Buffalo Bills 24, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 18: Final score, recap, highlights

ORCHARD PARK - Just a few short weeks ago, if Buffalo Bills fans wanted to look ahead to the schedule, Thursday night’s game at Highmark Stadium against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers probably looked like a walkover.

Well, Bills fans most likely thought the same about Buffalo’s games the last two weeks against the Giants and Patriots, and look how that went.

An escape by the narrowest margins against a Giants team that fell to 1-5 because it couldn’t score from the 1-yard-line on the final play of the game. And then an inexcusable loss to a Patriots team that began last Sunday with a 1-5 record.

So no, nothing should be taken for granted with how the Bills have played lately and their Amazon Prime game against a Bucs team that possesses a stingy defense will likely be anything other than a walkover.

We’ll have live coverage right here all night long as the Bills try to improve to 5-3.

Final score: Buffalo Bills 24, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 18

The Bills held on. Buffalo punted into the end zone to give Tampa Bay a final chance with 21 seconds left. Baker Mayfield completed short passes to Rachaad White (5 yards) and Mike Evans (8 yards) and Von Miller was flagged for defensive offside with 4 seconds remaining. Mayfield's Hail Mary fell incomplete without touching anyone and wide receiver Chris Godwin would have had a chance at the game-winning touchdown if he turned around sooner.

Buffalo had 427 total yards to Tampa Bay's 302 but the game came down to the final play. Josh Allen completed 31 of 40 passes for 324 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Four different Bills receivers had 65 or more yards receiving. Baker Mayfield went 25 of 42 for 237 yards and two touchdowns.

Bills vs. Buccaneers score: Buffalo 24, Tampa Bay 18 after Baker Mayfield TD pass to Mike Evans

Tampa Bay went on a 17-play, 92-yard touchdown drive. Rachaad White took a catch-and-run 20 yards. White made a catch for 9 yards to convert a third-and-4. Tampa Bay appeared to throw incomplete on fourth down but cornerback Taron Johnson was called for illegal contact to give the Buccaneers a new set of downs. Defensive tackle Jordan Phillips was flagged for a false mask on fourth-and-8 from the Bills' 39. On the next fourth down, Mayfield threw a 24+yard touchdown pass to Mike Evans. Mayfield connected with Cade Otton for the successful two-point conversion.

Sam Martin pins Tampa Bay deep again - 14:02 4th quarter

Buffalo's drive stalled once it got in Tampa Bay territory. Sam Martin punted 43 yards to the Buccaneers' 4-yard line. It's the third time Tampa Bay has started inside its 5-yard line.

Buccaneers go three-and-out - 3:33 3rd quarter

Jake Camarda has punted five times. Tampa Bay began with terrible field position at its 3-yard line, gained 9 yards and punted.

Dalton Kincaid makes incredible catch but Bills punt - 4:53 3rd quarter

Buffalo has only needed one active tight end tonight. Rookie Dalton Kincaid ad-libbed on third down to get open and made a catch falling backward on the left sideline with both feet inbounds for a 15-yard reception. Three plays later, Stefon Diggs couldn't bring in a pass from Josh Allen. Sam Martin's first punt of the night went 48 yards and spun out of bounds at the Buccaneers' 3-yard line.

Tampa Bay offense can't respond - 8:29 3rd quarter

The Buccaneers picked up one first down and then punted. Baker Mayfield scrambled for 11 yards but was forced out of the pocket on the ensuing third down and scrambled for 2 yards on third-and-5.

Bills vs. Buccaneers score: Buffalo 24, Tampa Bay 10 on Josh Allen TD pass to Gabe Davis

Up tempo. Play action. Touchdowns. The Buffalo offense looks more like last year's. The Bills went 75 yards in nine plays in 4:20 to open the second half, capped by Josh Allen's 4-yard touchdown pass to Gabe Davis.

The drive began with tight end Dalton Kincaid making an 18-yard catch. Davis had three receptions on the possession.

Halftime score: Buffalo Bills 17, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10

Buffalo's offense played much better than it has the previous few weeks in the second half. Josh Allen has completed 15 of 19 passes for 179 yards with a touchdown and interception. Wide receiver Khalil Shakir has four catches for 69 yards for the Bills. Baker Mayfield is 12 of 20 for 118 yards and a touchdown.

Bills vs. Buccaneers score: Buffalo 17, Tampa Bay 10 on Josh Allen TD pass to Dalton Kincaid

Dalton Kincaid scored his first NFL touchdown.

The Bills had an impressive answer after the Allen interception as they drove 75 yards in nine plays with the rookie tight end catching a 22-yard touchdown pass on a third-and-12 play.

Allen rolled out of the pocket when he was pressured and somehow Kincaid was wide open crossing from left to right. Allen hit him in stride and there was no one in front of Kincaid on his way to the end zone.

Bills vs. Buccaneers score: Buffalo 10, Tampa Bay 10 after Baker Mayfield TD pass to Chris Godwin

The Bills’ struggles looked like they were dissipating at the start of this game. They had complete control up 10-0 and in the matter of minutes, the game is tied at 10-10.

On the first play after the kickoff, Josh Allen was pressured by Antoine Winfield on a blitz who tipped his pass and Will Gholston made the interception at the 23.

Two plays later, Baker Mayfield hit Chris Godwin for a three-yard touchdown after a 20-yard screen pass to Rachaad White.

Josh Allen throws interception to William Gholston on first play of possession - 7:40 2nd quarter

Josh Allen came out of the blue medical tent and instantly threw an interception. Allen's pass was tipped by Antoine Winfield on a blitz and picked off by William Gholston at the Bills' 23.

Bills vs. Buccaneers score: Buffalo 10, Tampa Bay 3 on Chase McLaughlin field goal

Tampa Bay is on the board thanks primarily to a 31-yard pass from Baker Mayfield to Chris Godwin that converted a third-and-6. And then, after two penalties got the Bucs into a bad down and distance situation, the Bills held, but McLaughlin nailed a 57-yarder.

Bills vs. Buccaneers score: Buffalo 10, Tampa Bay 0 on Josh Allen TD run

One of the things the Bills have lacked in recent weeks is the running threat from Allen, but so far, they are leaning into that and it paid off with a 13-yard TD run by Allen on a designed QB keeper up the middle.

The Bills had failed to score from the 1-yard-line on their previous series, but the defense kept the Bucs pinned and forced a punt which Deonte Harty returned 24 yards to the 23.

That set up the TD after Allen converted a third-and-1 with a QB sneak. So the Bills are up 10-0 and so far have been in complete control, something we haven’t seen since the Miami game a month ago.

Tampa Bay goes three-and-out, Deonte Harty has big punt return

Tampa Bay started from its 1-yard line and only gained 2 yards. Chase Edmonds took a carry up the middle 2 yards and Baker Mayfield threw two incompletions. Jake Camarda's line drive 44-yard punt was returned by Deonte Harty 24 yards to the Buccaneers' 23-yard line.

Buffalo comes up empty from the 1-yard line - 14:57 2nd quarter

Buffalo's offense got into the red zone quickly. Josh Allen completed to Stefon Diggs' to start the Bills' second drive. Allen completed short passes to Gabe Davis and James Cook and on third-and-5, Allen lofted a 30-yard pass to Khalil Shakir to the Bucs' 8. Tight end Dalton Kincaid took a shovel pass to the 1-yard line. Latavius Murray was stuffed on third-and-goal. Buffalo went for it on fourth down and cornerback Jamel Dean knocked away Josh Allen's pass. Tampa Bay has the top-ranked red zone defense in the NFL.

Chase McLaughlin field goal blocked by Shaq Lawson- 4:21 1st quarter

Buffalo almost forced a three-and-out. Tampa Bay had a third-and-5 but safety Taylor Rapp was called for pass interference against tight end Cade Otton. Two plays later, Mayfield couldn't handle a high snap but was able to recover the fumble and throw the ball away. Shaq Lawson got a hand on Chase McLaughlin's 50-yard field goal attempt, which fell well short.

Bills vs. Buccaneers score: Buffalo 3, Tampa Bay 0

The Bills started their first possession on their own 4-yard line after a great punt by Tampa Bay’s Jake Camarda, but they wasted little time moving away from their own goal line.

Josh Allen had a designed QB keeper that got things going, and he completed 6 of 7 passes for 64 yards before the drive died just as they got to the red zone. Khalil Shakir caught three of the passes for 39 yards.

Tyler Bass kicked a 37-yard field goal so the Bills have an early lead.

Bills force punt on Buccaneers opening possession - 12:35 1st quarter

Buffalo won the toss and, like usual, deferred to the second half. Newly activated Josh Norman made the tackle on the opening kickoff. Tampa Bay faced a third-and-4 and Baker Mayfield converted with a 15-yard completion to Trey Palmer. The Bucs went backward on a false start from offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs. Tight end Cade Otton couldn't hang onto a pass from Mayfield on third-and-15. Jake Camarda punted 53 yards to the Bills' 4.

Kaiir Elam among Bills inactives again

Good news for the Bills as DT Ed Oliver will be back in the lineup after missing the Patriots game with a toe injury, an absence that really affected Buffalo’s defensive line play.

It was a good sign for Oliver when the Bills did not elevate either Kendal Vickers or newly-signed Eli Ankou off the practice squad and instead brought up cornerback Josh Norman and wide receiver Andy Isabella. Both Norman and Isabella are active.

For Buffalo, the inactives are cornerback Kaiir Elam, safety Damar Hamlin, offensive linemen Alec Anderson and Germain Ifedi, linebacker Baylon Spector and tight end Quintin Morris.

With Elam being inactive, that could be a true indication that the Bills are looking to deal him at the trade deadline and therefore don’t want to risk an injury. The trade deadline is Tuesday, and it has become clear that Elam isn’t a fit in the Bills’ defense. As a 2022 first-round pick, he could be an attractive trade target for teams looking for a cornerback who is known as a better man coverage player.

For the Bucs, the big news is star DT Vita Vea is inactive and that’s a big deal for the middle of the Tampa Bay defense. Vea is one of the best in the league and that should help the Bills in the run game.

Tampa Bay will also be without starting offensive lineman Matt Feiler.

Third downs should be interesting on both sides

Despite their recent struggles on offense, the Bills are still converting third downs at a 48.8% clip which is third-best in the NFL. As for Tampa Bay, it has had a nightmare of time succeeding on third down and it ranks dead last with a conversion against rate of 50%.

One would think that should bode well for the Bills, but what would be better is that the offense skip a few third downs once in a while. Last week in New England the Bills faced third or fourth down 15 times and that was due in large part to some terrible work on second down.

On 23 second-down plays the Bills averaged just 2.7 yards and made just eight first downs while also losing the ball once on Gabe Davis’ fumble. What was so weird is that the Bills were actually very good on first down as they averaged 6.1 yards on 31 plays.

On the other side, the Bills’ defense has been terrible on third down since the Jacksonville game which was the day when they lost both Matt Milano and DaQuan Jones in the first quarter. They have allowed opponents to convert third down 52.17% of the time which is second-worst in the NFL in that span.

As for the Bucs, Baker Mayfield is, surprisingly, No. 1 in the NFL in third-down passer rating at 121.6 and his completion percentage of 69.8% is third-best behind only Dak Prescott and Jalen Hurts.

Bills elevate Josh Norman, Andy Isabella

How much they play remains to be seen, but the Bills brought up the 35-year-old cornerback, Norman, who just re-joined the team a couple weeks ago, and Isabella who did not make the roster out of training camp after signing late, but was re-signed to the practice squad.

Tight end Dawson Knox was also put on injured reserve, a sign that he won’t be returning any time soon from his wrist surgery because now he has to sit a minimum of four games.

Bringing up Norman would seem like quite an indictment on Kaiir Elam if it turns out that Norman is active for the game and Elam is not. Remember, you don’t have to activate practice squad elevations. Elam is the third corner behind Christian Benford and Dane Jackson and last week in New England he did not play a single snap of defense.

Isabella coming up could be an answer to the Bills’ slot receiver spot where they’ve gotten very little from Khalil Shakir, Deonte Harty and Trent Sherfield. With Knox out, Dalton Kincaid may play more snaps as the traditional in-line tight end and that could open some playing time for Isabella, again, if he’s active for the game.

Isabella may also probably handle kickoff and punt returns as practice squad elevation Ty Johnson did last week.

What time is the Bills vs. Buccaneers game?

Kickoff is 8:15 p.m. at Highmark Stadium.

How to watch, stream the Bills vs. Buccaneers game?

Amazon Prime has exclusive rights to Thursday Night Football so you will need to be a subscriber to that streaming service. Prime offers two forms of membership: $14.99 per month or $139 per year. If you have a subscription, you can watch on all Amazon devices and on more than 650 connected devices via the Prime Video app.

Learn more: How to watch on Amazon Prime

Because Rochester is a secondary Bills market, none of the local TV stations are allowed to purchase the rights to telecast the game. However, the ABC affiliate in Buffalo, WKBW, channel 7, will be showing the game.

Who is announcing the Bills vs. Buccaneers game

• Play-by-play: Al Michaels

• Analyst: Kirk Herbstreit

• Sideline reporter: Kaylee Hartung

What are the odds for the Bills vs. Buccaneers game?

The betting line is Bills -9.5. The over-under is 43.5. The money line is Bills -450, Buccaneers +350.

What is the 'Thursday Night Football' intro song?

"Ain't Nothing Wrong With That" by Robert Randolph & the Family Band.

Bills vs. Buccaneers prediction

Sal Maiorana: Bills 24, Buccaneers 14

Given the way the Bills are playing right now as a true mediocrity, it almost feels like a reach to predict even a 10-point victory. But I have to believe that beneath all their talk about how they aren’t panicking and everything will be just fine, they have to know that this is a game they simply can’t afford to lose.

Tampa Bay certainly has some fine players, especially on a defense that should give the Bills some trouble. But its offense has not been productive all season and I can’t see a way for Mayfield to produce enough to outscore Allen, especially in Orchard Park. Then again, didn’t I say that last week regarding Mac Jones, and the week before against Tyrod Taylor?

2023 Buffalo Bills schedule

• Mon. Sept . 11: Jets 22, Bills 16, OT

• Sun., Sept. 17: Bills 38, Raiders 10

• Sun. Sept. 24: Bills 37, Commanders 3

• Sun. Oct. 1: Bills 48, Dolphins 20

• Sun. Oct. 8: Jaguars 25, Bills 20

• Sun. Oct. 15: Bills 14, Giants 9

• Sun. Oct. 22: Patriots 29, Bills 25

• Thur. Oct. 26, vs. Buccaneers, 8:20 p.m.

• Sun. Nov. 5, at Bengals, 8:20 p.m.

• Mon. Nov. 13, vs. Broncos, 8:15 p.m.

• Sun. Nov. 19, vs. Jets, 4:25 p.m.

• Sun. Nov. 26, at Eagles, 4:25 p.m.

• Sun. Dec. 3, Bye week

• Sun. Dec. 10, at Chiefs, 4:25 p.m.

• Sun. Dec. 17, vs. Cowboys, 4:25 p.m.

• Sat. Dec. 23, at Chargers, 8 p.m.

• Sun. Dec. 31, vs. Patriots, 1 p.m.

• Sun. Jan. 7, at Dolphins, TBD

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This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Buffalo Bills 24, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 18: Final score, recap, highlights