Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - Right off the top, let me say how thankful I was that the Buffalo Bills didn't ruin Thanksgiving. I would have been in no mood for conversation at the Thanksgiving table, but Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs and Tyler Bass, among others, made for a joyous holiday dinner.
There has been a lot of pressure on Allen and the rest of the offense with the defense playing at less than full strength in every game this season. Add in the elbow injury, which is clearly affecting Allen, and it has made for a bumpy ride over the last month.
This game against Detroit was representative of what has been the story of the Bills offense since the bye week. At times, they look really good, but then they hit stretches where they go into a deep freeze. Red zone struggles and turnovers lead to spotty performances.
After an initial three-and-out against the Lions, Allen and company put together back-to-back touchdown drives, going 2-for-2 in the red zone in the process. The first touchdown was a beautifully thrown ball with just the right touch, and a perfectly-placed pass for Isaiah McKenzie to record a 19-yard score.
The next touchdown drive was a mixture of runs and passes, with Allen doing a good job of taking what the Lions defense was giving. The two touchdowns equaled the offense's total over the previous 18 possessions.
On the field goal drive inside the final two minutes of the first half, Allen used his legs to get away from pressure, and then connected on a 27-yard throw to McKenzie to get the possession started. On a 2nd-and-10 from the Detroit 36-yard line, the Bills went with an empty set and the Lions blitzed. Allen threw while backpedaling, but still completed a 16-yard pass to McKenzie, who came up with his best game of the season on Sunday.
The second half began well, as Allen hit some more big passes. There was a 3rd-and-13 conversion to Gabe Davis, which was good for 16 yards. Then came a 2nd-and-21 deep ball to a wide-open McKenzie, which ended up as a 30-yard gain.
However, the red zone turnover reared its ugly head again. Allen had a pass deflected and picked off for his league-high fourth red zone interception, all of those coming in the last five games.
It got really ugly after that.
The next three drives all ended with a punt, as the Bills totaled just 32 yards. It was the first time all season the Bills punted on three-straight possessions.
Then when the Bills needed their franchise quarterback and their elite receiver to come up big, Allen and Diggs met the challenge. The Bills produced a 14-play, 90-yard drive that ended with an Allen touchdown pass to Diggs.
That put the Bills in front, 25-22.
Detroit came right back and produced a field goal to knot the game at 25-25, but they left 23 seconds on the clock. (Kansas City only needed 13 seconds, right?) The 23 seconds and the full complement of time outs meant Allen had enough time to pull this one out.
On the very first play, Allen made the throw that franchise quarterbacks make - threading the needle with a deep middle ball to Diggs for 36 yards. It just barely beat a break up attempt from a safety, and just like that, the Bills went from their own 25-yard line to the Lions' 39-yard line.
After back-to-back Allen runs, Bass did his part with a game winning 45-yard field goal with two seconds remaining.
Related
It is interesting that we talk about how the offense just doesn't look right, and it's not just based on what we've seen in the past. But at the end of the day in Detroit, Allen had 331 total yards and three touchdowns.
The 28 points scored by the Bills is exactly what their season average is through 11 games.
