SEATTLE 鈥 Never behind and in the lead for the final 49:09, the Buffalo Bills鈥 31-10 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday was all-around strong on offense and defense, allowing the Bills to enter November with a 6-2 record and their second three-game winning streak of the season.
The offense fixed their slow starts (they score an opening-drive touchdown) and third-down issues (they went 8 of 15), and the defense allowed 1 first-half rushing yard and produced a key third-quarter turnover.
Bills running back James Cook rushes against the Seahawks during the first quarter Sunday at Lumen Field in Seattle.
The Bills led by as many 28 points over Seattle (4-4), which is 1-4 in its last five games.
Here is the recap:
Josh Allen speaks to reporters after Sunday's win in Seattle.
Takeaways
- The Bills bucked their recent trend of slow starts. After a Seattle three-and-out, the Bills marched 90 yards over 14 plays and overcame three penalties to take a 7-0 lead on Keon Coleman鈥檚 2-yard touchdown catch.
- Sometimes, a team makes their breaks; other times, they let the opponent trip themselves up. In the second quarter, Seattle reached the Bills鈥 2- and 1-yard lines on two series 鈥 and scored three points. On the first possession, center Connor Williams airmailed a shotgun snap over the head of quarterback Geno Smith for what ended up as a 19-yard loss. The Seahawks kicked a field goal. On their next drive, the Seahawks had fourth down from the 1-yard line, but Williams stepped on Smith鈥檚 foot, forcing him to trip.
- A Josh Allen interception had to happen at some point. His streak of 300 consecutive pass attempts without one 鈥 dating to last year and including the playoffs 鈥 ended on attempt No. 301 when receiver Amari Cooper stumbled on a quick slant and Allen was intercepted by cornerback Josh Jobe. Allen finished 24 of 34 for 283 yards, two touchdowns, one interception and a 102.9 rating.
- Tight end Dalton Kincaid showed great awareness on his 12-yard touchdown catch with 18 seconds left in the second quarter. Allen was forced to step up and around the pocket and held the football for 4.69 seconds. Kincaid鈥檚 original route was a shallow crosser away from Allen. But Kincaid pivoted back toward the middle of the field and caught Allen鈥檚 pass at the 5-yard line and scored for a 14-3 halftime lead.
- 鈥淗ands up鈥 is a mantra for defensive linemen, and the Bills鈥 Casey Toohill did just that with 5:59 left in the third quarter. Seattle鈥檚 offense had crossed midfield and was showing a pulse. But Toohill deflected Smith鈥檚 pass, which defensive tackle Austin Johnson intercepted.
- Updated points off takeaways this year: Bills 55, Opponents 13.
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Did you notice?
- The Bills drove Seattle crazy in the first half. The Bills started with a 90-yard touchdown drive (Coleman鈥檚 2-yard catch) and ended with a 93-yard drive (Kincaid鈥檚 12-yard catch). According to Pro Football Reference鈥檚 Stathead search tool, it appeared to be the first time since December 2015 against Dallas that the Bills had two drives of at least 90 yards. Also, it was the first time since at least 1993 the Bills had two 90-yard touchdown drives in the first half.
- Seattle had a sideline altercation late in the second quarter between linebacker Derick Hall and defensive end Jarran Reed. Hall was called for roughing the quarterback on Allen with a hit to the head, turning a聽third-and-12 from the Seahawks鈥 29 into a first-and-10 from the 12. After the play, Hall and Reed went at it. The Seahawks showed little fight against the Bills.
- Midway through the third quarter, check out the statistical dominance by the Bills: Yards 鈥 308-96; rushing yards 鈥 83-1.; time of possession 鈥 24:36-11:53. They ended up outgaining Seattle 445-233, including 164-32 rushing and controlled possession for 38:03.
Game balls
RB James Cook. His 2-yard score with 1:57 left in the third quarter stretched the Bills鈥 lead to 24-3 and was his third consecutive game with a rushing touchdown. He later scored on a 7-yard rush. Cook finished with 111 yards on 17 carries.
WR Khalil Shakir. Throw it to Shakir and he鈥檒l catch it. Period. Ten targets, nine catches and 107 yards. The only incompletion was a deflected pass he had no chance to catch.
DT Austin Johnson. In his 123rd career regular-season game, he posted his first interception to thwart a rare promising Seattle drive.
DE Greg Rousseau. He batted down two passes on Seattle鈥檚 first drive and later had two tackles for lost yardage and one quarterback hit.
Gassers
PR Brandon Codrington. Fielding a punt at the goal line is how a punt returner becomes a former punt returner. Codrington gained 12 yards on the return, but the decision-making was awful.
Penalties. The Bills had three offensive penalties on their first drive and seven penalties in the first half. They finished with 13 penalties for 85 yards. The Seahawks had 11 for 82 yards, and their combined 24 penalties marked a single-game high in the NFL this season.
Next
The Bills host the Miami Dolphins (2-5) at 1 p.m. Sunday in Orchard Park. The return of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa 鈥 playing for the first time since he was concussed against the Bills in Week 2 鈥 was spoiled by the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Chad Ryland鈥檚 34-yard field goal as time expired propelled the Cardinals to a 28-27 win. The Dolphins had leads of 10-0, 20-10 and 27-18. Tagovailoa was 28 of 38 for 234 yards and one touchdown.
