Buffalo Bills must maintain 'Josh Allen experience' displayed in win over Buccaneers

With 9 minutes remaining in the second quarter of the Buffalo Bills' Week 11 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Josh Allen dropped back and evaded pressure in the pocket before stepping into an unscripted strike deep down the left sideline.

It seemed as if, before making the throw, Allen uttered to himself, “Forget it. Someone has to be down there somewhere.”

It was a hark back to a former, more aggressive version of the Bills quarterback, one that we hadn’t seen dusted off much over the past couple of seasons, since the Bills transitioned to a more run-heavy, conservative approach offensively.

And boy, did the aggressiveness pay off.

Nov 16, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) takes the field prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

A new look

As Allen uncorked the deep ball, the pass floated 56.1 yards through the air down the field and into the waiting arms of wide receiver Tyrell Shavers for the touchdown. The connection came as a breath of fresh air for a Buffalo aerial attack that has relied far too much on its short passing game. It also helped give the Bills a 21-17 advantage, one of nine lead changes featured during the thrilling non-conference tilt.

The 43-yard pitch and catch by Shavers was Allen’s first touchdown pass on a throw of 40-plus air yards since the 2022 season finale against the New England Patriots, per ESPN. It was as if Allen stepped into a time machine on Sunday afternoon to ignite what would become one of his most prolific performances in recent memory.

Josh Allen 🎯 Tyrell Shavers

This 43-yard TD pass traveled an air distance of 56.1 yards, per @NextGenStats

📲 Stream with NFL+pic.twitter.com/A482zNlf3T
— NFL+ (@NFLPlus) November 16, 2025

Along with Shavers’ deep reception, Allen also completed downfield passes of 25, 23, and 22 yards during the Bills’ win, which was just the second game this season the reigning MVP recorded four or more completions of 20-plus yards. Allen finished the game with 317 yards and three touchdowns while completing 63% of his passes and also did some damage on the ground, recording six carries for 40 yards and another three scores.

It was the second time in his career that the Bills QB had recorded three passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns in a single game. He is the only player in NFL history to accomplish that feat on two separate occasions.

MORE: Keon Coleman responds after being benched in Bills' Week 11 win over Buccaneers

JOSH ALLEN'S FIFTH TD FOR THE LEAD.

TBvsBUF on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/QYHnPzfqG1
— NFL (@NFL) November 16, 2025

Imperfection

With all that said, while Allen's performance was heroic, it was not without its flaws. He was also intercepted twice, bringing his season total to seven, which surpasses his total from a year ago through just 10 games played in 2025.

The first interception came on a questionable decision as Allen was under duress in the Bills' end zone, which led to him delivering a two-handed chest pass that was picked off by Jacob Parrish, leading to a field goal. The second came on a forced throw to Dawson Knox on a fourth-and-2 late in the first half.

But it didn't matter.

Along with the early mistakes, Allen also delivered a heap of production, finishing the first half with three total touchdowns (two passing, one rushing), helping Buffalo gain a one-point lead at the intermission. The Bills took the chains off, and while there were some miscues during the first 30 minutes of play that left many, including myself, mighty concerned, at the end of the day, they let Allen be his old, gunslinging, high-flying self, and it resulted in yet another historic performance.

MORE: New Buffalo Bills WR has golden opportunity to immediately impact 'special' phase

Whatever it takes

All afternoon long, Allen did whatever it took to move past the Buccaneers during an old-fashioned shootout, beginning with a third-and-2 conversion on the Buffalo’s first scoring drive. The conversion came on a designed run, a zone read from Allen off the left guard, which is something the Bills have not drawn up often throughout the year.

Entering Week 11, Buffalo had dialed up just six designed rushing attempts for Allen, an average of less than one per game, per Pro Football Focus. A season ago, Allen ran the ball 32 times on designed rushing plays, an average of nearly two per game.

That trend was bucked on Sunday, when he finished the game with four designed runs, one converting a third down and the other three resulting in touchdowns. Allen scored on a two-yard touchdown run off the left guard to put the Bills ahead 7-3 early in the first half, a five-yard touchdown run off the right end to help the Bills seize a 37-32 lead with 9 minutes 6 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, and finally a nine-yard run off misdirection to make it a 44-32 advantage with 2 minutes 42 seconds left in the game.

JOSH ALLEN 6 TOUCHDOWNS.

3 PASSING
3 RUSHING

TBvsBUF on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/P9ohlDDP07
— NFL (@NFL) November 16, 2025

No stone unturned

The Bills and their quarterback pulled out all the stops against Tampa Bay, proving there was indeed another gear Allen had yet to reach through the first nine games of the season. The addition of a deep passing game and the utilization of Allen as a designed rusher worked wonders for Buffalo, and the Bills must maintain both elements of their offense moving forward if they hope to fulfill their lofty expectations.

In other words, the Bills need to keep the "Josh Allen experience" alive. It's the blueprint for their success.

Allen's vintage performance was a step in the right direction for him and the offense, but now the challenge becomes sustaining the diversity of their attack as the stretch run approaches.

Will Keon Coleman be back next week after a surprise benching against the Bucs? Or will the Bills continue to roll with their new-look pass-catching corps they feature in the win over Tampa Bay?

Whatever the case may be, one thing that must remain consistent is the Bills must continue to allow Allen to operate at full throttle, both in the run game and pass game, over the final seven weeks of the regular season and into the playoffs. It's the best chance this team has of winning a Super Bowl.

Allen is at his best when he is playing a backyard style of football. Offensive Coordinator Joe Brady must keep the Bills QB in his element.

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