NFL

San Francisco 49ers at Buffalo Bills

· National Football League
5-7, 2-4 Away
Final
10 - 35
10-2, 6-0 Home

Josh Allen has TDs passing, rushing and receiving as Bills rout 49ers 35-10 in snow, clinch AFC East

Snow way! Josh Allen soars like Superman on hook-and-ladder TD

“He’s the one that got me to do it,” Allen said of interrupting McDermott’s television interview to lay backwards into a snow pile. “I’m not the biggest snow angel fan, because you get cold down there, my toes are freezing right now ... but it was fun.”

As for Steinfeld saying “Yes,” during his bye week proposal, Allen said: “Felt good. Felt free.”

He could just as well have been referring to his performance by braving bone-chilling temperatures and a persistent snowfall in becoming the NFL’s first quarterback and seventh player in the Super Bowl era to score a touchdown passing, rushing and receiving. Sandwiched between his 7-yard touchdown pass to Mack Hollins and an 8-yard scoring run, Allen scored a receiving touchdown on a pass he threw in his latest do-everything performance.

With Amari Cooper corralling a short pass with a one-handed catch, the receiver was in the midst of being wrapped up by two Niners defenders when he pitched the ball back to Allen. The QB sprinted to the left corner of the end zone and dived past for the pylon for the score.

“It’s got to be up there. I wish he got credited for something there, an assist or a passing touchdown,” Allen said of Cooper. “I just kind of chased the ball to be there and we made eye contact. ... It was dope.”

Cooper said he acted on instinct in a play that could well have been drawn up in the snow on the sideline.

“I was wondering what he was doing over there,” Cooper said. “I figured he was over there because he wanted the ball, so I gave it to him.”

Snow flew like confetti in celebration from the packed stands as the Bills (10-2) scored on four of five possessions spanning halftime to build a 28-3 lead, starting with Ray Davis’ 5-yard run. James Cook scored on a career-high 65-yard run and finished with 107 yards rushing.

The defending NFC champion 49ers (5-7) unraveled as they dropped their third straight and lost running back Christian McCaffrey to what coach Kyle Shanahan said was a potential season-ending injury to the posterior cruciate ligament in his knee.

Shanahan believes McCaffrey was hurt on an 18-yard run up the middle. The All-Pro running back stayed in the game and on the next play appeared to step awkwardly with his left foot on the snow-slicked field and went down immediately. After being examined on the sideline, he limped to the locker room and was ruled out at the start of the second half.

McCaffrey had 53 yards on seven carries when he exited the game, his fourth after missing the first eight of the season with Achilles tendinitis.

“It feels dark and gloomy and absolutely depressing, honestly I’ll feel that probably in a couple hours,” tight end George Kittle said. “The only way to make this feel better is to go take advantage of next week and try to get a win.”

Very little went right for the 49ers in an outing they lost three fumbles and Jake Moody missed two of three field-goal attempts. San Francisco was also missing five starters due to injury and is now in jeopardy of missing the playoffs a season after losing the Super Bowl to Kansas City.

Moody opened the scoring with a 33-yard field goal and Isaac Guerendo scored on a 15-yard run. Brock Purdy, coming back after missing one game with a sore throwing shoulder, finished 11 of 18 for 94 yards.

Allen finished 13 of 17 passing for 148 yards and two touchdowns, three rushes for 18 yards and a score, and zero catches for 7 yards and a TD. He was serenaded by fans with chants of “MVP!” and sat out most of the fourth quarter.

“It's a good feeling. This one feels a little bit different this early in the season,” Allen said of clinching the division while also staying in the hunt to catch Kansas City (11-1) for the AFC's top seed. “It’s going to be fun, I mean, to go out there and play free and play relaxed and play loose. I think that could be a dangerous team.”

Allen now has scored 247 career TDs (186 passing, 59 rushing and two receiving) to break Hall of Famer Jim Kelly’s franchise record of 244.

Buffalo has won seven straight since back-to-back losses to Baltimore and Houston, and is 10-2 or better for the fifth time in team history and first since 1991. The Bills became the NFL’s eighth team, and first since Indianapolis in 2009, to clinch a division title with five games remaining.

Buffalo extended its run of scoring 30 or more points to six straight games, while the Niners dropped to 0-5 when scoring 20 or fewer.

Up next 49ers: Host Chicago next Sunday.

Bills: At the Los Angeles Rams next Sunday.

How can I watch 49ers vs. Bills?

  • TV Channel: 49ers at Bills 2021-22 NFL, week 13 is broadcasted nationally on NBC and Peacock.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
    In Canada, viewers can watch 49ers vs. Bills on DAZN.

Scoring Summary

SF FG 1st Period 7:41 Jake Moody 33 Yd Field Goal
BUF TD 1st Period 0:03 Ray Davis 5 Yd Rush (Tyler Bass Kick)
BUF TD 2nd Period 8:38 James Cook 65 Yd Rush (Tyler Bass Kick)
BUF TD 2nd Period 0:41 Mack Hollins 7 Yd pass from Josh Allen (Tyler Bass Kick)
BUF TD 3rd Period 5:58 Amari Cooper pass from Josh Allen, lateral to Josh Allen for 7 Yd Touchdown (Tyler Bass Kick)
SF TD 3rd Period 2:54 Isaac Guerendo 15 Yd Rush (Jake Moody Kick)
BUF TD 4th Period 12:31 Josh Allen 8 Yd Rush (Tyler Bass Kick)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nfl/500/sf.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originSF https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nfl/500/buf.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originBUF
15 1st Downs 20
4 Passing 1st downs 7
10 Rushing 1st downs 12
1 1st downs from penalties 1
3-10 3rd down efficiency 6-12
1-1 4th down efficiency 1-1
47 Total Plays 56
239 Total Yards 372
5.1 Yards per Play 6.6
10 Total Drives 10
86 Passing 152
11/18 Comp/Att 14/18
4.3 Yards per pass 8.4
0 Interceptions thrown 0
2-8 Sacks-Yards Lost 0-0
153 Rushing 220
27 Rushing Attempts 38
5.7 Yards per rush 5.8
1-3 Red Zone (Made-Att) 4-4
2-10 Penalties 5-35
3 Turnovers 0
3 Fumbles lost 0
0 Interceptions thrown 0
0 Defensive / Special Teams TDs 0
26:33 Possession 33:27
Buffalo Bills Buffalo Bills Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Michael Hoecht, LB Suspension Mar 14
Larry Ogunjobi, DT Suspension Mar 14
Baylon Spector, LB Questionable Feb 10
Travis Clayton, OT Questionable Feb 10
Shane Buechele, QB Questionable Feb 10
San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Brandon Aiyuk, WR Questionable Mar 31
Tre Brown, CB Questionable Mar 13
Kevin Givens, DT Questionable Mar 10
Trent Williams, OT Questionable Feb 26
Mitch Wishnowsky, P Questionable Feb 12

Game Information

Highmark Stadium

Location: Orchard Park, NY
Attendance: 70,437 · Capacity:

2024 NFC West Standings

TEAM W L PCT T PF PA
Los Angeles 10 7 .588 0 367 386
Seattle 10 7 .588 0 375 368
Arizona 8 9 .471 0 400 379
San Francisco 6 11 .353 0 389 436

2024 AFC East Standings

TEAM W L PCT T PF PA
Buffalo 13 4 .765 0 525 368
Miami 8 9 .471 0 345 364
New York 5 12 .294 0 338 404
New England 4 13 .235 0 289 417
Full Standings

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