A trio of tuddies meant the difference on a night featuring three offensive turnovers
The Buffalo Bills claimed a trio of touchdowns on offense during their 24-22 win against the Los Angeles Chargers. Quarterback Josh Allen, of course, played a part in each score — throwing for one touchdown and rushing for a pair last Saturday evening.
Let’s take one last glance at the tape to see how Allen and the Bills’ success against the Chargers’ defense.
Josh Allen throws a cross-body TD
This play began with Allen in shotgun. When the football was snapped, Allen was pushed out of the pocket by an aggressive Chargers defensive line. Edge rusher Khalil Mack then chased Allen to the right side of the field, at which point Allen threw across his body while running down the field to wide receiver Gabe Davis — who gained separation from the cornerback.
James Cook in motion
Pre-snap, running back James Cook went into motion to the right. This forced safety Jaylinn Hawkins to follow Cook (taking Hawkins out of the play). At the snap left tackle Dion Dawkins pulled right and blocked the defender on the edge, which led to Allen having a wide-open hole to run through for the touchdown.
Josh Allen with a signature QB sneak
This goal-line play started with Allen under center. Buffalo’s offensive line got requisite push against the defensive line. As the plow engaged, running back Latavius Murray pushed Allen forward — the finishing touch on a successful QB sneak.
In summary
Despite the Buffalo Bills having three turnovers go the wrong way in Los Angeles, they were able to score three touchdowns that helped stem the tide of an upset during their two-point win. Once again, the Bills showed that its offense operates with enough diversity in play calling to confuse even the best players in key moments.
With an enhanced commitment to the run game, teams no longer are able to focus solely on Josh Allen each and every down, nor can they ignore the running backs as receivers — which opens up more downfield opportunities in the pass game for boundary pass catchers, as we saw with Gabe Davis’ touchdown catch.