Alaina Getzenberg and Jenna Laine Oct 26, 2023, 11:25 PM ET6 minutes read
Bills extend lead after Allen’s TD pass to Davis
Josh Allen finds Gabe Davis all alone in the end zone for a Bills touchdown in the third quarter.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills entered Thursday night’s matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers needing a win that would erase the pain of last week’s humiliating loss to the cellar-based Patriots — and also the pressure to maintain the AFC East leading Miami Dolphins. The Bills earned this victory, defeating the Bucs by a score of 24-18 and are now 5-3 on the season.
The Buccaneers, meanwhile, trailed 3-4 and were a complete game behind the NFC South-leading Atlanta Falcons, with Baker Mayfield’s early commitment and offense raising deeper concerns. Here’s what you should know about each team’s performance:
Buffalo Bills
The tone of what the Buffalo Bills offense wanted to accomplish was set on the first drive of the game.
The Bills moved quickly down the field, using a form of no-huddle – something that has been lifted in recent games in recent weeks – and allowed Josh Allen to use his legs with an eight-yard gain on the second play. The 10-play, 77-yard drive ended with a 37-yard field goal from kicker Tyler Bass, but more importantly, it showed a change in the Bills’ offense early on.
After scoring a combined 10 points in the first halves of the last three games, the Bills scored 17 points against the Buccaneers. A variety of offensive players got involved, the offense put together five drives of eight or more plays and controlled the game early – something that was also consistently missing in recent weeks and only became an issue towards the end of the game. Allen used his legs effectively with seven carries for 42 yards, including a rushing touchdown. The quarterback also turned in his best passing performance in weeks, completing 31 of 40 passes (77.5%) for 324 yards, two passing touchdowns and one interception – just his third 300-yard passing game of the season.
While this was a step in the right direction for the Bills’ trend of slow starts, this remains a unit that still has a lot of work to do as some issues shift into the second half. Three straight punts gave the Buccaneers a chance to get within striking range, and the downfield passing game still needs work. But against Tampa Bay, with even tougher opponents waiting for us, it was enough.
Describe the game in two words: Urgently needed. It wasn’t perfect or even close to perfect, as the defensive issue of giving up big attacks late in the game kept cropping up, but after recent struggles against beatable opponents, all three units stepped up at times and deserved the win.
Promising trend: Things are looking up for Dalton Kincaid. With tight end Dawson Knox (wrist) placed on injured reserve early Thursday and Quintin Morris (ankle) out of the game, the rookie was the only active tight end and he took advantage, scoring his first touchdown in the second Career quarter after a 22-yard pass from Allen and a great catch down the sideline in the third quarter. Kincaid didn’t have as many balls as he did last week, but he’s becoming more involved on offense, playing a career-high 83.8% of snaps.
Buy on Breakthrough Performance: Wide receivers Gabe Davis and Khalil Shakir. This isn’t easy as Davis has a long history of big games and hasn’t consistently shown these types of performances, but his commitment on offense against the Buccaneers was crucial and that success is something this unit can build off of. Both players performed in an easier night for Stefon Diggs, with Davis posting a career-high nine receptions on 12 targets for 87 yards and a touchdown, while Shakir started and had a career-best six catches for 92 yards . Four different players recorded at least five receptions and 50 receiving yards, which is the most in a game in franchise history (most recently in 2011).
Key game: Sam Martin’s punt with five minutes left in the third quarter. It may not be the flashiest play or even game-winning, but it’s a good example of the role Martin and the special teams played in Thursday’s game when they ran the ball 48 yards to the Buccaneers’ three-yard line, with the drive resulting in a three-and-out. Martin had three straight punts inside the 10-yard line and two inside the five-yard line, setting up the Bills’ defense. — Alaina Getzenberg
Next game: at Bengals (8:20 p.m. ET, November 5)
Photo by Timothy T. Ludwig/Getty Images
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
In the first quarter of the season, the Buccaneers faced opponents with poor offensive performance thanks to a stifling defense that was adept at taking the ball away. But against better opponents — like the Bills on Thursday night — the defense simply wasn’t able to carry the weight as the offense couldn’t get moving, resulting in a three-game deficit.
The Bucs scored two offensive touchdowns, but were unable to consistently extend drives. Offensive coordinator Dave Canales said earlier this week: “We should be frustrated. We should feel like there’s more out there for us,” but they haven’t found it yet. Meanwhile, third down continues to be a big problem on defense as the Bucs allowed 7 of 13 conversions. Their league-leading red zone defense also allowed two touchdowns.
Quarterback breakdown: Baker Mayfield completed 25 of 42 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Against one of the most ferocious pass rushes Mayfield has seen all season, Mayfield was sacked three times, while running back Rachaad White was their leading receiver with six catches for 65 yards. With 2:44 left in the fourth quarter, Mayfield completed just two passes on five attempts to Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Evans and found him a cross route for a 24-yard touchdown, punctuated by a two-point conversion to tight end Cade Otton. Since Canales’ offense is specifically designed to put the ball in the hands of their two best playmakers, Evans and Chris Godwin, they can’t afford to have Evans shut out for almost the entire game.
Worrying trend: Punish. With an offense that relies on gradually moving the ball downfield rather than explosive plays, and a high-risk, high-reward defense that takes advantage of plenty of opportunities, the Bucs can’t afford to take penalties. Right tackle Luke Goedeke had three false starts, including one when the Bucs attempted a comeback in the fourth quarter. Later, a waiting tackle on rookie guard Cody Mauch thwarted a 42-yard completion to Evans. This is the second straight week the Bucs have received double-digit penalties after averaging six per game in the first three weeks.
Promising trend: The Bucs’ bottom-ranked rushing attack showed some signs of life, averaging 4.6 yards per carry: an end-around by Godwin gained 14 yards, a run averaged 4.3 yards per carry by White and a 15-yard run-off left guard Aaron Stinnie, who filled in for the injured Matt Feiler and left tackle for Tristan Wirfs. For the second week in a row, a Trey Palmer penalty negated a big run by White, negating a 26-yard rush by Palmer. And the Bucs were rarely able to turn to the ground game as they spent nearly the entire game behind, including a 14-point deficit less than 5 minutes into the third quarter. – Jenna Laine
Next game: at Texans (1 p.m. ET, November 5)