Bills win shootout over Buccaneers as ex-Syracuse star has career game: Final score, recap, photos

Orchard Park, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 1 p.m., Sunday at Highmark Stadium.

The game will air on CBS.

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NFL 2025, Week 11: Buffalo Bills vs. Tampa Bay BuccaneersGeorge Owens

Final: Bills 44, Buccaneers 32

The Bills’ offense responded in a big way to earn a much-needed victory against the NFC South Division leaders that keeps them 1.5 games behind the New England Patriots in its own division race.

Quarterback Josh Allen shook off two first-half interceptions to finish with six total touchdowns (three rush, three pass) in a shootout win against the Buccaneers at Highmark Stadium.

Tampa Bay got a big performance from former Syracuse star Sean Tucker, who scored a career-high three touchdowns and breached the 100-yard barrier for the second time in his three-year career.

But Allen and a patchwork receiving corps got the job done after a week of wrangling over whether the Bills could be considered contenders with the supporting cast around Allen.

“I’d say the offense looked all right,” CBS analyst JJ Watt said on the broadcast late in the game.

Tyrell Shavers stepped in for Keon Coleman and finished with 90 yards and a touchdown on four receptions. James Cook surpassed 100 all-purpose yards, and backup running back Ty Johnson and Ray Davis each made explosive plays.

Even Gabe Davis, returning to the active roster for the first time since rejoining the Bills, made a few timely catches.

Crucial penalty tees up Allen’s 6th TD

SCORE UPDATE: Bills 44, Buccaneers 32 with 2:35 remaining in fourth quarter

Big moment late in the fourth quarter when Jacob Parrish, the rookie cornerback out of Kansas State, got flagged for a personal foul grabbing the inside the Khalil Shakir’s helmet on a third-down stop that would have forced the Bills to attempt a long field goal.

Instead, the extra set of downs allows the Bills to chew clock/force Tampa Bay to start using its timeouts before Josh Allen took matters into his own hands with his sixth touchdown of the game.

Just about everybody on the Bills’ offense helped push Allen over the goal line with 2:35 remaining in regulation.

Allen’s rushing score gives him 75 rushing TDs by a quarterback in the regular season, tying Cam Newton’s NFL record.

Bills-Bucs shootout: Back and forth we go

SCORE UPDATE: Bills 37, Buccaneers 32 with 9:06 remaining in fourth quarter

Josh Allen has accounted for all five touchdowns for Buffalo in what’s been a wild, back-and-forth affair all afternoon at Highmark Stadium.

The ninth lead change of the game came on Allen’s 5-yard touchdown run, but the highlight of the drive came on a toe-tapping sideline grab by Curtis Samuel that came after a bobble at midfield.

The Bills have scored 37 points on just 42 plays, an emphatic rebuttal to a chorus of questions about the potency of the offense after a dismal loss last week in South Florida.

The Bills have gotten contribution up and down the roster: Ty Johnson and Ray Davis (in the return game) have had splash plays.

Tyrell Shavers is approaching 100 yards receiving filling in for the benched Keon Coleman.

Neither team has been great on two-point attempts. Allen airmailed a wide-open Reggie Gilliam in the end zone.

Sean Tucker is having a day

SCORE UPDATE: Buccaneers 32, Bills 31 with 13:38 remaining fourth quarter

Sean Tucker running loose in Upstate New York.

Now that’s nothing new.

The third-year back out of Syracuse has eclipsed the 100-yard rush mark and has scored a career-high three touchdowns, the latest coming on 28-yard reception to give the Buccaneers the lead early in the fourth quarter.

Tucker is up to 132 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns. That’s the second-most yards in a game for Tucker behind his 192-yard, two-touchdown effort against the Saints last season.

Tucker has been the workhorse back for the Buccaneers on this day with Bucky Irving inactive.

The Bucs have failed on both two-point conversion tries this game.

End of third quarter: Bills 31, Bucs 26

Cole Bishop’s hot streak continues

SCORE UPDATE: Bills 31, Buccaneers 26 with 3:48 remaining in third quarter

Safety Cole Bishop makes a game-changing play late in the third quarter, undercutting the route, picking off Baker Mayfield and returning the interception 13 yards to Tampa Bay’s 25-yard line.

That’s Bishop’s third interception of the season and continues a string of impact performances this month. He had a pick last week in the loss to the Dolphins and carried the defense in the team’s huge win against the Chiefs on Nov. 2.

Right after Bishop’s interception, Allen finds James Cook leaking out of the backfield for a quick-strike touchdown.

Cook got matched up on Bucs’ linebacker Anthony Nelson, who could not keep pace.

We’ve had seven lead changes today.

“This is awesome. This is what NFL football is about,” JJ Watt said on the broadcast.

Hardman’s rollercoaster day sets up another Sean Tucker TD

SCORE UPDATE: Buccaneers 26, Bills 24 with 5:01 remaining in the third quarter

The pendulum has swung in the other direction for Mecole Hardman in his first game as a Buffalo Bill.

After a long kickoff return on his first touch in the first quarter, Hardman fumbled on a punt return in the third quarter. Josh Hayes forced the fumble, which was recovered by Tampa Bay and helped set up the go-ahead score by Sean Tucker — his second rushing touchdown of the game.

The ex-Syracuse star earlier in the drive patiently waited for the block to seal before bursting through the hole for a chunk run of 15 yards. He’s closing in a 100-yard rushing day.

Hardman’s lost fumble was the third turnover for the Bills, which has been careless throughout the afternoon.

Earlier in the third quarter, Josh Allen tried to get a little too cute dashing for a first down on third-and-long. He attempted a lateral at midfield but threw an illegal forward pass, resulting in a 5-yard penalty and loss of down.

Another promising drive dims in plus-territory. Allen’s third-down pass whizzes through the air toward nobody in the end zone.

The Bills settle for a 39-yard field goal by Matt Prater on its ensuing possession to cut into the lead.

Hardman was ruled out for the game with a calf injury in the second half.

Halftime: Bills 21, Buccaneers 20

The Bills are in a shootout with the Buccaneers.

Backup running back Ty Johnson took a swing pass, and, with Curtis Samuel clearing a path for him down the left sideline with a vicious block near the line of scrimmage, housed a 52-yard catch and run with 36 seconds remaining to grab the lead before the half.

That was the third of three touchdowns of 40 or more yards between the two teams in a back-and-forth half.

“We have to get the line of scrimmage calmed down here on defense and take advantage of third downs,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said during a brief interview on the broadcast while leaving the field at halftime.

Tyrell Shavers, getting a higher usage with Keon Coleman benched, has made the most of the opportunity, leading the Bills with three catches for 69 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter.

Turnovers have hurt the Bills. Josh Allen tossed two interceptions on deflected passes. He’s now exceeded last year’s turnover total with seven games to go in the regular season.

Bills’ defensive back Taron Johnson has had a bit of a rough go in key moments when matched up with Sterling Shepard, including a 24-yard completion down to the Bills’ 32-yard line that helped set up a field goal as time expired in the half.

Greg Rousseau blocked the initial kick, but a holding penalty on Alec Anderson negated the block.

Tucker’s 43-yard TD run gives Bucs the lead

SCORE UPDATE: Buccaneers 17, Bills 14 with 5:37 remaining second quarter

Sean Tucker, the undrafted tailback out of Syracuse, followed big offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs for a career-long, 43-yard touchdown run.

That’s the longest play from scrimmage in the third-year back’s pro career.

The long run was set up by a 3rd-and-13 completion to Sterling Shepard in which Bills defensive back Taron Johnson dropped too deep in coverage and gave up too big a cushion to Shepard.

Tucker is up to 66 yards on eight carries in the half.

Josh Allen’s cannon drops a bomb on the Bucs

SCORE UPDATE: Bills 14, Buccaneers 10 with 8:52 remaining second quarter

Josh Allen ran about 12 yards in the backfield before launching a rocket down to the end zone, where Tyrell Shavers is waiting a few steps behind the defender for an easy 43-yard touchdown.

That’s one way to answer the criticism about the offense.

And it continues the strike, counter-strike cadence of the first half.

The Bucs entered Sunday’s game with one of the league’s worst red zone offenses.

But they cash in an opportunity at the start of the second quarter to grab the lead.

A jet sweep to Tez Williams went for a 4-yard loss before Mayfield scrambled for 6 yards after stepping up in the pocket and using his awareness to avoid another negative play.

On 3rd-and-8 from the 11-yard line, Mayfield checked it down to Rachaad White, who fell backward in a scrum just inches shy of the first-down marker.

Mayfield, out of the gun, faked a handoff to Tucker and then took it into the end zone. Joey Bosa went for the dive, giving Mayfield the path to the end zone off the right side.

End of first quarter: Bills 7, Bucs 3

Hardman springs a big return in debut

SCORE UPDATE: Bills 7, Buccaneers 3 with 4:09 remaining first quarter

Mecole Hardman didn’t wait long to leave an imprint in a Bills’ uniform.

Hardman uncorked a 61-yard return on the ensuing kickoff to set up the Bills at Tampa’s 36-yard line.

The Bills nearly coughed up the prime field position: Allen had a pass deflected and barely fall incomplete. Ty Johnson lost the ball on a short completion before recovering the fumble at the 15-yard line.

Gabe Davis had a reception on 4th-and-4 to extend the drive before a pass bounced right off his shoulder pad on a slant route in the end zone.

Allen breathed a sigh of relief on the bench after keeping it himself for a short touchdown run to cap an anxious drive.

Josh Allen matches last year’s INT total

SCORE UPDATE: Buccaneers 3, Bills 0 with 8:54 remaining first quarter

Josh Allen hasn’t played at the MVP level he did last year, with turnovers hurting the gifted turnovers in some of the Bills’ losses.

Allen, perhaps feeling the burden of having to do far too much on offense, inexplicably tried pushing a two-handed pass in traffic and turned it over deep in his own territory on the first possession.

He nearly threw a second pick on the Bills’ second series, having a third-down throw deflected before harmlessly falling to the turf.

That brings Allen’s interception count on the season to six, matching last year’s total. Allen has also lost two fumbles on the year after having none a season ago.

The Bucs couldn’t punch it in from inside its 10-yard line. Syracuse product Sean Tucker got stuffed on back-to-back run plays, meeting rookie tackle Deone Walker in the hole on second down.

Then on third down, Baker Mayfield’s throw was too high for star receiver Emeka Egbuka with linebacker Terrel Bernard in coverage.

Pregame

There’s a shakeup in the Bills’ receiving corps Sunday as Buffalo tries to keep pace with the Patriots in the AFC East.

Buffalo is looking to bounce back after a loss to the lowly Dolphins and is turning to a familiar downfield threat to try to help rejuvenate the Bills’ passing game.

Gabe Davis has been elevated to the gameday roster for Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers.

The move to put Davis on the active roster comes after Keon Coleman’s benching and amid concern the Bills don’t have enough playmakers around quarterback Josh Allen. (The hamstring injury to tight end Dalton Kincaid has exacerbated the issue by taking a main target off the field.)

Coleman headlines the Bills’ list of inactive players for Sunday’s game. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Coleman skipped a team meeting Friday.

Tampa Bay is also dealing with injuries on offense: Running back Bucky Irving and wide receiver Chris Godwin have been ruled out for Sunday’s game.

The Bucs’ diminished running back depth has allowed for more snaps for former Syracuse running back Sean Tucker.