Bills vs. Buccaneers Thursday Night Football highlights: Josh Allen, defense spark win
The Buffalo Bills had no choice but to move on quickly from last Sunday’s defeat to the New England Patriots, a frustrating loss for the team that squandered a late lead to one of the struggling NFL teams entering that game. Questions about the offense, specifically coordinator Ken Dorsey, swirled.
Good thing for Buffalo it was a short week.
The Bills responded with a 24-18 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on "Thursday Night Football." Quarterback Josh Allen, battling a shoulder injury, had one of his better performances of the season. He was 31-for-40 passing for 324 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. His 13-yard rushing touchdown made it 10-0 in the second quarter.
From there, the Buccaneers tied the game on back-to-back possessions. Kicker Chase McLaughlin made a 57-yard field goal to put Tampa Bay on the board, then swung his helmet at a Bills player (no penalty was called). Allen’s interception came on the first play of the next drive, a ball that went straight up in the air following a hit by the blitzing safety Antoine Winfield Jr. William Gholston came down with it and the Buccaneers were in business.
Early in the game, Allen found comfort in receiver Khalil Shakir, the No. 3 in the rotation behind Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. Shakir had six catches for 92 yards, both career highs. And tight end Dalton Kincaid scored his first career touchdown late in the first half to tilt the game back in the Bills’ favor; earlier in the day, the Bills placed fellow tight end Dawson Knox on injured reserve.
The Buccaneers made it interesting at the end, driving 92 yards (17 plays) on a drive that took seven minutes, 21 seconds off the clock. Mike Evans, held to one catch for seven yards at that point, hauled in a tipped pass from quarterback Baker Mayfield (22-for-38, 217 yards, two touchdowns) for a 24-yard touchdown with 2:42 left in the game. The Bills punted the ball back to Tampa Bay with 21 seconds left, and Mayfield had a Hail Mary heave at the end zone that fell to the ground without a player touching it – and receiver Chris Godwin in close proximity.
The Bills had 25 first downs, compared to the 17 for Tampa Bay. Buffalo’s defense kept the Buccaneers to 78 yards on the ground and hit Mayfield 10 times.
Allen, who rushed seven times for 41 yards, spent moments inside the injury tent on the sideline in the second quarter and was favoring his right shoulder, which he appeared to bang up on the play before he scored his rushing touchdown in the second quarter.
It was a more consistent attack from Buffalo, although red zone struggles early had the home fans frustrated. They were 7-for-13 on third down. — Chris Bumbaca
Bills vs. Buccaneers highlights
Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes and ran for another — shrugging off aggravating an injury to his throwing shoulder — as the Bills hung on to defeat the Buccaneers.
Winners and losers from Bills' win over Buccaneers
WINNERS
Bills defense: The Bills entered Week 8 with the second-most sacks in the NFL with 25. Buffalo’s pass rush gave the Bucs fits all night. Baker Mayfield was routinely under duress.
Mayfield was sacked three times and hit another 10.
Josh Allen: The Bills are often dependent on Allen and Stefon Diggs, but in Thursday’s win they weren’t.
Allen didn’t have to do too much. Allen spread the ball around, was efficient and used his legs when necessary.
Allen threw for 324 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception, resulting in a 106.7 passer rating.
Diggs, Gabe Davis, Dalton Kincaid and Khalil Shakir all had at least five receptions.
Allen also rushed for 41 yards and a touchdown in the victory.
Bills WR Khalil Shakir getting extended role: Shakir had a career-high single-game high six catches for 92 receiving yards. He never had a game of over four catches and 75 receiving yards.
Shakir’s 92 receiving yards led all players.
Dalton Kincaid steps ups with Buffalo down multiple tight ends: With tight ends Dawson Knox, Quintin Morris and Zach Davidson all out, rookie Dalton Kincaid stepped up.
The first-year tight end tallied five catches for 65 yards and his first NFL touchdown.
LOSERS
Buccaneers' subpar offense: The Bucs offense was hard to watch.
Tampa Bay was forced to punt six times. Baker Mayfield never found a rhythm and looked tentative in the pocket.
In the third quarter the Bucs were only able to gain 27 yards and were held scoreless.
The Bucs offense only picked up nine first downs in the loss. They finished 3-11 on third downs.
Mike Evans' quiet night: Evans had just one catch for seven yards entering the fourth quarter. He did have a touchdown catch late that made the game interesting, but it was a relatively quiet night for Tampa Bay’s top wideout. — Tyler Dragon
Bills 24, Buccaneers 18: Tampa Bay cuts deficit to one score
Just when you thought this game was in the bag for Buffalo ... Baker Mayfield marches the Buccaneers on a 17-play, 92-yard drive that culminated with a 24-yard TD pass to WR Mike Evans. Tight end Cade Otton then caught a deflected pass for the two-point conversion that cut the Bills' lead to 24-18.
The drive appeared over when Mayfield was sacked on fourth-and-8 with three minutes left, but a facemask penalty on Buffalo's Jordan Phillips extended the drive and gave the Bucs new life. Still, not entirely bad for the Bills, who made Tampa Bay work for the points and burn 7:21 off the clock in the process. — Nate Davis
Bills go into fourth quarter with 24-10 advantage
Buffalo extended its lead to 24-10 in the third quarter.
The Bills went on a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive on their first possession of the second half.
Buffalo’s offense gained 124 yards in the quarter, while the defense held the Bucs to just 27 yards and one first down.
Bills wide receiver Gabe Davis had four catches, 37 yards and a touchdown in the third period. Davis currently has a game-high eight catches for 79 yards. — Tyler Dragon
Bills 24, Buccaneers 10: Buffalo threatening to pull away
Tampa Bay entered this game having allowed 17.3 points per game (sixth-best in the league) through their first six games. Buffalo is already up to 24 points on Thursday.
The Bills took the opening drive of the second half 75 yards down the field in four minutes, 20 seconds to make it a 24-10 game.
Dalton Kincaid, who caught his first touchdown of his career earlier in the game, hauled in an 18-yard gain to start the third quarter. Josh Allen and Gabe Davis connected for a 14-yard catch-and-run later in the drive, and Allen hit Davis again two plays later, this time for a 4-yard touchdown. — Chris Bumbaca
'Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift'
The NFL can't escape the growing cultural impact that Taylor Swift is having on the league.
During Thursday night's game, Bills QB Josh Allen could be heard yelling an audible with her name.
Allen also had a "LeBron James" audible during the game.
Swift attended the Kansas City Chiefs' win over the Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday. The Chiefs' success with her in attendance had head coach Andy Reid quipping that "Taylor can stay around all she wants" after the victory. — Jim Reineking
Halftime: Bills have touchdown lead over Bucs
The Bills are holding on to a 17-10 lead at halftime.
Buffalo produced 243 on 33 total plays in the first half. Quarterback Josh Allen had 179 yards passing and a touchdown. But he did throw an interception that resulted in a Tampa Bay touchdown two plays later.
The Bucs were forced to punt three times and kicker Chase McLaughlin had a field goal blocked. However, Tampa Bay is still within one score because its defense forced Buffalo to go 1-3 in the red zone and the unit has the game’s only takeaway.
The Bucs' Ryan Neal has a seven tackles in the first half to lead all players.
Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir has four catches for a game-best 69 yards. Bucs star wideout Mike Evans was held to just one catch in the first half. — Tyler Dragon
Bills 17, Buccaneers 10: Josh Allen finds wide-open Dalton Kincaid
The threat of Josh Allen using his legs allowed the Bills quarterback to throw his first touchdown of the game through the air, which put his team back in the lead.
Allen, on third-and-12, rolled right and Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David – spying Allen – devoted just enough attention to the quarterback that Allen flicked a pass toward an open Dalton Kincaid. The rookie tight end crossed the goal line for his first career touchdown and jumped into the front row to celebrate with an excited contingent of “Bills Mafia.”
Bills tight end Dawson Knox went on injured reserve earlier Thursday, opening up a bigger role in the offense for the first-round pick from Utah.
Buffalo led 17-10 with 2:40 to go before halftime. — Chris Bumbaca
Bills 10, Buccaneers 10: Tampa Bay capitalizes on turnover
The Bucs wasted no time leveling the score 10-10 by taking advantage of Josh Allen's latest interception. Baker Mayfield hit RB Rachaad White for a 20-yard catch-and-run, then whipped a 3-yard TD strike to WR Chris Godwin over the middle on the next play. Brand new ball game. — Nate Davis
Josh Allen throws INT after visit to blue medical tent
Josh Allen went from the blue injury tent to the field back to the sideline in quick succession.
Allen gave Bills fans (another) brief scare, with backup Kyle Allen warming up as he received treatment in privacy on the sideline. Josh Allen came up slow on the play before his 13-yard touchdown rush, but he was the one who took the first snap of the next Bills drive. It did not go well. Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. blitzed and hit Allen as the quarterback released the ball. Defensive end William Gholston won the jump ball and Tampa Bay took over at Buffalo’s 23-yard line.
It was Allen’s eighth interception of the season (fourth straight game with one). ― Chris Bumbaca
Bills 10, Buccaneers 3: Chase McLaughlin connects on 57-yard field goal, skirmish ensues
Tampa Bay finally put points on the board on their fourth series.
Baker Mayfield had a 31-yard pass to wide receiver Chris Godwin to put Tampa Bay in Buffalo territory.
A few plays later, kicker Chase McLaughlin made a long 57-yard field goal to give the Bucs their first points of the game. After the successful field goal, a shoving match broke out on the field between the two teams. However, the officials got everything under control before things boiled over. — Tyler Dragon
Buyers? Sellers? Neither?
While the Bills will almost certainly be viewed as contenders regardless of tonight's outcome, this game could mark a turning point for Tampa Bay. After starting 2-0, the Bucs are in early peril of losing for the fourth time in their past five games. Though no team is likely to run away with the NFC South crown, a 3-4 record could inform GM Jason Licht's decision making ahead of Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET trade deadline. (You also wonder if the team might soon consider playing third-year QB Kyle Trask, a second-round pick in 2021, after he lost a close training camp competition to Baker Mayfield.)
Among the Buccaneers' prominent free agents in 2024: Mayfield, WR Mike Evans, S Antoine Winfield Jr. and LBs Devin White and Lavonte David. White asked for a trade prior to the 2023 NFL draft, a request that obviously went unfulfilled. Now in his 10th season, Evans and the only NFL team he's ever played for failed to reach a contract extension prior to Week 1. — Nate Davis
NFL trade deadline targets: Players who could be on the block
One trade eight Super Bowl contenders should make at deadline
Bills 10, Buccaneers 0: Josh Allen runs to pay dirt
The benefit of being stopped on the 1-yard line is the potential for a short field on the following offensive possession. It couldn’t have worked out any better for Josh Allen and the Bills.
Buccaneers punter Jake Camarda, who entered with a league-best 52.9 yards per punt and booted his first one of the game 53 yards, put a line-drive ball in the air following a Tampa Bay three-and-out. Returner Deonte Harty had plenty of room to run and, following a swirling effort, was stopped at the Buccaneers 23-yard line for a 24-yard runback.
Five plays later, Allen scrambled 13 yards into the end zone for the game’s first touchdown. With the score, Allen has tied Hall of Fame QB Steve Young with 43 rushing touchdowns in his career. — Chris Bumbaca
Bills can’t score from doorstep
The Bills almost capitalized on the good field position following the blocked field goal by quickly going 59 yards down the field.
The problem for Buffalo? They needed 60.
Buffalo could not find the end zone with two plays from inside the one-yard line after Josh Allen’s 30-yard completion to Khalil Shakir brought the Bills inside the red zone.
Latavius Murray was stuffed on third-and-goal from the doorstep and on the first play of the second quarter, Allen took a shotgun snap and quickly fired left for tight end Dalton Kincaid. Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean anticipated the route and got a hand in the passing lane to break up the play and cause the Bills to come up empty. — Chris Bumbaca
Career night already for Khalil Shakir
Second-year Bills WR Khalil Shakir already has four catches for 69 yards as the first quarter ends. Entering tonight, Shakir had never caught more than four passes in a game or had more than 75 receiving yards. — Nate Davis
Shaq Lawson blocks Bucs field goal attempt
Tampa Bay’s promising drive ended with no points.
A pass interference penalty on Bills safety Taylor Rapp placed the Bucs in Buffalo territory. But Tamp Bay was unable to convert a first down after the penalty. The Bucs then opted to kick a field goal. During the field goal attempt, Bills defensive end Shaq Lawson got a hand on Chase McLaughlin’s 50-yard field goal try, which led to the football landing well short of the uprights. — Tyler Dragon
Bills 3, Buccaneers 0: Buffalo gets field goal on opening drive
Buffalo’s first possession resulted in three points.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen completed six of seven passes on a 10-play, 77-yard drive that resulted in a 37-yard field goal by kicker Tyler Bass that snuck between the uprights.
Wide receiver Khalil Shakir had three receptions for 39 yards during the Bills’ first drive. — Tyler Dragon
No stampede?
Buffalo's opening-drive field goal is a nice enough beginning, but slow starts have plagued the Bills of late. They haven't scored a touchdown in the first half of their past two games and have a total of 10 points before halftime in their last three (tonight excluded). — Nate Davis
What time does Buccaneers vs. Bills start?
Kickoff for Buccaneers vs. Bills is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET on Oct. 26.
How can I watch Buccaneers vs. Bills?
Buccaneers at Bills will be streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime Video and will be broadcast in local markets only.
Josh Allen could tie lefty legend
Bills QB Josh Allen has a cannon arm, but his running ability is also part of what makes him one of the league’s better quarterbacks.
He enters Thursday’s game with 42 career rushing touchdowns, one behind former San Francisco 49ers signal-caller and Hall of Fame QB Steve Young. If Allen were to score two touchdowns on the ground, he’d become the first quarterback ever with six-plus rushing touchdowns in each of his first six NFL seasons.
Cam Newton has the record for most rushing touchdowns among QBs with 75. — Chris Bumbaca
Prime-time Bills
Tonight's game is Buffalo's second at Highmark Stadium in the past three weeks, the other a 14-9 defeat of the New York Giants on Oct. 15. The Bills will also host the Denver Broncos for "Monday Night Football" in Week 10. It's been quite the turn for an aging venue that used to essentially be barred from night telecasts. Prior to the 2020 season, QB Josh Allen's third in the NFL, the Bills had only played three prime-time games total in Buffalo since the end of the 2008 campaign, though had played one in Detroit (due to inclement weather) and another in Toronto. — Nate Davis
Bills can really get after the QB
The Bills defense has registered 25 sacks entering Week 8, the second most in the NFL. Leonard Floyd, A.J. Epenesa, Ed Oliver and Greg Rousseau all have at least three sacks for Buffalo.
Veteran pass rusher Von Miller, who was on injured reserve to begin the season, doesn’t have a sack but his 123.5 careers sacks are the most among active players. — Tyler Dragon
Lavonte David: Bucs' tackling machine
Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David comes into Thursday night with a team-high 53 tackles.
David’s 1,399 career tackles are the second most among active NFL players. The 12-year linebacker only trails Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner. — Tyler Dragon
Fitzpatrick Bowl
Former QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has played for all three teams in action tonight, starting 53 times for the Bills (his most with any NFL club), 10 with the Bucs and now in his second season as an analyst for Prime Video, which is streaming tonight's game. Eighty of "Fitzmagic's" 223 career TD passes came with Buffalo. While with Tampa Bay in 2018, starting in place of suspended QB1 Jameis Winston, Fitzpatrick had one of the hottest streaks to start a season in league history — passing for 400 yards each of the first three weeks while hoisting 11 TD passes. — Nate Davis
Home sweet home
Since the start of the 2020 season, the Bills are a league-best 23-5 in their own building, Highmark Stadium, including 3-0 this season. Their lone "home" loss of 2023 occurred against the Jaguars in London. Beginning with the Bucs, three of Buffalo's next four games will be played in Orchard Park. — Nate Davis
Buccaneers vs. Bills inactives: Vita Vea out for Tampa Bay
The Buccaneers will be without space-eating defensive tackle Vita Vea against the Bills. The 2021 Pro Bowl selection was listed as questionable this week with a groin injury, and missed three straight practices leading up to Thursday night's game.
Buccaneers' inactive players:
OG Matt FeilerS Kaevon MerriweatherDL Patrick O'ConnorRB Sean TuckerDL Vita VeaLB Markees WattsTE David Wells
Bills' inactive players:
S Damar HamlinCB Kaiir ElamLB Baylon SpectorOG Germain IfediOT Alec AndersonTE Quintin Morris
Buccaneers vs. Bills predictions
Lorenzo Reyes: Bills 24, Buccaneers 17
Buffalo, right now, is going through a rough patch and cannot be trusted to cover spreads this large. Josh Allen is turning the ball over with too great a frequency and the rushing game has been wildly inconsistent. On a short week, there’s not a lot of time to work out kinks. The Bucs, meanwhile, cannot afford to fall too far behind in the NFC South.
Tyler Dragon: Bills 28, Buccaneers 17
Both teams are coming off disappointing losses. The Bucs have lost two straight after starting 2-0. The quick turnaround favors the Bills playing at home. Buffalo has the NFL’s fifth-ranked offense and they average the third most points per game. Tampa Bay is near the bottom of the league in points per game.
Safid Deen: Bills 27, Bucs 23
The Bills and Buccaneers both need a bounce-back win Thursday night but give me Josh Allen over Baker Mayfield every single day of an eternity. It’ll be closer than we imagined, but I love Buffalo at home in this one.
Victoria Hernandez: Bills 23, Buccaneers 17
Both teams are coming off disappointing losses and, midway through the season, have proven to be inconsistent. The Bills are at home and have more to prove after an embarrassing loss to the lowly New England Patriots. Stefon Diggs is fourth in the league with 678 receiving yards and had a few impressive plays last week that should count for something in this matchup.
Jordan Mendoza: Bills 22, Buccaneers 16
Ever since that statement win against the Dolphins, it's been hard to trust Buffalo. The offense has been shaky and has a knack for playing down to lesser opponents. But a primetime game in Buffalo has proven it is tough to win for road opponents. The Bills squeak by, but don't cover this big point spread.
➤ USA TODAY Sports' experts' picks for NFL Week 8
Buccaneers vs. Bills odds
The Bills enter Thursday as 9.5-point favorites, according to BetMGM NFL odds.
'Thursday Night Football' betting tips
Highlighting Thursday Night Football odds, the Buffalo Bills are among the best bets for NFL Week 8 in their primetime game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bills are 9.5-point home favorites, according to the BetMGM NFL odds. Looking to wager? Check out the best mobile sports betting apps offering NFL betting promos in 2023.
Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs is among the most popular NFL prop bets as a -115 favorite to score a touchdown during Thursday’s game.
According to the top NFL betting apps, Bills quarterback Josh Allen (+1000) boasts some of the best NFL MVP betting odds in 2023. The Bills (+1200) also have some of the best early Super Bowl betting odds.
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NFL Week 8 picks, predictions and odds
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Thursday Night Football highlights: Bills-Buccaneers score, top plays
