into halftime. In the 3rd quarter, the Buccaneers (6-4) appeared to wrest the momentum away when they recovered a fumble on a punt and scored a touchdown seven plays later for a 26-21 lead. Buffalo battled back with 10 unanswered points; after a field goal cut the gap to 26-24, Cole Bishop came up with a diving interception. On the next play, Allen completed a 25-yard touchdown pass to James Cook. Tampa Bay regained the lead early in the 4th quarter, but the Bills answered with an eight-play, 81-yard drive that ended with a 5-yard touchdown run by Allen with 9:06 remaining, giving his team a 37-32 advantage. It was the ninth and final lead change of the day. After the Buccaneers went three and out, Buffalo marched 85 yards for a game-sealing score -- Allen's third rushing touchdown of the day with 2:35 left.
For the second time in his career, Josh Allen threw for three touchdowns and ran for three touchdowns in the same game; last year, he became the first player in NFL history to accomplish that feat. He also totaled 317 yards through the air in the win. Tyrell Shavers was Buffalo's leading receiver with four catches for 90 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown, and Ty Johnson also contributed a 52-yard receiving touchdown for the Bills. For Tampa Bay, Sean Tucker gained 140 yards from scrimmage and scored three total touchdowns. The Buccaneers also amassed 202 rushing yards.
Buffalo will have a quick turnaround with a road game against the Houston Texans on Thursday in an 8:15 PM kickoff.
Photos by the Buffalo Bills
