By CHUCK POLLOCK, Sun Senior Sports Columnist
It was a must-win and quarterback Josh Allen made sure it happened.
The Bills, had they lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday afternoon at cold and windy Highmark Stadium, pretty much could have kissed their bid for a sixth straight AFC East title good-bye.
After all, the division-leading Patriots are 9-2 and own a head-to-head win over Buffalo. But the Bills’ 44-32 decision against the Bucs improved them to 7-3 and at least kept them figuratively alive, although trailing New England by a game-and-a-half plus that head-to-head loss constitute a late-season heavy lift.
Still, anybody who watched the Tampa Bay game couldn’t be convinced that Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen, the defending NFL MVP, could still pull it off.
Allen had an extraordinary game accounting for six (6) touchdowns, three passing (43 yards to Tyrell Shavers, 25 to James Cook and 52 to Ty Johnson, the longest of his career), he also rushed for three scores (2, 5 and 9 yards).
Buffalo trailed four times in a game that saw nine lead changes but each time, Allen’s effort — he threw two interceptions — brought the Bills ahead.
“THE WAY the game was going in the first quarter, I thought we’d have to put our hard-hats on and go to work,” the 29-year-old quarterback conceded. “We did a good job of riding the wave, trying not to get too high or too low. Starting out 4-0 and we’re the best team in the world then losing two in a row and we’re the worst team in the world … we don’t want to ride that. Stay consistent and work hard.”
He added of the Bills edge in offensive yardage (414-367), “It’s huge for the offense to win the field position like that. It’s a three-phase game and I think we won all three phases today after the first two possessions on offense.”
Can the Bills build off this performance?
“If you use it the right way,” Allen said. “But we’ve got a game Thursaday night (at Houston), It’s a completely different team, that we’re facing … a completely different defense. But we really want this one.”
AS FOR the comeback after last week’s 30-13 loss at Miami, coach Sean McDermott admitted, “They’re learning how important it is to get yourself ready every week. We knew this was going to be a tough game. Baker (Mayfield) is a really good quarterback. (Todd Bowles) does a heckuva job coaching his team. We’ve got to be tough if we want to win down the stretch. You’ve got to have some toughness about you and I saw that today.”
Notes from the Bills 44-32 win over Tampa Bay Sundaty afternoon at Highmark Stadium:
— Buffalo’s Sean McDermott became the ninth NFL coach to win 100 games — including playoffs — in his first nine years in the league.
— Bills quarterback Josh Allen rewrote his own history against the Bucs scoring six touchdowns, three via the pass and a trio on rushes. It’s the second time he’s scored six TDs in that mode and the only person to do it was Allen a season ago against the Rams.
If you doubt it was an MVP performance, consider that Allen accounted for 357 yards of the Bills 414 yards in total offense (317 passing and 40 rushing).
— Tampa Bay’s first takeaway came when cornerback Jacob Parrish intercepted an Allen pass from the end zone that produced a short field goal. Allen’s second pickoff was by Sirvocea Dennis, his first of the season.
Buffalo’s first takeaway came when second-year safety Cole Bishop intercepted Bucs’ QB Baker Mayfield which set up a Josh Allen touchdown.
— The Bills got a 61-yard kickoff return from wide receiver Mecole Hardman preceding their first touchdown. Later, Hardman muffed a punt with Tampa Bay’s Josh Hayes recovering and the Bucs converting the turnover into a touchdown. Eventually, Hardman left the game with a calf injury and didn’t return.
— Inactive for the Bills: tight end Dalton Kincaid (hamstring), linebacker Shaq Thompson (hamstring), defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis (shoulder), wide receivers Keon Coleman (benched by McDermott for missing or being late for a team meeting)a meeting) and Elijah Moore, cornerbackJa’ Marcus Ingram, offensive tackle, Chase Lundt.
Dawson Knox replaced Kincaid.
