Buffalo narrowly avoids giant upset
The Buffalo Bills entered week six of the 2023 National Football League (NFL) season looking to rebound after an ugly defeat at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday, Oct. 8. The worst loss did not come on the scoreboard, however, as multiple Bills defenders went down with injuries in the matchup.
With the damage on defense, the Bills, who sat at 3-2 after the loss in week five, were eagerly awaiting what they envisioned as one of the least concerning matchups of the year in week six. They were set to take on the New York Giants, who sat at 1-4 after five weeks, and came into the game against Buffalo without their starting quarterback. With Daniel Jones sidelined, the Giants turned to backup, and former Bills quarterback, Tyrod Taylor to line up under center. The Sunday Night Football contest between the two teams did not exactly play out how the Bills had anticipated, however.
After the two teams put up three-and-outs to open the game, the Bills finally found their way on offense later in the first quarter. Short passes from quarterback Josh Allen to receivers Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis moved the chains for the Bills as they tallied multiple first downs as they moved close to midfield. The drive came to a screeching halt right after as Davis caught a nine-yard pass before the Giants’ defense knocked the ball loose and recovered the fumble.
Taking over at their own 44 yard-line, New York put together a six-minute drive, their longest of the game, to put themselves on the scoreboard first. The big blow was a 27-yard pass from Taylor to receiver Darius Slayton that propelled the Giants nearly into the red zone. A 29-yard field goal gave New York the lead with three minutes left in the first quarter.
After four consecutive punts, Buffalo took back over on offense with less than 12 minutes remaining in the first half. The team recorded two straight first downs but found themselves with a fourth down at New York’s 34-yard line. Kicker Tyler Bass came out to attempt a 52-yard field goal and sailed the ball wide right to give the ball right back to the Giants. The miss was Bass’ first all season as he has been one of the most consistent starters at his position in recent years.
New York turned around and marched downfield before adding another field goal to their score to give them a 6-0 lead. An interception from Josh Allen allowed the Giants to put together one final drive before halftime, and they worked the ball to the one-yard line in just over two minutes. Poor game management by Taylor, who handed the ball off with only 14 seconds left on the clock, led to time running out and the Giants coming away with nothing for the half.
Coming out of the break, New York wasted five minutes on their opening possession but only maneuvered their way to Buffalo’s 44 yard-line before giving the ball to the Bills’ offense. The offense, which had been lackluster, to say the least, took up nearly ten minutes on a 17-play drive that resulted in their first touchdown of the game. A three-yard pass from Allen to receiver Deonte Harty gave the Bills a one-point lead.
A successful field goal by the Giants gave them the lead right back before Buffalo made their way back into New York’s zone on another long possession. They took a five-point advantage after Allen found third-string tight end Quintin Morris for a 15-yard touchdown pass.
Taylor and the Giants’ offense did their best to come back late but after failing to convert on fourth down, they gave the Bills another chance to seal the victory with under two minutes left to play. Buffalo took the chance and went for another field goal, this time for 53 yards, but Bass failed to connect once again and New York took over for one final drive almost at midfield.
Head coach Brian Daboll and the Giants’ squad managed to run 13 plays in the short time frame left and after working their way to within ten yards of a score, Taylor used the final seconds to throw a pass to tight end Darren Waller. Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard was called for defensive pass interference and the Giants were awarded with one last chance - a free play to decide the game at the one-yard line. Taylor dropped back and looked towards Waller once again but defender Taron Johnson broke up the play to seal the 14-9 victory for the Bills.
The stress-inducing victory puts Buffalo at 4-2 to begin the season as they will look to continue their winning ways this weekend against the New England Patriots in a divisional matchup on Sunday, Oct. 22, at 1 p.m.