Josh Allen, Bills overcome slow start to crush Titans
League: NFL
Posted on: 20 Oct, 2024 at 08:31 PM
Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Josh Allen threw for 323 yards and two touchdowns Sunday as the Buffalo Bills shrugged off a slow start to rout the Tennessee Titans 34-10 in Orchard Park, N.Y.
Allen completed 21 of 33 passes, putting Buffalo (5-2) ahead for good when he hit new target Amari Cooper for a 12-yard score less than five minutes into the third quarter. Cooper, who was acquired Tuesday from Cleveland for two draft picks, caught four passes for 66 yards in his Bills debut.
Mason Rudolph hit 25 of 40 attempts for 215 yards with a touchdown and an interception for Tennessee, which fell to 1-5. Rudolph got the start when Titans coach Brian Callahan decided to de-activate starter Will Levis (shoulder) on Saturday.
The Titans dominated most of the first half, holding Buffalo without a first down in the first quarter, but couldn't carry that form into the second half. Their first 14 plays of the second half netted just 11 yards, and by the time they finally moved the ball, the Bills put the game away.
Tennessee initiated scoring with 2:57 left in the first quarter on Nick Folk's 25-yard field goal, capping a 13-play drive that lasted more than seven minutes. Rudolph upped the lead to 10-0 with 11:31 remaining in the half when he rolled right and zipped a 4-yard touchdown pass to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.
After not gaining a first down on its first three possessions, Buffalo finally got untracked. Allen hit Keon Coleman for 44 yards to tee up an 11-yard scoring jaunt by James Cook with 10:04 left in the second quarter to make it 10-7.
The Bills completely owned the second half. After Cooper's score, Tyler Bass increased their advantage to 17-10 with a 28-yard field goal with 4:12 left in the third quarter.
Buffalo turned it into a laugher in the fourth quarter with 17 more points. Allen found Ty Johnson for a 4-yard touchdown pass on the first play, followed by Bass' 30-yard field goal and Ray Davis' 16-yard scoring run on the first play after the two-minute warning.
--Field Level Media