ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Josh Allen threw three touchdown passes and scored three more on the ground as the Buffalo Bills beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 44-32 at Highmark Stadium on November 16, 2025. The game featured nine lead changes, a back-and-forth second half, and Tampa Bay holding a one-point lead as late as the fourth quarter — before Allen’s legs closed it out.
Table of Contents
Allen’s Six-Touchdown Performance Made NFL History
Allen did something no quarterback had done before in the NFL: record two games with three touchdown passes and three rushing scores. He pulled it off first in a 2024 loss to the Rams. He did it again here, this time in a win, and walked off the field at 290 career touchdowns — the most by any player before turning 30, surpassing Peyton Manning’s 288.
His three TD passes covered 43, 52, and 25 yards. The 43-yarder to Tyrell Shavers was the sharpest throw of the afternoon — a deep sideline ball into 20-mph wind gusts off Lake Erie, with Shavers tumbling into the end zone to pull it in. The 52-yarder to Ty Johnson came on the last play of the first half, a short screen Johnson turned into a house call that flipped a 17-14 Tampa Bay lead to a 21-17 Buffalo advantage at the break.
His three rushing touchdowns came from 2, 5, and 9 yards. The last one, with 2:35 left, had his offensive linemen physically shoving him the final two yards into the end zone. That was the game.
Allen threw two interceptions — his first was his own description of “boneheaded,” a wobbly shovel pass under pressure at his own goal line on the Bills’ second series. It gave Tampa Bay the ball at the Buffalo 7. The Buccaneers came away with three points. That sequence set the tone: the Bills survived their own mistakes all afternoon, and Tampa Bay could not convert the moments Allen handed them.
“Starting off 4-0 and we’re the best team in the world. And we lose two in a row and now we’re the worst team in the world,” Allen said after the win. “We don’t want to ride that. We want to stay here, stay consistent.”
“I think at the end of the first quarter, just the way things were going, I’m just knowing that we’re gonna have to put our hard hats on and go to work. And I thought we made some plays today.”
Bills coach Sean McDermott, whose team entered the week having lost three of its last five, put it plainly: “High-level competition, two great quarterbacks, two great teams. Fun, yeah. My heart could have used a little bit different type of game. This win right here showed me how tough we are.”
Scoring Summary
| Qtr | Time | Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8:54 | TB | Chase McLaughlin 23-yd FG | TB 3–0 |
| 1 | 4:11 | BUF | Josh Allen 2-yd rush (Prater kick) | TB 3–7 |
| 2 | 12:04 | TB | Baker Mayfield 4-yd rush (McLaughlin kick) | TB 10–7 |
| 2 | 9:01 | BUF | Tyrell Shavers 43-yd pass from Allen (Prater kick) | TB 10–14 |
| 2 | 5:46 | TB | Sean Tucker 43-yd rush (McLaughlin kick) | TB 17–14 |
| 2 | 0:45 | BUF | Ty Johnson 52-yd pass from Allen (Prater kick) | TB 17–21 |
| 2 | 0:01 | TB | Chase McLaughlin 24-yd FG | TB 20–21 |
| 3 | 7:31 | TB | Sean Tucker 6-yd rush (2-pt pass failed) | TB 26–21 |
| 3 | 5:05 | BUF | Matt Prater 39-yd FG | TB 26–24 |
| 3 | 3:53 | BUF | James Cook 25-yd pass from Allen (Prater kick) | TB 26–31 |
| 4 | 13:45 | TB | Sean Tucker 28-yd pass from Mayfield (2-pt pass failed) | TB 32–31 |
| 4 | 9:10 | BUF | Josh Allen 5-yd rush (2-pt pass failed) | TB 32–37 |
| 4 | 2:42 | BUF | Josh Allen 9-yd rush (Prater kick) | Final: TB 32–44 |
Quarterback Stats
| Stat | Baker Mayfield (TB) | Josh Allen (BUF) |
|---|---|---|
| Completions / Attempts | 16 / 28 | 19 / 30 |
| Completion % | 57.1% | 63.3% |
| Passing Yards | 173 | 317 |
| Passing TDs | 1 | 3 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 2 |
| Sacks (Yards Lost) | 1 (–8 yds) | 0 |
| Passer Rating | 72.5 | 104.4 |
| QBR | 75.4 | 67.0 |
| Avg. Depth of Target | 7.6 yds | 10.7 yds |
| Adjusted Completion % (PFF) | 70.4% | 67.7% |
| Bad Throw % | 18.5% | 26.7% |
| Scrambles / Yds | 4 / 26 | 2 / 20 |
| Rush Attempts | 5 | 6 |
| Rush Yards | 39 | 40 |
| Rushing TDs | 1 | 3 |
| IAY / PA | 7.0 | 11.5 |
| YAC / Completion | 4.9 | 8.1 |
Mayfield accounted for four touchdowns and moved Tampa Bay up and down the field well enough to keep this game competitive into the fourth quarter. His issues were situational — a first-quarter interception, a failed two-point conversion after Tucker’s third-quarter score, and the strip-sack fumble that ended Tampa Bay’s final scoring chance.
Sean Tucker and the Buccaneers’ Ground Game
The Buccaneers out-rushed the Bills 202 to 97. PFF graded Tampa Bay’s rushing attack at the 98th percentile in EPA per carry for the week. Tucker accounted for 140 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns. None of it was enough.
His 43-yard burst up the middle in the second quarter was the longest run of the game. His 28-yard touchdown reception from Mayfield in the fourth put Tampa Bay ahead 32-31 with 13:45 remaining. On a different day — with different decisions around those leads — this performance wins.
“The fight was there, the toughness,” Mayfield said. “It just came down to not making enough plays. There was definitely a lot more points out there for us today.”
Rushing Stats
| Player | Team | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Long | 1D | Broken Tackles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sean Tucker | TB | 19 | 106 | 5.6 | 2 | 43 | 4 | 2 |
| Rachaad White | TB | 10 | 51 | 5.1 | 0 | 12 | 5 | 0 |
| Baker Mayfield | TB | 5 | 39 | 7.8 | 1 | 13 | 4 | 0 |
| Sterling Shepard | TB | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Tez Johnson | TB | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Teddy Bridgewater | TB | 1 | –1 | –1.0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| TB Total | 39 | 202 | 5.2 | 3 | 43 | |||
| James Cook | BUF | 16 | 48 | 3.0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| Josh Allen | BUF | 6 | 40 | 6.7 | 3 | 12 | 4 | 0 |
| Ty Johnson | BUF | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| BUF Total | 23 | 97 | 4.2 | 3 | 12 |
Receiving Stats
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
| Player | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Long | YAC | ADOT | 1D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emeka Egbuka | 9 | 5 | 40 | 8.0 | 0 | 10 | 24 | 4.7 | 1 |
| Sterling Shepard | 5 | 4 | 54 | 13.5 | 0 | 24 | 4 | 10.4 | 3 |
| Cade Otton | 5 | 2 | 28 | 14.0 | 0 | 19 | 8 | 7.0 | 1 |
| Rachaad White | 3 | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | 0 | 7 | 17 | –3.0 | 0 |
| Sean Tucker | 2 | 2 | 34 | 17.0 | 1 | 28 | 25 | 4.5 | 1 |
| Tez Johnson | 3 | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 21.0 | 0 |
| TB Total | 27 | 16 | 173 | 10.8 | 1 | 28 | 78 | 6 |
Buffalo Bills
| Player | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Long | YAC | ADOT | 1D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyrell Shavers | 5 | 4 | 90 | 22.5 | 1 | 43 | 17 | 17.2 | 3 |
| James Cook | 3 | 3 | 66 | 22.0 | 1 | 25 | 43 | 7.7 | 3 |
| Ty Johnson | 2 | 2 | 61 | 30.5 | 1 | 52 | 69 | –4.0 | 1 |
| Gabe Davis | 4 | 3 | 40 | 13.3 | 0 | 22 | 12 | 7.5 | 3 |
| Dawson Knox | 3 | 1 | 23 | 23.0 | 0 | 23 | 6 | 12.3 | 1 |
| Curtis Samuel | 3 | 2 | 19 | 9.5 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 20.3 | 1 |
| Joshua Palmer | 5 | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 0 | 13 | 5 | 9.2 | 1 |
| Keleki Latu | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4.0 | 0 |
| Khalil Shakir | 3 | 1 | –3 | –3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 | 0 |
| Mecole Hardman | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46.0 | 0 |
| BUF Total | 30 | 19 | 317 | 16.7 | 3 | 52 | 154 | 13 |
Gabe Davis and Mecole Hardman were both making their 2025 season debuts. Davis contributed three catches for 40 yards before Hardman left with a calf injury in the second half.
Full Team Stats
| Stat | Tampa Bay | Buffalo |
|---|---|---|
| Final Score | 32 | 44 |
| Total Yards | 367 | 414 |
| Net Passing Yards | 165 | 317 |
| Gross Passing Yards | 173 | 317 |
| Rushing Yards | 202 | 97 |
| Total Plays | 68 | 54 |
| Yards Per Play | 5.5 | 7.8 |
| First Downs | 21 | 19 |
| Passing First Downs | 6 | 13 |
| Rushing First Downs | 13 | 4 |
| Penalty First Downs | 2 | 2 |
| Third Down Conv. | 9/16 (56%) | 6/11 (55%) |
| Fourth Down Conv. | 1/1 | 1/2 |
| Red Zone (TDs/Att) | 2/4 | 3/4 |
| Red Zone TDs | 2 | 3 |
| Red Zone FGs | 2 | 0 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 3 |
| Fumbles Lost | 1 | 1 |
| Interceptions Thrown | 1 | 2 |
| Penalties | 2–30 | 7–45 |
| Time of Possession | 35:07 | 24:53 |
| Avg EPA/Play (PFF) | 0.000 | +0.279 |
| Avg EPA/Pass (PFF) | –0.38 | +0.46 |
| Avg EPA/Rush (PFF) | +0.32 | +0.04 |
| Explosive Passes (15+ yds) | 5 | 9 |
| Explosive Runs (10+ yds) | 5 | 1 |
Tampa Bay won the possession battle by over ten minutes, out-rushed the Bills by more than 100 yards, and still lost by 12. Buffalo ran nine explosive passing plays to Tampa Bay’s five, generating 247 yards on those alone. That gap in pass efficiency is where this game was decided.
Turnovers and the Plays That Defined the Game
Tampa Bay’s defense created two interceptions in the first half, both of which should have shifted momentum for good.
Jacob Parrish (CB) picked off Allen’s first throw of the Bills’ second drive — a wobbly shovel pass under pressure at Buffalo’s own goal line — and returned it to the 7-yard line. Tampa Bay gained two yards in three plays and settled for a 23-yard field goal. SirVocea Dennis (LB) intercepted Allen’s fourth-down throw to Dawson Knox in the second quarter at the Tampa Bay 32, ending what had started as a fast Buffalo scoring drive.
Both turnovers became field goals or punts for the Buccaneers. Buffalo absorbed them and kept scoring.
Cole Bishop (S) answered for Buffalo in the third quarter, picking off Mayfield at the Tampa Bay 37. Josh Allen hit James Cook on a 25-yard touchdown pass on the very next play.
The game’s final turnover came with Tampa Bay trailing 37-32, driving with under two minutes left. DaQuan Jones sacked and stripped Mayfield. Dorian Williams recovered at the Bills’ 39. Buffalo ran out the clock.
Defense Box Score
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
| Player | Comb | Solo | Ast | Sacks | TFL | PD | INT | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antoine Winfield Jr. | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Zyon McCollum | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tykee Smith | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Braswell | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lavonte David | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Benjamin Morrison | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| SirVocea Dennis | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Logan Hall | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacob Parrish | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Yaya Diaby | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Anthony Nelson | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josh Hayes | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Christian Izien | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Deion Jones | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Greg Gaines | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Jackson | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Bullock | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ryan Miller | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Buffalo Bills
| Player | Comb | Solo | Ast | Sacks | TFL | PD | INT | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Poyer | 15 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Terrel Bernard | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Cole Bishop | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Dorian Williams | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Matt Milano | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Taron Johnson | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Deone Walker | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DaQuan Jones | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| A.J. Epenesa | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T.J. Sanders | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Greg Rousseau | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joey Bosa | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tre’Davious White | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Larry Ogunjobi | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christian Benford | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cameron Lewis | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking, Punting & Special Teams
Kicking
| Player | Team | FGM/A | Long | XPM/A | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase McLaughlin | TB | 2/2 | 24 yds | 2/2 | 8 |
| Matt Prater | BUF | 1/1 | 39 yds | 5/5 | 8 |
Punting
| Player | Team | Punts | Yds | Avg | Long | Inside 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riley Dixon | TB | 4 | 161 | 40.3 | 46 | 3 |
| Mitch Wishnowsky | BUF | 2 | 83 | 41.5 | 51 | 1 |
Kick Returns
| Player | Team | Returns | Yds | Avg | Long | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kameron Johnson | TB | 5 | 136 | 27.2 | 33 | 0 |
| Owen Wright | TB | 1 | 25 | 25.0 | 25 | 0 |
| Ray Davis | BUF | 4 | 158 | 39.5 | 44 | 0 |
| Mecole Hardman | BUF | 1 | 61 | 61.0 | 61 | 0 |
| Curtis Samuel | BUF | 1 | 15 | 15.0 | 15 | 0 |
Hardman’s 61-yard return on the opening kickoff of the second quarter gave Buffalo the ball in Tampa Bay territory on the drive that ended with Shavers’ 43-yard touchdown.
PFF Grades and Snap Counts
Bills Offense — Top Grades (Initial, subject to review)
| Player | Pos | PFF Grade | Snaps | Snap % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| O’Cyrus Torrence | G | 91.6 | 56 | 100% |
| Dion Dawkins | T | 90.7 | 56 | 100% |
| Tyrell Shavers | WR | 86.1 | 30 | 54% |
| Reggie Gilliam | FB | 83.4 | 12 | 21% |
| Spencer Brown | T | 79.4 | 56 | 100% |
The Bills’ offensive line did not allow a single sack across 56 pass-blocking snaps. Torrence and Dawkins were spotless.
Bills Defense — Top Grades
| Player | Pos | PFF Grade | Snaps | Snap % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dorian Williams | LB | 79.3 | 28 | 40% |
| DaQuan Jones | DI | 76.4 | 45 | 64% |
| Cole Bishop | S | 76.0 | 67 | 96% |
| Christian Benford | CB | 75.8 | 70 | 100% |
| Deone Walker | DI | 75.8 | 35 | 50% |
Buccaneers Key Snap Counts
| Player | Pos | Off Snaps | Def Snaps | ST Snaps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 69 (99%) | — | — |
| Emeka Egbuka | WR | 66 (94%) | — | — |
| Tez Johnson | WR | 58 (83%) | — | — |
| Sterling Shepard | WR | 46 (66%) | — | — |
| Rachaad White | HB | 42 (60%) | — | — |
| Sean Tucker | HB | 31 (44%) | — | — |
| SirVocea Dennis | LB | — | 56 (100%) | 7 |
| Antoine Winfield Jr. | S | — | 56 (100%) | — |
| Lavonte David | LB | — | 56 (100%) | — |
| Benjamin Morrison | CB | — | 54 (96%) | — |
| Jacob Parrish | CB | — | 34 (61%) | 6 |
Injuries
- CB Jamel Dean (TB): Left in the first quarter with a hip injury and did not return.
- WR Mecole Hardman (BUF): Left in the second half with a calf injury. It was his 2025 season debut.
- WR Keon Coleman (BUF): Deactivated by Sean McDermott before the game for arriving late to a team meeting — the second time this season and third disciplinary incident of his career. “Yeah, it is disappointing, but I still believe in the young man. I believe he will learn from it,” McDermott said.
Game Info
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Date | November 16, 2025 |
| Venue | Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, NY |
| Attendance | 71,005 |
| Weather | 38°F, 50% humidity, wind 20 mph |
| Time of Game | 3:15 |
| Vegas Line | Bills –6.0 |
| Over/Under | 46.5 (went Over) |
| Records After | Bills 7-3, Buccaneers 6-4 |
| Broadcast | CBS |
What This Game Showed
Tampa Bay controlled time of possession by more than ten minutes. The Buccaneers out-rushed Buffalo by 105 yards, converted 56% of third downs, and forced three turnovers. By almost every volume stat in the box score, they were the more balanced team.
Allen outscored them anyway.
The Buccaneers’ NFC South lead shrank to half a game after Carolina beat Atlanta that same afternoon. Todd Bowles kept it measured: “We’re in a good place mentally. Our fight is outstanding. Our execution needs to be cleaned up.”
For the Bills, this win confirmed they were back to something closer to their October form — the version that had handled Kansas City and blown out Carolina on back-to-back weeks — rather than the team that had dropped three of five heading into the bye. Buffalo’s offense produced 9 explosive passing plays to Tampa Bay’s 5, gained 247 yards on those plays alone, and did all of it behind a line that gave Allen a clean pocket for every single dropback.
When a quarterback throws six touchdowns in a game, his team tends to win. That was equally true here.
Sources: Pro Football Reference, PFF, ESPN, Associated Press. Game played November 16, 2025.
