For one night, at least, the Buffalo Bills looked like – well, they looked like themselves.
Josh Allen missed only nine passes and the Bills were in command of their home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, for most of the second half. The Bucs added a score late to get within a touchdown, but Buffalo picked up an important first down just before the two-minute warning, and got a 24-18 win (Josh Allen gets Bills off to fast start in 24-18 win over Buccaneers).
Gabe Davis had a really good night, a career night for him: nine catches for 87 yards and a score. Stephon Diggs had nine catches for 70 yards, and Dalton Kincaid, the rookie tight end, caught his first-ever NFL touchdown in the win, which moves the Bills to 5-3 on the season.
Allen finished with 324 yards and those scores on a solid 31-of-40 night. He also ran for 41 yards and a score, the 43rd of his career. That ties him with former San Francisco star Steve Young for second-most by a quarterback all time.
The Bucs fell to 3-4 on the year and have lost four of their last five after a 2-0 start.
Tampa did have a last-gasp to win, a Hail Mary thrown by Baker Mayfield from about 45 yards out that landed right beside receiver Chris Godwin, who appeared to be open, but was in a crowd bunched in the end zone, and it landed harmlessly at his feet.
Mayfield went 25-of-42 for 237 yards and two scores, one of them to Godwin.
“I thought everybody fought their tails off tonight. The effort wasn’t our problem. We hung together, we were tough, we clawed, we scratched, we fought our way back in there,” Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles said. “We were right there. A few plays here or there, a few penalties here or there. We feel like we can get better from that.”
Both teams are (obviously) off until next week. On Sunday, Nov. 5, Tampa Bay will play at Houston, and also on that day, Buffalo plays at Cincinnati on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.”
