Josh Allen threw for three touchdowns and rushed for three more, the last on a rugged 9-yard run with 2:35 left that secured the Buffalo Bills’ 44-32 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
The eighth-year starter and reigning MVP became the first player with two games of three TDs passing and rushing. He did it last year in a 44-42 loss at the Los Angeles Rams.
This time, Allen outdueled fellow 2018 first-round draft pick Baker Mayfield in a shootout that featured nine lead changes.
The Bills benched struggling receiver Keon Coleman in a bid to spark their passing game, and each of Allen’s three touchdown passes went for 25 yards or more. Running back Ty Johnson scored on a 52-yard catch-and-run, Allen found Tyrell Shavers open deep for a 43-yard touchdown, and James Cook scored on a 25-yard reception.
Allen provided the go-ahead score, a 5-yard TD run with 9:06 left. He finished 19 of 30 for 317 yards, and the Bills overcame his two first-half interceptions.
He punctuated his final TD run with a massive spike of the ball. Taking off out of the pocket, Allen was hit at the 4-yard line, and then corralled by Bucs defenders at the 2 before Buffalo’s offensive linemen shoved him across the goal line.
Buffalo (7-3) rebounded from a 30-13 loss at Miami in which Allen and the offense failed to push the ball downfield.
Tampa Bay (6-4) has lost two straight and four of seven.
The outcome was decided with 1:44 left when Mayfield lost a fumble when being sacked by DaQuan Jones. Mayfield finished 16 of 28 for 173 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also ran for a TD.
Sean Tucker rushed for 106 yards and two TDs, and he scored on a 28-yard catch to put the Buccaneers up 32-31 early in the fourth quarter.
The teams began exchanging offensive blows from the beginning in a first half that featured five lead changes and ended with Buffalo leading 21-20 despite possessing the ball for just nine minutes and 50 seconds.
