Orchard Park, N.Y. (WBEN/AP) - Josh Allen wasn't in an I-told-you-so mood after he threw three touchdown passes and ran for three scores.
Following a few clunkers, the Buffalo Bills' star quarterback led his team to a season high in points in Sunday's 44-32 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — and afterward, Allen refused to fall into the trap of riding emotional peaks and valleys.
“Starting off 4-0 and we're the best team in the world. And we lose two in a row and now we're the worst team in the world,” Allen said. “We don’t want to ride that. We want to stay here, stay consistent.”
Either way, Allen brought the Bills' offense out of a monthlong slump, overcame what he called a “boneheaded” interception on his second snap, and added another extraordinary stat line to a career full of them.
Allen became the first NFL’s first player with two games of three TDs passing and rushing. He did it last year in a 44-42 loss at the Los Angeles Rams. He also upped his career total to 290 touchdowns, the most by a quarterback before turning 30 — passing Peyton Manning’s 288.
The reigning MVP did it this time with a retooled receiving group that featured Gabe Davis and Mecole Hardman making their season debuts. And Allen outdueled fellow 2018 first-round draft pick Baker Mayfield in a back-and-forth game that featured nine lead changes.
“I think at the end of the first quarter, just the way how things were going, I’m just knowing that we’re gonna have to put our hard hats on and go to work,” Allen said. “And I thought we made some plays today.”
A week after Buffalo was blanked through three quarters of a 30-13 loss at Miami, Allen came out firing, even with wind gusts of up to 30 mph (48.28 kph) off nearby Lake Erie. His three TD passes went for 25 yards or longer, including a perfectly placed 43-yard deep ball that Tyrell Shavers hauled in while tumbling into the end zone.
And the dual-threat quarterback used his legs to score three times. The last was a 9-yard run in which Buffalo's offensive linemen shoved him the final 2 yards to seal the victory with 2:35 remaining.
“High-level competition, two great quarterbacks, two great teams,” coach Sean McDermott said.
“Fun, yeah. My heart could have used a little bit different type of game," he added. "This win right here showed me how tough we are.”
McDermott also sent a message to his team by deactivating receiver Keon Coleman for being late to a meeting. It’s the second time this season and third time in Coleman’s career he’s faced team discipline, which was previously limited to him sitting out a quarter or a series.
“Yeah, it is disappointing, but I still believe in the young man,” McDermott said of Buffalo's top pick in the 2024 draft. “I believe he will learn from it.”
Buffalo (7-3) resembled the team that beat Kanas City 28-21 and Carolina 40-9 coming out of its bye week, rather than the one that lost back-to-back games to Atlanta and New England entering its break last month.
Meanwhile, the Buccaneers (6-4) let their NFC South lead dwindle to a half-game after Carolina beat Atlanta.
“We’re in a good place mentally,” Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles said. “Our fight is outstanding. Our execution needs to be cleaned up.”
A week after Mayfield said the Bucs needed more of a killer instinct following a 28-23 loss to New England, Tampa Bay’s offense showed a spark, trading scores with Buffalo through the early part of the fourth quarter.
Mayfield finished 16 of 28 for 173 yards with a 28-yard TD pass to Sean Tucker and a 4-yard TD run. Mayfield also threw an interception and lost a fumble when sacked on Tampa Bay’s final drive.
Tucker finished with 106 yards rushing and scored on runs of 43 and 28 yards.
“The fight was there, the toughness. It just came down to not making enough plays,” Mayfield said. “There was definitely a lot more points out there for us today.”
One opportunity came after Allen’s first interception — a wobbly shovel pass over the middle while he was under pressure at his own goal line — gave Tampa Bay the ball at Buffalo’s 7. Tucker managed just 2 yards on two runs and Mayfield overthrew Emeka Egbuka in the end zone, forcing Tampa Bay to settle for Chase McLaughlin's 23-yard field goal.
Bills revamp their receivers
Coleman was a healthy scratch for the first time in his two-year career. Gabe Davis made his season debut after being elevated from the practice squad, and Mecole Hardman made his Bills debut after being signed off the practice squad on Saturday.
Injuries
Buccaneers: CB Jamel Dean did not return after hurting his hip in the first quarter.
Bills: Hardman did not return after sustaining a calf injury in the second half.
Wyoming day
The University of Wyoming was represented by a delegation of students, staff, administrators, trustees and 15 marching band members to honor Allen, one of the school’s most high-profile alums. The school hosted several events over the weekend and was an official sponsor of the game.
The visit comes with Allen scheduled to travel to Laramie for the Cowboys’ game against Nevada on Saturday, when the quarterback’s jersey will be retired. Allen played three seasons at Wyoming before selected seventh overall by Buffalo in 2018.
Up next
Bills: Visit the Houston Texans on Thursday night.