For the second straight week, the Buffalo Bills took full advantage of a bad opponent.
The Bills used a smothering defense and a punishing ground game to beat the Denver Broncos, 20-3 on Sunday at New Era Field. With the win, the Bills improve to 8-3 on the season for the first time since 1996.
Buffalo's defense bullied Denver all game, allowing just three points and surrendering only 134 total yards in the victory.
Josh Allen did not have to do much, only passing for 185 yards, but still added two passing touchdowns in the win. Allen's streak without an interception did end in this game after throwing his first pick in 172 attempts in the second quarter.
The Bills ran for 244 yards on the day, led by rookie Devin Singletary's 106 yards on the ground. Meanwhile, Frank Gore's 56 yards helped him surpass Barry Sanders for third all-time in rushing yards in an NFL career.
Cole Beasley led all receivers with six receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown, while John Brown caught a touchdown, but saw his streak of games over 50 yards receiving in every game come to an end.
The first quarter was lacking in action for both teams as the Bills were the only team to notch points on the scoreboard thanks to a whopping 17-play opening drive that almost totaled nine minutes, but ended with a 39-yard field goal from kicker Stephen Hauschka.
Buffalo doubled their lead with a 23-yard field goal from Hauschka in the second quarter as Buffalo's usually potent red zone offense was halted twice in their first two attempts within the Denver 20-yard line.
The two teams traded interceptions before the end of the first half, starting with Allen sailing a pass over his intended target and getting picked off by Broncos safety Justin Simmons. However, Denver could not take advantage of the turnover as Tre'Davious White picked off Broncos quarterback Brandon Allen with 1:07 left to come away with his fourth interception of the season.
The Bills took control of the game after halftime as the offense marched right into the end zone on their first drive of the third quarter. Big plays from Singletary and wide receiver Robert Foster allowed the drive to be capped off with Allen finding Beasley for an 18-yard touchdown to give the Bills a commanding 13-0 lead.
Denver responded on the next drive with a 45-yard field goal from kicker Brandon McManus for, what would be, their only scoring drive of the afternoon.
In the fourth quarter, wide receiver John Brown made a tough catch that was originally ruled as incomplete, but review proved that Allen's 34-yard pass was a completed pass for the touchdown to give the Bills the 20-3 lead.
To put the cap in the afternoon, Gore ended up surpassing Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders for sole possession of third place in NFL history for rushing yards in a career.
Frank Gore.The @NFL's third all-time leading rusher. pic.twitter.com/WU7aOMF0Wl
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) November 24, 2019Scoring Summary
First Quarter:
- 3-0 BILLS - Bills field goal (1:10) - Stephen Hauschka's 39-yard field goal attempt is good.
- Drive info: 17 plays, 69 yards, 8:49
Second Quarter:
- 6-0 BILLS - Bills field goal (8:09) - Stephen Hauschka's 23-yard field goal attempt is good.
- Drive info: 12 plays, 87 yards, 5:47
- 6-0 BILLS - Broncos interception (4:03) - Josh Allen is picked off by Denver safety Justin Simmons at the Bills' 46-yard line.
- 6-0 BILLS - Bills interception (1:07) - Tre'Davious White picks off Brandon Allen and returns it to the Buffalo 14-yard line.
Third Quarter:
- 13-0 BILLS - Bills touchdown (12:57) - Josh Allen tosses an 18-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Cole Beasley (Stephen Hauschka's extra-point attempt is good).
- Drive info: 8 plays, 59 yards, 2:03
- 13-3 BILLS - Broncos field goal (7:45) - Brandon McManus' 45-yard field goal attempt is good.
- Drive info: 10 plays, 48 yards, 5:17
Fourth Quarter:
- 20-3 BILLS - Bills touchdown (11:08) - Josh Allen connects on a 34-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver John Brown (Stephen Hauschka's extra-point attempt is good).
- Drive info: 2 plays, 31 yards, 0:46
- 20-3 BILLS - Bills milestone (9:29) - Frank Gore's seven-yard run pushes him past Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders for third all-time in career rushing yards in the NFL.
LoTempio Complete Stats of the Game
Individual Stats:
Passing
Buffalo Bills:
Josh Allen - 15-of-25, 185 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Denver Broncos:
Brandon Allen - 10-of-25, 82 yards, 1 INT
Rushing
Buffalo Bills:
Devin Singletary - 21 carries, 106 yards
Frank Gore - 15 carries, 65 yards
Josh Allen - 9 carries, 56 yards
Robert Foster - 1 carry, 22 yards
Isaiah McKenzie - 1 carry, minus-5 yards
Denver Broncos:
Philip Lindsay - 13 carries, 57 yards
Royce Freeman - 2 carries, 20 yards
Brandon Allen - 2 carries, 8 yards
Receiving
Buffalo Bills:
Cole Beasley - 6 receptions, 76 yards, 1 TD
John Brown - 2 receptions, 39 yards, 1 TD
Robert Foster - 1 reception, 24 yards
Tyler Kroft - 1 reception, 14 yards
Isaiah McKenzie - 2 receptions, 13 yards
Dawson Knox - 2 receptions, 11 yards
Devin Singletary - 1 reception, 8 yards
Denver Broncos:
Cortland Sutton - 1 reception, 27 yards
Andrew Beck - 1 reception, 18 yards
Noah Fant - 3 receptions, 14 yards
Philip Lindsay - 1 reception, 11 yards
Royce Freeman - 2 receptions, 9 yards
Tim Patrick - 1 reception, 3 yards
Diontae Spencer - 1 reception, 0 yards
Defense
Buffalo Bills:
Matt Milano - 6 tackles, 1 tackle for loss
Tre'Davious White - 3 tackles, 1 interception
Shaq Lawson - 2 tackles, 2 sacks
Star Lotulelei - 1 tackle, 1 sack
Ed Oliver - 1 tackle, 1 sack
Denver Broncos:
Alexander Johnson - 15 tackles, 1 tackle for loss
Todd Davis - 13 tackles, 1 tackle for loss
Justin Simmons - 8 tackles, 1 interception
Von Miller - 2 tackles, 1 sack
Team Stats:
Total Yards:
BUF: 424DEN: 134
Passing Yards:
BUF: 180DEN: 49
Rushing Yards:
BUF: 244DEN: 85
First Downs:
BUF: 22DEN: 9
Penalties:
BUF: 12 for 90 yards DEN: 7 for 70 yards
Time of Possession:
BUF: 35:04DEN: 24:56
What's Next:
The Bills have a real quick turnaround as they head to Dallas, Texas on Thursday for a Thanksgiving matchup with the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m. with pregame coverage on WGR starting at 11 a.m.
