Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills remain undefeated after another impressive performance, this one over the Las Vegas Raiders who fumbled away their comeback efforts down the stretch.
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Story of the Game
The Raiders' last five possessions of the game ended in a punt, fumble, turnover on downs, fumble and one garbage-time touchdown.
Allen, meanwhile, continued his four-game stretch of stellar play, this time doing most of his damage through the air. He gained zero yards on two carries but was able to plunge into the end zone on the final play of the third quarter. Allen was elite throwing the ball downfield, completing all eight passes thrown 10-plus yards downfield for 162 yards and two touchdowns.
He was also stellar at moving the chains, connecting on seven of his eight throws on third down for 101 yards, four first downs and two touchdowns. Even more impressive — Allen committed zero turnover-worthy plays and did not miss a snap after landing awkwardly on his left shoulder just before halftime. It was not all good, however, as he took an ugly sack in the fourth quarter that knocked his team out of field-goal range.
Devin Singletary was the workhorse of the running game, receiving 51 of the team's 60 offensive snaps in the backfield. He ran for 56 yards and a TD on 18 carries while catching five of his six targets for another 21 yards.
The Bills' receiving trio of Cole Beasley, John Brown and Stefon Diggs were efficient once again, gaining 10 first downs and one TD on 13 receptions. Diggs proved he is still one of the best deep threats in the league, as three of his catches gained 15 or more yards. Beasley had a ridiculous concentration catch in the end zone and Brown hauled in a contested catch on the goal line, setting up a go-ahead touchdown.
Across the field, the Raiders could not get out of their own way, turning the ball over twice in the fourth quarter. The offensive line play did not help matters, as the unit allowed a pressure on 25% of Carr’s dropbacks compared to the Bills' 14%. Carr did his best to not let the pressure phase him, as he completed eight of 11 passes for 102 yards and scrambled twice, gaining one first down. He threw the ball 44 times on the day — his most on the season — but was inefficient; he averaged just 7.1 yards per attempt, his lowest on the season.
Josh Jacobs also struggled, carrying the rock 15 times for 48 yards and no touchdowns, picking up just three first downs. A major storyline entering the contest was who would be catching passes outside of Darren Waller, as both Bryan Edwards and Henry Ruggs were ruled out prior to game time. The receiving leaders outside of Waller were: Hunter Renfrow, who reeled in five grabs for 57 yards and three first downs; Nelson Agholor, who brought down all four of his targets for 44 yards and a contested touchdown on the Raiders' last drive; and Zay Jones, who had a forgettable four receptions for 32 yards.
Waller was once again a matchup nightmare for the defense, rattling off 88 yards and five first downs on nine catches, but he fumbled the ball away early in the fourth quarter when the game was still within striking distance.
ROOKIE WATCH
Few rookies saw snaps in this contest for either team. Bills fourth-round receiver Gabriel Davis received the most playing time with 36 snaps, but he only had one target on the day. He made the most of it, hauling in a 20-yard strike in the end zone on the first drive of the game for his second TD on the season.
Second-round defensive lineman A.J. Epenesa was the only other rookie with 10-plus snaps (15) but was unable to make an impact for the Bills' defense.
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