Bills Beat Raiders 33-30 as Cook Scores Late Winner in Las Vegas

The Buffalo Bills beat the Las Vegas Raiders 33-30 on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium, surviving a fourth quarter rally to reach their bye week at 5-1. James Cook scored the winning touchdown from 3 yards out with 4:49 left.

Buffalo scored first. Ray Davis returned the opening kickoff 40 yards, and Tyler Bass kicked a 44-yard field goal. Las Vegas answered with a 70-yard drive. A pass interference call in the end zone set up first and goal at the 1, and Ashton Jeanty ran it in for a 7-3 lead. Bass added a 28-yard field goal early in the second quarter to cut it to 7-6.

Allen builds the lead, then the game turns

Josh Allen put Buffalo in front with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Khalil Shakir, finishing a nine-play, 85-yard drive for a 13-7 lead. Las Vegas settled for a 35-yard Matt Gay field goal after a false start wiped out a fourth-and-1 try at the Buffalo 13. The half ended level. Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was ejected for spitting toward Raiders tight end Brock Bowers with 19 seconds left in the half, and Gay kicked a 27-yard field goal as time expired to tie the game 13-13. Allen had 144 yards and a touchdown at halftime.

Buffalo took control early in the third quarter. The defense forced a three-and-out in 23 seconds, and Bass kicked a 47-yard field goal for a 16-13 lead, after a holding penalty on O'Cyrus Torrence had wiped out a touchdown pass to Dalton Kincaid. Two plays into the next Las Vegas drive, Dorian Williams intercepted Cousins over the middle. Allen then made the play of the game. With Malcolm Koonce closing from behind and Maxx Crosby coming from his right, Allen spun away from the rush and flipped a 12-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Keon Coleman for a 23-13 lead.

The rally, and Cook's answer

Las Vegas drove 70 yards in 15 plays early in the fourth quarter but got only three points. Greg Gaines stuffed Jeanty for a 3-yard loss on second and goal from the 1, Davison Igbinosun broke up a pass to Cody White in the end zone, and Gay kicked a 23-yard field goal to make it 23-16. Buffalo punted, and Cousins drove the Raiders 91 yards in nine plays. Mike Washington ran for 18 yards, Bowers caught passes of 18 and 29 yards, and Cousins hit Tre Tucker for an 11-yard touchdown on third and 8 to tie the game at 23 with about eight minutes left.

Allen answered in 3 minutes 24 seconds. Cook ran twice for 15 yards, Allen found Kincaid for 14, and on third and 3 Allen rolled out and flipped a pass to Cook in the flat. Cook raced 26 yards to the 3 and scored on the next play with 4:49 left for a 30-23 lead. Bass added a 38-yard field goal at the two-minute warning to make it 33-23. Las Vegas still was not done. Cousins hit Tucker again, this time for a 44-yard touchdown with 1:39 left, to cut the lead to 33-30. The Raiders ran out of time from there, and Buffalo closed out the win.

Allen finished 23 of 33 for 255 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Cousins finished 23 of 41 for 313 yards with two touchdowns, both to Tucker, and one interception. Bass made all four of his field goals, from 44, 28, 47 and 38 yards. Jeanty ran 10 times for only 22 yards for Las Vegas, though he scored once and caught four passes for 36 yards.

What it means

Buffalo goes into its bye at 5-1 with its grip on the AFC East intact, and Baltimore visits Orchard Park on November 1 after the break. Las Vegas started the season 3-0 and has now lost three in a row, to Kansas City, New England and Buffalo. The Raiders erased a 10-point fourth quarter deficit before Cook settled it, which will make this loss sting more, not less.