Plays that defined 2020: Week 4—Buffalo Bills at Las Vegas Raiders

What if someone told you they had the audacity to miss a Buffalo Bills game? What if you could show them one play, and one play only, to recap the whole thing? What play would you choose? Welcome to Plays that defined 2020...

Week 4: Buffalo Bills at Las Vegas Raiders

The first half of the contest looked destined to become another No Punt Game. While that’s good news for Buffalo as it regards their offense, it’s less ideal when it comes to defense. The Bills managed to stay slightly ahead through the break. The second half saw a few punts from both sides. Buffalo’s defense tightened up and the Bills pulled ahead.

Gabriel Davis TD (Q1, 10:44)

The Bills opened up the scoring right away with this Josh Allen pass to Gabriel Davis. The play isn’t here to show how Davis dominated as this was his only target. The evolution of Allen was on display all game. Hitting ten different receivers, Allen consistently scanned the field and found the open man. Despite this game concluding the first quarter of the regular season, Josh Allen’s 288 passing yards was a season low.

Raiders’ Illegal Formation (Q2, 13:16)

As noted above, the Bills’ defense had a lot of difficulty stopping the Raiders in the first half. This Raiders touchdown was proof of that. It also tells a second part of the story of this game, namely some odd officiating at the hand of Land Clark and his crew. A fairly novice team, wacky calls occurred all game, including an illegal formation call that took this score off the board. The Raiders would go on to settle for a field goal—a swing of four real points via penalty.

Jason Witten TD (Q2, 0:13)

This touchdown counted, as Jason Witten easily finds the end zone. Despite explosive play from the offense, the Buffalo Bills just weren’t able to pull away in the first half. Every time the Bills scored, the Raiders responded. For fans used to anemic offense and dominant defense, the trend through Week 4 was odd to say the least.

Josh Norman fumble recovery (Q4, 12:39)

With the two teams trading blows on the scoreboard, one or two plays could drastically alter the outcome of the game. The first of these two plays occurred when Josh Norman forced the ball loose and recovered it.

Devin Singletary TD (Q4, 11:24)

The team with more poise took over in the end. Following Josh Norman’s forced fumble, Devin Singletary found the edge and put the Bills up by two scores. With time dwindling, the Bills kept the pressure on. Quinton Jefferson would force another fumble with 5:29 left. While the defense did allow another score, it was too late. A last-gasp onside kick by the Raiders failed.

This play also arguably represents the only running game highlight. Singletary averaged 3.11 yards per carry on 18 tries. And the Raiders’ run game didn’t fare much better.

It’s time to vote for the play that defined the game. Remember, it’s the play that best tells the overall story of this contest, not necessarily a favorite play or best highlight.

Note: To vote in the poll, you’ll need to go to a web browser if you’re reading this on your mobile device news service.