Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - Remind me to send an email to the football Gods (as I've done so many times over the years) to thank them once again for Josh Allen. Yes, I have an email for them.
The Buffalo Bills quarterback was doing vintage Allen things during Sunday's comeback win over the Cincinnati Bengals. For the second time this season, Allen put the Bills on his back and rallied the team to victory after trailing by 10-or-more points in the fourth quarter.
Don't worry, I didn't forget about the two huge plays from the defense but they have to take a back seat behind the reigning NFL MVP.
Here is a review of the many key plays turned in by Allen, as he and the Bills kept their hopes of catching the New England Patriots for the top spot in the AFC East alive:
In the second quarter with the Bills down 11 points, they faced a 4th-and-4 at the Bengals' 45-yard line. Head coach Sean McDermott made the right call and left the ball in the hands of his star quarterback.
Allen was flushed to his left and hit Gabe Davis on a pass along the sideline for a 17-yard gain.
Later on that same drive, the Bills were, again, facing 4th-and-4, but this time at the Bengals' 11-yard line. McDermott wisely eschewed a field goal attempt and trusted No. 17.
Allen ran to his right and just before he was going to get hit, he unloaded a dart, squeezing it between two defenders and into the hands of Khalil Shakir for a touchdown.
Fast forward to the third quarter now. The Bills are down 10 points and have a 3rd-and-5 at their 41-yard line. Allen used his legs and picked up a first down with a 16-yard scramble.
That drive ended with a touchdown pass to Dalton Kincaid.
In the fourth quarter, the Bills, again, were trailing by 10 when Allen made Bills history.
On a 2nd-and-10 at the Bengals' 40-yard line, Allen called his own number, and it was a smart decision. There was no one near him, and Allen ran for a 40-yard touchdown.
It was the longest touchdown run by a Bills quarterback in franchise history in the regular season.
The next Allen highlight came with the Bills finally leading, 32-28, with just over three minutes left. Give credit to McDermott again.
The Bills had 4th-and-goal at the Bengals' 3-yard line. A field goal would have given Buffalo a seven-point lead, but Joe Burrow, who threw for four touchdowns in a losing effort, would have had plenty of time to move the ball against a Bills defense that largely did not play well.
McDermott decided to go for it, and Allen rewarded his head coach's faith by throwing a touchdown pass to rookie tight end Jackson Hawes.
As it turns out, Burrow then led a 50-second touchdown drive that pulled Cincinnati back to within five.
Allen then drove a dagger into the Bengals' hearts.
With 1:54 left, the Bills had a 3rd-and-15 at their own 25-yard line after Allen was sacked on second down. I thought, for sure, the Bills would just hand the ball off to Ty Johnson and if he didn't get it, they would, at least, take more time off the clock before punting.
However, Allen put on the Superman cape one more time and scrambled 17 yards for a victory-sealing first down.
I'd say this was all unbelievable, but nothing is unbelievable when it comes to Joshua Patrick Allen.
Allen ended the day with 329 total yards of offense and four touchdowns. He became the first player in NFL history to record 20-plus passing touchdowns and 10-plus rushing touchdowns in three-straight seasons.
Allen is why the Bills won, but for the second-straight week, the game turned thanks to the Bills defense.
They were roughed up in the first half, as Cincinnati scored a touchdown on each of its first three possessions, but that unit came up with massive plays on back-to-back Bengals snaps in the fourth quarter.
With the Bills down 28-25 and the Bengals moving the ball to the Bills' 33-yard line, Buffalo sent cornerback Christian Benford on a blitz. Burrow tried to loft the ball over Benford to Ja'Marr Chase, but Benford jumped up to pick it off. He then broke a Burrow tackle attempt and ran 63 yards the other way for a touchdown.
It was the second-straight game where Benford got to the end zone for the Bills. He also recovered a fumble for a score last week in Pittsburgh against the Steelers.
On the very next play, Jordan Phillips tipped a Burrow pass at the line of scrimmage and it came down in the hands of A.J. Epenesa.
The Bills turned that takeaway into a 29-yard touchdown drive to make it 39-28. The extra breathing room made a big difference.
With the win, the Bills improved to 9-4 on the season.
They still trail New England, who had their bye week, by two games, but they put a little more pressure on the Patriots going into the massive Week 15 game game in Foxboro.
If the Patriots win, though, they will end the Bills' reign atop the division at five years.
Bills notes:
- The Bills have now won 12-straight regular season home games in December/January.
- The Bills scored 30-or-more points for the seventh time in 13 games this season.
- The Bills have wins over Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Baker Mayfield this season.
- The Bills scored 21 points in a four-and-a-half-minute stretch in the decisive fourth quarter.
- Bills tight ends combined for 11 catches on 13 targets for 137 yards and two touchdowns.
- The defense held star receiver Ja'Marr Chase to just five catches for 44 yards.
- The run defense gave up just 62 yards on 19 carries.
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