Josh Allen delivered another stunning performance with two rushing touchdowns as the Buffalo Bills handed the Detroit Lions just their second loss of the season with a 48-42 NFL victory at Ford Field on Sunday.
The blockbuster matchup between the two potential Super Bowl contenders did not disappoint, with Bills quarterback Allen once again emphasizing his credentials as the favorite for this season’s Most Valuable Player award.
Allen, who rushed for three touchdowns and threw for three more in Buffalo’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams last week, was in fine form with 362 passing yards on 23 of 34 attempts.
Bills running back James Cook also played a key role with two touchdowns and 105 rushing yards, including a 41-yard sprint to the end zone in the second half.
Although Buffalo was still in control after taking a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, Detroit’s offense kept the Lions in touch, with quarterback Jared Goff throwing for five touchdowns and 494 passing yards in a match which saw both teams combine for almost 20 minutes. 1,100 offensive yards.
The Bills improved to 11-3 with the win, while Detroit fell to 12-2, leaving the Lions tied in the NFC with the Philadelphia Eagles, who beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-13 on Sunday.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for 290 yards with two touchdowns and rushed for one more to secure the victory for Philadelphia.
– Fear of Mahomes injuries –
In other games, Patrick Mahomes threw two touchdowns but suffered a late injury as the Kansas City Chiefs won 21-7 against the Cleveland Browns.
Chiefs quarterback Mahomes limped off the field midway through the fourth quarter of a victory that leaves Kansas City 13-1 and on track to secure home-field advantage in the playoffs.
Mahomes wasn’t sure how serious the injury was, but said he could have continued playing if necessary.
“Usually you have to wait until the next day to get a good idea,” Mahomes said. “I could have finished the match under different circumstances.”
In other games Sunday, Lamar Jackson threw five touchdowns in a dazzling performance as the Baltimore Ravens outscored the New York Giants 35-14.
Jackson finished with 290 passing yards after completing 21 of 25 passes to help Baltimore improve to 9-5 for the season. The Giants fell to 2-12 with the loss.
Elsewhere, the Houston Texans clinched the AFC South after a 20-12 victory over the Miami Dolphins followed by the Indianapolis Colts’ 31-13 loss in the away game against the Denver Broncos.
In New Orleans, the Washington Commanders held on for a dominating 20-19 victory over the Saints. The Saints looked poised to pull out a win or force overtime after Foster Moreau’s last-minute touchdown left New Orleans just one point shy of a 20-19 score.
But a New Orleans attempt at a two-point conversion failed, allowing Washington to pull out a stealth victory.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, meanwhile, boosted their hopes of winning the NFC South with an emphatic 40-17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium in California.
Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield threw four touchdowns and finished with 288 passing yards in a victory that improved the 2021 Super Bowl champions to 8-6.
In Seattle, the Green Bay Packers ended the host Seahawks’ four-game winning streak with a 30-13 triumph as Jordan Love threw for 229 yards and two touchdowns and Josh Jacobs ran for 94 yards and a touch.
The Seahawks suffered an injury setback when quarterback Geno Smith was sidelined in the third quarter with a knee injury.
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