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Bills vs. Buccaneers: Good and bad from Week 11 win  

Daniel Adams
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Timothy T Ludwig, Getty Images

The Buffalo Bills faced off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home in Orchard Park in Week 11 and came out on top, 44-32, in a back-and-forth game up until the fourth quarter.

The Bills were led by Josh Allen and Joe Brady’s passing attack, while the defense was lacking but made crucial stops when it mattered most. Buffalo has a quick turnaround this week as they will travel to Houston to take on the Texans on Thursday night. The Bills are now 7-3 on the season, still looking up at the New England Patriots who hold first place in the AFC East.  

The good  

Josh Allen  

The Bills offense got off to a poor start, as Josh Allen threw two ill-advised interceptions in the first half, but Allen bounced back with a huge game, finishing with six total touchdowns. Allen finished with 317 passing yards, a 104.4 passer rating, three passing touchdowns, 40 rushing yards, and three rushing touchdowns.  

Allen connected with nine different receivers on Sunday, completing 19 of his 30 pass attempts.  

Tyrell Shavers  

Next man up, as Keon Coleman was a healthy scratch on Sunday, was second-year wide receiver Tyrell Shavers. He led the Bills in receiving on Sunday against Tampa Bay, finishing with four receptions for 90 receiving yards and a touchdown. Shavers has worked hard in his time with Buffalo and it continues to pay off for him.  

Safeties  

The Bills’ safeties had a good game against the Buccaneers. Veteran safety Jordan Poyer led the Bills in total tackles with 15 total and seven solo tackles, along with a pass defended.  

On the other side, second-year pro out of Utah Cole Bishop had a solid game. Bishop had six total tackles, three solo tackles, one pass defended, and an interception late in the third quarter which resulted in a Buffalo touchdown. He now has interceptions in back-to-back weeks, intercepting Tua Tagovailoa last week.  

The Bills’ safety duo has truly stepped up, and things are starting to shape up for young Cole Bishop. The veteran presence of Poyer alongside Bishop has surely helped his comfortability and performance.  

Terrel Bernard  

Linebacker and Bills defensive captain Terrel Bernard held it down for Buffalo, making good, physical tackles. Bernard finished second in total tackles behind Poyer, finishing with a season-high 11 total tackles to go with eight solo tackles, two tackles for loss, and two passes defended.  

Forced turnovers  

The Bills defense was able to force turnovers, which played a big role in helping them win. Buffalo forced two turnovers, one interception by Cole Bishop late in the third quarter, along with a forced fumble by DaQuan Jones, which was recovered by Dorian Williams and ultimately sealed the game for the Bills.

The bad  

Turnovers  

While the Bills defense forced two turnovers, the Bills themselves had three turnovers, including two interceptions from Allen and a fumble by newly-added WR Mecole Hardman. Despite the win this week, this is now two weeks in a row in which the Bills have lost the turnover battle. Buffalo must play cleaner and smarter football, simply put. The Bills will look to play clean, no-turnover football and get a victory in Houston on Thursday.  

Run defense  

Buffalo’s run defense was as poor this week as it has been in previous weeks. The Bills defense allowed over 200 rushing yards, allowing Sean Tucker to finish with over 140 total yards and three touchdowns. The Bills run defense has been an issue all year long, and it seemingly continued against Tampa Bay.  

Penalties  

Another issue for the Bills on Sunday was their penalties. They finished with seven total penalties for 45 penalty yards, compared to Tampa Bay’s two penalties for 30 yards. The Bills need to play cleaner football, both with their penalties accumulated over the last few weeks as well as their turnovers.  

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