Buffalo forgets struggles, dominates Tampa Bay in week 8
After an extremely disappointing loss to their division rival New England Patriots in week seven of the National Football League (NFL) season, the Buffalo Bills desperately needed to get back in the win column. Their next test was in a matchup with the 3-3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday, Oct. 26, and they needed to secure a victory to remain above .500 on the year.
The game got off to a good start for the Bills as the Buccaneers were shut down and forced to kick a punt in their first possession. Buffalo worked their way 77 yards downfield in less than five minutes before trotting out kicker Tyler Bass for a 37-yard field goal.
Down by three points early in the first quarter, Tampa Bay’s offense regained possession and moved into Buffalo’s territory in large part due to a pass interference call on Bills safety Tyler Rapp. The Buccaneers went for a 50-yard field goal later in the drive but the kick was blocked by defensive end Shaq Lawson.
With momentum shifting their way, the Bills stormed downfield with the help of long passes to receivers Stefon Diggs and Khalil Shakir. The team made their way down to Tampa Bay’s one-yard line but a failed rushing attempt and incomplete pass on third and fourth downs turned the ball back over to the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay couldn’t capitalize on the turnover, however, and gave Buffalo the ball back after only three plays from scrimmage before the end of the first quarter.
The Bills began their next drive nearly in the red zone as returner Deonte Harty ran the punt back 24 yards. After a series of short gains, Buffalo was able to extend their lead to ten thanks to a 13-yard rushing touchdown up the middle by quarterback Josh Allen.
Looking to answer and lessen the deficit, the Buccaneers put together their second-longest drive of the day, albeit at only eight plays, to put themselves in position to score. A pass from quarterback Baker Mayfield that found receiver Chris Godwin for 31 yards set the team up to kick a successful 57-yard field goal and get back within a touchdown.
Following a one-play drive from the Bills that resulted in a Josh Allen interception, Tampa Bay’s offense took the ball back and found the endzone after only two plays. Running back Rachaad White grabbed a pass from Mayfield and ran 20 yards down to Buffalo’s three-yard line. Mayfield then found Godwin once more in the middle of the endzone to tie the game at ten.
Buffalo answered immediately, though, and put together arguably their best drive of the night with under six minutes left in the first half. An 18-yard rush from running back James Cook, along with passes of more than ten yards each to receivers Diggs and Gabe Davis helped to bring the team to the 22-yard line. Allen found rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid on a short pass before Kincaid took off and into the endzone for a touchdown. The score was Kincaid’s first in the NFL, as he will look to make an impact with starter Dawson Knox out multiple weeks due to a wrist injury.
The Buccaneers were unable to retaliate and score before the end of the first half, as the Bills took a 17-10 lead into the intermission.
Out of the break, Buffalo received the opening kickoff and put together a nine-play, 75-yard drive in under five minutes. The Bills gained positive yardage on eight of the nine plays as they coasted through Tampa Bay’s defense. Everything came together for the offense on the possession as both the run game and passing attack were effective. The drive culminated in another passing touchdown for Allen who found Davis for four yards to put the team up by fourteen points.
With just over ten minutes left to play, the Buccaneers didn’t have much time to make a comeback. The team put together the most impressive drive of the game as they started from their eight-yard line before a penalty forced them back four more yards. After having struggled to get much of anything working throughout the entirety of the game, Tampa Bay’s offense figured out a way to chisel through Buffalo’s steady defense. A series of short passes along with two successful fourth-down conversions kept the Buccaneers' hopes alive. Mayfield found receiver Mike Evans on a 24-yard touchdown pass before succeeding on a two-point conversion attempt to tight end Cade Otton.
The Buccaneers simply wasted too much time on their 17-play, 92-yard touchdown drive to have a real chance of overcoming the remaining six-point deficit. The offense was given a chance 70 yards away from the endzone with 21 seconds left to play, but it was just too much to ask for the offense to score as the game ended on an incomplete Hail Mary attempt.
The Bills came away with the 24-18 victory and now sit at 5-3 after eight weeks. They will next travel to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals in a vastly important Sunday Night Football matchup on Nov. 5, at 8:20 p.m.