Josh Allen has another great day as the Bills beat the Cardinals
Josh Allen talks about the 34-28 win against Arizona, where he came from behind.
ORCHARD PARK – Even in a year where the Buffalo Bills may not have the quality roster they’ve had in years past, they still have Josh Allen, and that makes up for a lot of deficiencies.
The Bills appeared to be in deep trouble in the second quarter when they trailed the Arizona Cardinals 17-3, but Allen took control of the game and led the Bills to a hard-fought and far too close 34-28 victory.
During a stretch from the end of the second quarter to the middle of the fourth quarter, Allen scored four touchdowns, hitting Mack Hollins and Khalil Shakir in the air and running into the end zone for two more, giving the Bills a 31-20 lead.
Of course, it’s never easy, and the Bills had to survive DeeJay Dallas’ 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown after Allen’s second rushing TD and the Cardinals’ ensuing two-point conversion to cut the gap to 31-28. But the defense, which had endured a terrible first half, came up with two crucial stops in the final five minutes, and the Bills survived.
This was the fourth time in Allen’s career that he scored at least two rushing and passing touchdowns in a game, tying him with former 49ers star Steve Young for the most touchdowns in NFL history.
The start to the day could not have been worse for the Bills. Arizona won the coin toss, bucked tradition and opted to receive the ball, and it paid off when Kyler Murray marched them 70 yards in 13 plays, eating up the game’s first 7:13 before hitting Michael Wilson for a five-yard touchdown.
It should have been a field goal drive, but Ja’Marcus Ingram was called for an extremely bad personal foul on a play where Murray spun out just before the first down and Ingram barely touched him, but was still penalized, costing the Bills four points.
Buffalo’s first possession ended when Allen lost a fumble, thwarting a great drive started by newly acquired kick returner Brandon Codrington, who made it 53 yards to the Cardinals’ 45-yard line.
The Cardinals turned things around and took a 10-0 lead with a field goal from Matt Prater. The Bills also lost their star nickel corner Taron Johnson for the rest of the game due to a forearm injury.
Another crucial penalty cost the Bills the win moments later when Allen’s 4-yard touchdown run was negated by a facemask foul on O’Cyrus Torrence, leaving them to settle for a field goal by Tyler Bass.
Arizona then went 3 of 3 touchdowns while the Bills looked helpless during a 71-yard drive that took another seven minutes and was capped by James Conner’s three-yard touchdown run.
The game began to turn when the Bills immediately fought back. Allen overcame two penalties and ran for a 70-yard drive in the final 2:40 of the half, finishing with his 7-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 17-10. And then he capitalized on the double dip by opening the second half with a 60-yard run that ended with his 11-yard touchdown pass to Mack Hollins on third-and-10 that tied the score.
The real turning point came with 5:25 left in the third quarter, when Greg Rousseau got Murray his third sack of the game, this time forcing a fumble that Dorian Williams recovered at the Arizona 21-yard line. Five plays later, after converting a fourth-and-one, Allen threw a quick pass to Shakir, who made a great individual effort to head into the end zone and score a 10-yard touchdown for the lead.
After an Arizona field goal, the Bills thought they had taken control when Allen launched a 70-yard drive that ended with him diving into the end zone, but the kickoff return made it a thrilling experience.
The Bills had another chance to tie the game when they gained possession after a punt at the Cardinals’ 40-yard line, but had to settle for a 39-yard field goal by Bass with 1:56 left to make it 34-28. Eventually, Arizona got to the Buffalo 29-yard line, but a fourth-down pass near the goal line was incomplete.
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades, including 35 years as a full-time reporter for D&C, and has written numerous books on the team’s history. You can reach him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at @salmaiorana. https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast
