Lance Lysowski: Josh Allen's latest heroics show the Bills should not be counted out
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen completed 22 of 28 passes for 251 yards and three touchdown passes in the Bills' 39-34 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. He rushed for 81 yards, including the record 40-yard score, on seven carries.
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Weaving through the defense as snow covered the field at Highmark Stadium, Josh Allen reminded the Cincinnati Bengals and the rest of the NFL not to count out the Buffalo Bills.
Once Allen reached the end zone, 40 yards from where the play began, he spiked the football and leapt into the front row to celebrate with a crowd that must have thought this pivotal AFC matchup had been decided moments earlier when Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow gave his team a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen celebrates his 40-yard rushing touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Bengals on Sunday at Highmark Stadium.
Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
On consecutive throws, only 16 seconds apart Sunday, Burrow got intercepted. One was returned 63 yards for a touchdown by Christian Benford, and the Bills held on to win 39-34.
"Never a doubt," Allen said tongue-in-cheek, repeating a reporter's question following the comeback. "That was obviously a really tough game."
The Bills improved to 9-4 this season, 16-2 at home since the start of 2024 and 13-1 in December over the past three years. It is the first time since 1990, and the third time in franchise history, Buffalo has multiple comeback wins in a season after trailing by 10-plus points in the fourth quarter.
The Bills overcame significant mistakes, none bigger than James Cook's fumble at the 2-yard line, to strengthen their chances to reach the playoffs for a seventh consecutive season.
Regardless of the injuries on defense, and no matter whom the Bills face moving forward, their quarterback gives them a chance. Allen completed 22 of 28 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns. He rushed for a season-high 81 yards, including the record 40-yard score and a 17-yard scramble on third-and-15 on the final drive to secure the win.
Allen became the first player in NFL history with three consecutive seasons of 20-plus passing touchdowns and 10-plus rushing touchdowns.
"Anytime (No.) 17 touches the ball, it can go the distance," marveled Bills center Connor McGovern.
The Bengals couldn't stop Allen in the second half. He had just three incompletions in the third and fourth quarters. And the Bills are going to need him to continue to play the way he did Sunday afternoon.
The Bills' defensive line can’t get to the quarterback, especially now that Joey Bosa has a hamstring injury.
The cornerbacks, outside of Benford, may not stack up against the best units in the AFC, but any receiver or tight end should be able to get open when their quarterback has as much time to throw as Burrow did Sunday. He completed 25 of 36 passes, and his fourth touchdown pass, a 25-yard throw to Tee Higgins, cut Buffalo's lead to 39-34 with 2:13 remaining.
Burrow didn't throw his second incomplete pass until the Bengals' 22nd offensive play. They started 7 for 7 on third down, including completions of 11 and 14 yards, and their first failed conversion didn't come until late in the second quarter. Cincinnati (4-9) scored on each of its first three possessions. It led by 10 points at halftime and 10 points with 8:44 left in the fourth quarter.
But the Bengals couldn't win the matchup that mattered most.
"We knew what kind of game it was going to be," Burrow said. "Obviously, he’s a great player and makes plays in all kinds of situations. I think the last play was the epitome of who he is as a player. You gotta account for everything with him. He did a great job today."
The Bills can't afford for their defense to give up 34 points in must-win games. Their offense isn't bult to keep up if it turns into a barnburner. Their preference is to control the clock by running the ball. Doing so makes it more difficult to stop Allen and takes pressure off Buffalo's injury-depleted defense.
This team doesn't have a receiving corps like Burrow's, or the one the Los Angeles Rams gave their quarterback, Matthew Stafford. But those elite passers don't have Allen's athletic skills or play-making ability. Few, if any, who play his position have proven this season that they can make something out of nothing each week.
The Bills were in jeopardy of falling behind by three scores when Allen faced fourth-and-4 at the Bengals' 11-yard line with 7:36 left in the second quarter.
For the third consecutive play, none of his receivers got open downfield. He scrambled to his right, chased by 311-pound defensive tackle B.J. Hill, and acted as though he was going to cut to his left to try to run for the first down. When the Bengals seemed destined to sack the reigning MVP, he threw a perfect dart, through a tight window, to Khalil Shakir in the end zone for a touchdown that cut the deficit to 14-11.
"Yeah, he's generational. ... He's one of a kind," Bills running back Ty Johnson said. "I used to hate playing against him, but being able to be his teammate and the communication we have on the field and everything like that, it's something special. He's special. I'm glad to call him my teammate."
On the first drive of the second half, Allen scrambled for 16 yards on third-and-5. He completed a 27-yard pass to Cook, then threw a 5-yard touchdown to tight end Dalton Kincaid. The Bills' next drive, with the Bengals leading 21-18, featured completions of 12 and 20 yards. He also scrambled 8 yards on third-and-2 and found Keon Coleman for an 8-yard pass that set up Buffalo near the goal line.
"Any time, he can take over a game," McGovern said.
A touchdown should have been automatic, but Cook fumbled into the end zone. It was the Bills' 12th turnover in their last five games, second-most in the NFL since Week 10. The Bengals responded with a 12-play, 80-yard scoring drive, capped by Burrow's 12-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mike Gesicki. Buffalo was down 28-18 with 8:49 left in the fourth quarter.
A comeback was improbable — their win probability was 16.2% before Benford's interception, according to Next Gen Stats — but Allen pulled off another one. He completed passes of 16 and 12 yards before his 40-yard scramble. The defense forced two turnovers, its 11th and 12th in the past seventh games. Allen added another touchdown pass to rookie tight end Jackson Hawes to make it an 11-point lead.
After finding Hawes open, Allen got serenaded by the crowd with chants of, "M-V-P!" The Bills scored 21 points in a span of 4:30.
"Nobody panicked," coach Sean McDermott said. "Everyone just tried to stay doing their jobs, and then we make the big plays down the stretch here and then Josh makes some huge plays as well."
Every AFC contender has flaws. Kansas City and Baltimore may not even make the playoffs. Buffalo is as likely to reach the Super Bowl as any other team in the conference, and the NFC doesn't have a powerhouse.
None of them have Allen. And, though the Bills' defense is flawed, it's starting to make the type of game-changing plays that weren't coming early this season.
This team needs to get healthy. It needs to beat the Patriots on the road next Sunday. It needs to cut down on the turnovers and keep taking the ball away. And once the Bills are in the playoffs, anything can happen, especially with a quarterback who has shown each season that he plays his best when the stakes are highest.
