Week 17: Bills 29, Falcons 15
At Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park
Plays of the game: Josh Allen ran for two touchdowns in the first quarter, scoring from the 1- and 4-yard lines to give the Bills a 14-2 lead. Devin Singletary had his first career two-touchdown game, scoring from the 6- and 4-yard lines in the second half to put the game out of reach.
In between, Allen tossed interceptions on three of four consecutive throws, allowing Atlanta back into the game.
For the record: Bills 10-6; Falcons 7-9.
The Falcons had a 15-14 lead at halftime thanks to an early safety on a fumble punt and 10 points off Allen’s turnovers.
But after Allen threw his third interception of the game early in the second half, he led an 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to put the Bills on top for good.
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Singletary scored on a 6-yard run and Allen hit Cole Beasley for the two-point conversion to give the Bills a 22-15 lead in the third quarter. Singletary added a 4-yard touchdown run in the fourth.
Matt Ryan appeared to score a rushing touchdown late in the fourth quarter, but he received a penalty for taunting and was ruled short on review. The Falcons turned the ball over on downs.
Stars of the game:
• Josh Allen, Bills: 11 of 26 passing for 120 yards, 3 INTs, 17.0 passer rating; 2 rushing TDs, 81 yards on 15 carries.
• Devin Singletary, Bills: 110 rushing yards, 2 TDs on 23 carries
• Stefon Diggs, Bills: 5 catches, 52 yards
• Greg Rousseau, Bills: Strip sack on Falcons QB Matt Ryan, the rookie's fourth sack of the season. The defense had five sacks.
Thurman Thomas, O.J. Simpson, Josh Allen: With his two touchdown runs in the first quarter, Allen became the first quarterback in NFL history with six or more rushing scores in four consecutive seasons. Allen also surpassed Fred Jackson (30) and tied Cookie Gilchrist (31) for the third-most rushing touchdowns in franchise history. He trails only Thurman Thomas (65) and O.J. Simpson (57).
Two Bills with multiple rushing scores: With Allen and Singletary each running for two touchdowns, this game marked the second in team history with two players running for multiple scores. Curtis Brown and Terry Miller accomplished the feat on Nov. 26, 1978, against the New York Giants.
Double-digit victories: The Bills have won 10 games for a third consecutive season, a feat last accomplished from 1990 to ’93.
90 catches, again: Stefon Diggs needed one catch to become the first player in franchise history to record 90 catches in consecutive seasons. He had five catches for 52 yards.
Pitts joins Ditka: Falcons first-round pick Kyle Pitts became the second rookie tight end to surpass 1,000 receiving yards, joining since Mike Ditka in 1961. He hit the milestone on a 61-yard catch and run in the second quarter. Pitts also broke the Falcons’ franchise rookie receiving record set by Julio Jones, who had 959 receiving yards in 2011.
Bates over Feliciano: Undrafted third-year pro Ryan Bates started at left guard in place of Jon Feliciano. The starting offensive line: Dion Dawkins, Bates, Mitch Morse, Daryl Williams, Spencer Brown.
Feliciano replaced Bates after he was shaken up late in the fourth quarter.
Next up: Bills vs New York Jets, 1 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 9
