Landover, Md. (WGR 550) - The Buffalo Bills showed out in their Week 3 matchup with the unbeaten Washington Commanders at a soggy FedEx Field.
While Buffalo's offense was efficient for a large portion of Sunday's contest, it was the defense coming up with a dominating performance, forcing five Washington turnovers and even scoring a touchdown in a 37-3 victory.
The Bills received the opening kickoff and marched into Washington territory, setting up a 36-yard field goal for kicker Tyler Bass to give Buffalo an early 3-0 lead.
Washington's first drive saw the offense get into Buffalo territory, but it ended with their first turnover of the game. On a 3rd-and-19 from the Bills' 34-yard line, Commanders quarterback Sam Howell lobbed a pass that ended up in the hands of Bills linebacker, Terrel Bernard.
The Bills couldn't get much going after the turnover, though, as Buffalo ended up punting following six plays and getting as far as their own 30-yard line.
After a three-and-out from the Commanders, which featured a sack from Bernard on defense, the Bills got a nice return on the punt from Deonte Harty, who reached the Washington 45-yard line. Buffalo would start the drive at the Commanders' 35-yard line after Washington was flagged for holding on the return.
It only took one play for the Bills to find the end zone, as quarterback Josh Allen fired a deep pass to Gabe Davis for a 35-yard touchdown to put Buffalo up, 10-0.
On Washington's next offensive drive, the Commanders finally gained some momentum and ended up in the Buffalo red zone. However, the Bills defense came up big again, stopping the Commanders in their tracks with a huge stop on a 4th-and-goal at the Buffalo two-yard line.
Despite being pinned deep in their own territory, the Bills managed to get into field goal range for Bass, who added to the lead with a 54-yard field goal just after the two-minute warning.
With 75 seconds remaining in the half, the Bills put some pressure on Howell once again, forcing him to throw his second interception of the game. This time, it was safety Micah Hyde jumping in front of a pass intended for running back Antonio Gibson for his first interception in two seasons.
The Bills tried to get back in the end zone one more time before halftime, but were able to settle for another Bass field goal to go up 16-0, this time from 32 yards out.
Washington opened the second half with a strong start to move into Buffalo territory once again. However, Howell was picked off once again in the red zone, as his pass intended for Curtis Samuel in the end zone was taken away by veteran cornerback Tre'Davious White.
Buffalo's opening drive of the second half ended with their first turnover in two games, as a third down pass from Allen intended for Davis was intercepted by Commanders cornerback Kendall Fuller at the Washington 19-yard line.
After forcing another three-and-out of the Commanders, the Bills couldn't produce any points on the scoreboard, as the offense turned it over on downs following a failed 4th-and-1 pass intended for wide receiver Stefon Diggs that was batted down at the line of scrimmage.
On the first play of scrimmage for the Commanders their next offensive drive, Howell completed a short pass to Gibson, who was stripped of the football by cornerback Taron Johnson. The fumble ended up being recovered by Bernard to put Buffalo in prime scoring position again at the Washington 31-yard line.
Six plays later, the Bills capitalized on the fumble recovery with Allen finding the end zone with his feet for the first time this season from 10 yards out.
The Bills defense continued their dominance on Washington's next drive, as pass rusher A.J. Epenesa was able to get up and snag a Howell pass attempt for his first career interception. More importantly, Epenesa turned that into six points with his first career touchdown from 32 yards out to put Buffalo up 30-0.
After the Bills defense forced another three-and-out, it signaled the end of the day for Josh Allen, as Buffalo started putting backups into the game with less than nine minutes remaining in the game.
After Kyle Allen entered the game at quarterback, the Bills turned to the run game on their next drive, with veteran Latavius Murray capping things off with a two-yard touchdown run.
The Commanders cashed in on their only scoring drive of the game late in the fourth quarter, as kicker Joey Slye put three points on the board for Washington with a 51-yard field goal.
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GAME SUMMARY:
First Quarter:
- 3-0 BUFFALO: Bills field goal (9:29) - Tyler Bass' 36-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive Info: 11 plays, 57 yards, 5:31
- 10-0 BUFFALO: Bills touchdown (0:41) - Josh Allen fires a 35-yard touchdown pass to Gabe Davis. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive Info: 1 play, 35 yards, 0:06
Second Quarter:
- 13-0 BUFFALO: Bills field goal (1:55) - Tyler Bass' 54-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive Info: 15 plays, 62 yards, 9:47
- 16-0 BUFFALO: Bills field goal (0:19) - Tyler Bass' 32-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive Info: 6 plays, 19 yards, 0:56
Third Quarter:
- No scoring plays
Fourth Quarter:
- 23-0 BUFFALO: Bills touchdown (10:37) - Josh Allen rushes up the middle for a 10-yard touchdown. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive Info: 6 plays, 31 yards, 3:28
- 30-0 BUFFALO: Bills touchdown (10:01) - A.J. Epenesa picks off Sam Howell and returns it 32 yards for a touchdown. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
- 37-0 BUFFALO: Bills touchdown (2:15) - Latavius Murray punches through for a two-yard touchdown run. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive Info: 9 plays, 64 yards, 5:57
- 37-3 BUFFALO: Commanders field goal (0:46) - Joey Slye's 51-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive Info: 8 plays, 42 yards, 1:29
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SKYWORKS EQUIPMENT RENTAL STATS OF THE GAME:
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What's next:
The Bills return to Orchard Park for a divisional matchup with the Miami Dolphins at Highmark Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. ET on the official voice of the Bills - WGR Sports Radio 550.