10 observations: Josh Allen provides a little bit of everything in Bills' win

The Buffalo Bills’ third-year quarterback provided some good, some bad and some ugly during his team’s 27-17 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers at Bills Stadium.

Allen finished the game 18 of 24 for 157 yards and one touchdown passing. He also ran nine times for 32 yards and another touchdown. That was good.

Allen also took a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for spinning the ball at a Chargers defender after his third-quarter touchdown run. That was bad.

“I play with my heart on my sleeve and let the emotions get the best of me,” Allen said. “I can't do that and put our team in jeopardy and lose 15 yards on the kickoff. I've got to be better than that.”

He’s also got to be better than committing a pair of turnovers in the fourth quarter – losing a fumble on a botched snap and throwing an interception – that let Los Angeles hang around deep into the game. Those were ugly.

Allen knows that. He also knows the biggest takeaway from Sunday’s game.

“We’re 8-3,” he said after the win. “That's what our goal was at the end of this game. Whatever it takes. We got it done. Our defense played outstanding. Obviously, on the offensive side of the football, we can do a lot more to help us out. Twenty-seven points and three consecutive turnovers in the third and fourth quarter or whatever it was, we left a lot out there. We know that. We've got to be better. And I've got to be better in taking care of the football." 

When the Bills most needed it, Allen directed a six-play, 40-yard scoring drive that ended with a 43-yard field goal by rookie Tyler Bass that provided a two-score lead, helping the Bills close out an important win that allowed them to maintain their slim, one-game lead over Miami in the AFC East race.

Along the way, Allen gave Western New York a collective heart attack. He suffered an apparent ankle or knee injury when he was tackled by Chargers edge rusher Joey Bosa in the second quarter. After being looked at by trainers, Allen came out of the game for just one play. Matt Barkley came into the game and was absolutely demolished by Bosa for his troubles, resulting in a 7-yard sack on his only snap.

“Just twisted up a little bit,” Allen said of his injury. “It happens, but it's not going to affect me.”

As athletic trainers looked at Allen on the field, one thought raced through the mind of left tackle Dion Dawkins.

“It's a sour taste, because any time the quarterback gets hit, it falls on us,” Dawkins said. “Knowing the type of person Josh is, I never want to see him in pain. A couple times when he got hit and his ankle got rolled up and he was just laying there, it's just like, 'We didn't help this kid and we didn't give him any chance.'

"But the good thing is Josh is humongous. Josh is a giant guy and he can take more hits than other quarterbacks, which is something I'm extremely thankful for. We've got to a little bit better, but it'll be alright. I'm going to give him a hug and let him know that if he needs anything, that his offensive line is right here for him.”

The injury did not seem to slow Allen in the second half, although he appeared to be wearing a knee brace.

“The kid is special, man,” Dawkins said. “He consistently shows it week in and week out. He's the best athlete, honestly, that I've ever been around for his size and for what he does. You know, we have an angel on our team and Josh is that, and he shows it consistently every day.”

Allen’s performance Sunday might have fallen short of heavenly, but it was good enough to get the Bills back into the win column.

Hot Reads: Bills make it tougher than it needed to be in beating Chargers

2. Stefon Diggs got going. The Bills’ No. 1 receiver was not officially targeted in the first half, although the ball came his way twice. Diggs drew a 47-yard defensive pass interference penalty in the first quarter, setting up Buffalo’s first score. He also had an 8-yard completion wiped out by offsetting penalties. The Bills got the ball to Diggs a bunch on their first drive of the third quarter, as he caught four of five targets on a drive that ended with Allen’s touchdown run. Diggs finished the game with seven catches (on nine targets) for 39 yards. He now has 80 receptions through the team’s first 11 games, surpassing Eric Moulds’ 76 catches in 2000 for most in that time frame.

3. The Bills shuffled their offensive line again. With left guard Cody Ford being lost for the season to a knee injury, offensive coordinator Brian Daboll was forced to adjust, starting his sixth different combination up front in 11 games. This one was: Left tackle Dion Dawkins, left guard Jon Feliciano, center Mitch Morse, right guard Brian Winters and right tackle Daryl Williams. This iteration of the line had an up-and-down game. While the team ran for 172 yards, Allen was consistently under duress. He was hit seven times and sacked twice.

Morse returned to the lineup after a one-game benching against Arizona in Week 10.

“In regards to the week prior, there was complete transparency and candidness from the coaching staff. It's my job to be professional and to go with the flow and I felt that’s what we did and now we’re here,” Morse said.

The offensive line had no answers for Bosa, who dominated the game. His final stat line borders on unbelievable: Eight tackles, three sacks, six tackles for loss, five quarterback hits, one pass defensed and a fumble recovery.

“He's a solid all-around player, and he showed it,” Dawkins said. “We knew coming in that a guy like that was going to make plays, but it seems like he unleashed himself and did his thing. … Joey definitely has my Pro Bowl vote.”

4. Levi Wallace went down briefly in the fourth quarter. The Bills’ cornerback missed the Week 10 game at Arizona after being deemed a close contact of Josh Norman, who tested positive for Covid-19. Both Wallace and Norman were removed from that list in time to face the Chargers, but it was Wallace who earned the start opposite Tre’Davious White. Wallace went down with 11:58 left in the fourth quarter after he forced a third-down incompletion by pushing Chargers receiver Mike Williams out of bounds in the Buffalo end zone. That led to Norman coming in for one play. Wallace, however, quickly went back in.

The Bills did not have any other observed injuries Sunday.

5. Trent Murphy was a healthy inactive. The Bills’ defensive end sat for the second time this season. Murphy, who is in the final year of his contract, has 17 tackles, two sacks and six quarterback hits (tied for third on the team entering Sunday) in nine games played. Murphy had played 44.4% of the defensive snaps entering Sunday. Without him, rookie defensive end A.J. Epenesa saw an uptick in playing time. Epenesa, who suffered a concussion in the Bills’ Week 10 loss to Arizona, finished with two tackles, including one for a loss. He also made one quarterback hit.  

6. Dawson Knox got in the end zone. The Bills’ second-year tight end opened the scoring, catching a fastball from Allen in the first quarter for a 2-yard score. It’s been a miserable season for Knox, who has missed time because of a concussion, a calf injury and a positive Covid-19 diagnosis. The Bills made a somewhat surprising move by making No. 2 tight end Tyler Kroft a healthy inactive, so it was clear Knox was going to get a good deal of playing time. Knox’s touchdown catch came on his only target of the game. He became the 12^th member of the team to catch a touchdown pass this season, furthering a team record.

With Kroft out, veteran Lee Smith played for just the fifth time this season. Smith finished with one catch for 3 yards.  

7. Sean McDermott got in the win column. The Bills’ head coach has not had a good record on challenges since taking over in 2017. He earned his first win in more than a calendar year in the second quarter, though, when he correctly challenged what was initially ruled an Allen fumble. The quarterback’s arm was going forward as he lost control of the ball, which then bounced wildly off the helmet of Bosa. Officials initially ruled the play a fumble, with the ball going out of bounds at the Buffalo 4-yard line, setting up a second and 38 for the Bills (not much in the playbook for that). Replays showed Allen’s arm moving forward with the ball coming out just before it hit Bosa’s helmet. McDermott’s challenge win was his first since Nov. 24, 2019 against Denver. He is now 4-14 on challenges in his career.

8. The Bills were flagged nine times for 85 yards. The two teams combined for 14 accepted penalties for 176 yards Sunday, some of the unusual variety. 

Here's why that maybe should not have been a huge surprise: Alex Kemp's officiating crew entered Week 12 ranked second in penalties called, penalties accepted and first in accepted penalty yards among the league's crews, and that was in 10 games. The crew already had its bye week. 

Kemp's crew had called 148 penalties with 118 accepted for 1,186 yards. His crew was second to Carl Cheffers' crew entering the week. Cheffers' crew had thrown 176 flags (135 accepted) for 1,170 yards. 

League-wide, the average is 11.4 accepted penalties per game and 101.45 yards. Kemp's crew had averaged 12.9 yards for 123.6 yards. 

Kemp's crew had called one unsportsmanlike conduct all season and six-roughing-the-passer penalties. The Bills were penalized for six such penalties, although one of them was declined. 

9. Tyrod Taylor saw the field for the Chargers. Well, kind of. The Bills’ former starting quarterback took part in the pregame coin toss for Los Angeles. Taylor was supposed to be the Chargers’ starter this season, but a freak injury before Week 2 when the team doctor punctured his lung administering a pain-killing injection led to Herbert entering the lineup. It’s not a big surprise Taylor took part in the coin toss. Chargers coach Anthony Lynn, the Bills’ former offensive coordinator and interim head coach, is a Rex Ryan disciple. Ryan would always make players team captains in weeks they were going up against their former team.

10. Running back T.J. Yeldon and rookie quarterback Jake Fromm were the other inactives. Fromm has yet to be active for a game this season, while Yeldon has played just three times, all while running back Zack Moss was out with a toe injury.