Josh Allen led the Buffalo Bills to victory against Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday night, scoring three touchdowns and Tyler Bass confirms the win with a 29-yard field goal in the final seconds. This win greatly improved the Bills' chances of making it to the playoffs.
Allen made history by becoming the first player in NFL history to achieve four consecutive seasons with 40 combined touchdowns, with two touchdowns from running and one from passing. Bass' game-winning kick was the highlight of a 13-play, 64-yard drive, which included a crucial 15-yard achievement by Allen to Khalil Shakir on third down. Without facing hard challenges, the Bills keep going and found a way to win.
Allen heightened the importance of this victory, saying that every game is like a playoff game for them and the most important thing is to get the task done, no matter how. Allen completed 15 of 21 passes for 237 yards, with one interception.
The Bills, with a record of 9-6, have won in four out of their last five games. They are currently competing with Indianapolis and Houston, both with an 8-6 record, for the remaining two AFC playoff spots. Earlier in the day, Buffalo received assistance when Pittsburgh defeated Cincinnati.
In their first match under interim coach Giff Smith, Buffalo committed three turnovers, allowing the short-handed Chargers to stay competitive. Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco were dismissed on December 15, the day after the Chargers suffered a devastating 63-21 loss to Las Vegas.
Los Angeles (5-10), led by Easton Stick's 210 passing yards and Cameron Dicker's career-high five field goals, has incurred six losses in their last seven games.
Smith remarked that, we anticipated a tough battle in this game and our goal was to have a chance for victory at the end. We played a conservative game plan, and the team understood that. We targeted to accumulate points and give ourselves an opportunity to win, and that's how it unfolded. Unfortunately, we fell just short.
Allen currently leads the league in touchdowns with a total of 40, 27 of which were passing touchdowns and 13 rushing touchdowns. By completing a 2-yard run off the right tackle late in the second quarter, Allen became the second quarterback in NFL history to have achieved at least 50 rushing touchdowns. The first quarterback to accomplish this was Cam Newton, who finished his 10-year career with a total of 75 rushing touchdowns.
Davis, who had been unable to catch a pass in the previous two games, had an impressive performance with four receptions for a season-high 130 yards. This included a 57-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Earlier in the game, Stick, who was starting his second game in place of the injured Justin Herbert, had a successful outing. He completed 23 of 33 passes and also scored a rushing touchdown.
The Chargers quickly took a 10-0 lead with 13:49 remaining in the second quarter when Stick executed a play, rolling to the right and scoring from a yard out. The opportunity arose for Los Angeles to take possession of the ball at Buffalo's 27-yard line due to a fumble recovery by Amen Ogbongbemiga on a punt mishap by the Bills' Deonte Harty.
On its fourth drive, Buffalo finally scored a touchdown. Allen, the quarterback, scrambled to the right and spotted Davis open downfield. Davis caught the pass at the Chargers' 19-yard line and outpaced linebacker Kenneth Murray to reach the end zone. This completion was Allen's second-longest of the season.
Later, with only 38 seconds left in the first half, Allen secured his first of two rushing touchdowns, putting the Bills ahead 14-10.
Dicker, the Chargers' kicker, closed the gap to just one point with a successful 40-yard field goal in the middle of the third quarter. However, on the following drive, Buffalo extended their lead to 21-13 with Allen's 1-yard sneak.
Key moment?
James Cook achieved a total of 70 yards after 20 attempts, making him the initial Buffalo Bills running back to achieve the milestone of 1,000 yards since LeSean McCoy accomplished it back in 2017.
