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Buffalo Bills 20, Denver Broncos 3: Rapid recap and notes

Another great win for the home team!

The Buffalo Bills advanced to 8-3 on a day filled with memorable milestones, winning 20-3 over the Denver Broncos. Buffalo ran all over Denver’s defense, with 238 rushing yards before the day concluded, and the Bills’ defense completely shut down Denver’s offense. The Buffalo Bills were clearly the more talented team on the field, and the victory was never in question.

The Bills’ defense locked down Denver’s passing game, including high-flying receiver Courtland Sutton. Sutton caught a 27-yard pass on Denver’s opening drive, but was held without a catch for the remainder of the day. He failed to catch a single one of the seven targets after that point, and Tre’Davious White took one pass away on an interception. It’s just another game on the All-Pro resume for Buffalo’s incredible cornerback.

Brandon Allen only completed 10 of his 25 passes for 82 yards. The Bills also sacked Allen four times—two for Shaq Lawson, one for Ed Oliver, and one for Star Lotulelei. The Broncos only managed 134 yards against Buffalo’s stifling defense.

Buffalo’s rushing attack punched the Broncos in the mouth over and over on this day. The Bills dialed up a staggering 47 carries, landing 244 yards. Frank Gore finally eclipsed Barry Sanders to take sole possession of third place on the NFL’s all-time rushing yardage list. Rookie Devin Singletary had 21 carries for 106 yards to lead the team. It was the first 100-yard rushing day of Singletary’s career. Even Josh Allen was a threat, with nine carries for 56 yards and a few key first downs.

On a cold day with the wind whipping around the stadium, the Bills still took advantage of the passing game. Josh Allen’s rocket arm came to play today. He completed 15 of 25 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns, including a beautiful deep pass to John Brown for 34 yards. Allen did throw an interception, when an errant pass flew too high for his receiver, but turned in a great performance considering the weather.

Even the special teams had a strong day. Corey Bojorquez landed each of his four punts inside the 20-yard line, with none returned. Stephen Hauschka converted both of his field goal attempts and both of his extra points. Andre Roberts had a solid day returning kicks, and a week after the kickoff defense sprung some leaks, the Bills limited Denver to a 20.3 return average.

With another AFC win in their belt, the Bills now sit alone atop the Wild Card race at 8-3. They face the Dallas Cowboys on a short week on Thanksgiving, hoping to notch another win and have a chance to dethrone the New England Patriots.

Injury Report

  • Mitch Morse left the game with a hand injury. Jon Feliciano slid to center to replace him, with Spencer Long entering at right guard. Morse was seen on the sidelines, likely available in an emergency, but he did not return to the game.
  • Robert Foster pulled a hamstring on a catch-and-run up the sidelines, and did not return to the game.
  • Cole Beasley went down with a leg injury early in the day, but returned to play out the rest of the game.

Miscellaneous

  • The Bills, in advancing to 8-3 as a team, hit that milestone for the first time since the 1996 season—Jim Kelly’s final season with the team.
  • Huge day for Frank Gore, with a monumental feat in topping Barry Sanders’s career rushing yardage.
  • Great day for the rookie Singletary, too, with a 100-yard rushing game for the first time in his career.
  • Josh Allen surpassed 1000 career rushing yards with today’s performance.
  • This was the first time two players with the same last name quarterbacked against each other since Doug Johnson and Brad Johnson squared off more than a decade ago.
  • For the first time, John Brown failed to hit his customary four catch, 50-yard mark. Facing a top corner in Chris Harris, Brown only came free for two catches and 39 yards to along with a touchdown.
  • Instead, Cole Beasley was Buffalo’s leading receiver, with a 6-76-1 receiving slash.
  • Great day for Cody Ford, considering his opponent in Von Miller. Josh Allen only took a single sack on the afternoon, and he avoided hits for most of the day.
  • Matt Milano was arguably Buffalo’s defensive MVP today. He led the team with six tackles (five solo), and was instrumental in shutting down the swing passes and screens and bootlegs that the Broncos relied on.
  • If it wasn’t Milano, then it was definitely Tre’Davious White, who shut down Courtland Sutton and landed another pick. He almost came away with a pick-six in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t secure the ball.