Buffalo Bills Survive Late Scare, Bounce Back With Win vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buffalo Bills looked more like themselves with a 24-18 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night.

Coming off of Sunday's loss to the New England Patriots, the Buffalo Bills badly needed a bounce-back performance against an equally-desperate Tampa Bay Buccaneers team.

While there were some bumps along the way, the Bills were able to get that bounce-back win by defeating the Buccaneers 24-18 at Highmark Stadium. Tampa Bay nearly had a chance to tie the game on a final Hail Mary, but Bucs receiver Chris Godwin didn't see the ball in time, as it fell incomplete right next to him in the end zone with zeroes on the clock.

After Tampa Bay tied the game 10 in the middle of the second quarter, Buffalo began to slowly take control. The Bills responded with a touchdown on the next possession, then added to their lead with another touchdown to start the second half. With a 14-point cushion and the defense doing its job, the Bills were in cruise control for much of the second half.

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That said, they weren't safe just yet. The Bucs put together a long drive that lasted nearly half of the fourth quarter, aided by some fourth-down penalties on Buffalo, and scored to cut the lead to just six points. After a late scare, though, the Bills survived the rally and held on for the much-needed win.

Buffalo's offense, which looked extremely sluggish for most of the past three games, seemed to find a better rhythm against Tampa Bay. The Bills had 427 yards and 25 first downs, and the best part is that they were remarkably balanced while doing so.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen completed 31 of 40 passes for 324 yards, two touchdowns and a tipped interception. Gabe Davis and Stefon Diggs both had nine receptions, with the former gaining 87 yards and a touchdown and the latter picking up 70 yards. However, the Bills' leading receiver on the night was actually Khalil Shakir, who had 92 yards on six catches.

James Cook led the way on the ground with 14 carries for 67 yards, while Allen added 41 yards and a touchdown on seven attempts.

For Tampa Bay, Baker Mayfield completed 25 of 41 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns. Rachaad White was the Bucs' leading rusher and receiver with nine carries for 39 yards and seven receptions for 70 yards. Mike Evans and Godwin each caught a touchdown on the night.

The Bills now have a mini bye week before traveling to face the Cincinnati Bengals in a huge primetime game on Nov. 5.