ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen threw for three touchdowns and ran for one, Christian Benford scored the go-ahead TD on a 63-yard interception return, and the Buffalo Bills rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Cincinnati Bengals 39-34 on Sunday.
Allen scored on a 40-yard rush, breaking his record of 36 for the longest by a Bills quarterback, and Buffalo flipped the game with big defensive plays on a snowy afternoon in western New York. Benford and defensive end A.J. Epenesa intercepted Joe Burrow on consecutive plays from scrimmage, leading to the Bills scoring three touchdowns in a span of 4:20 in the fourth quarter.
Benford’s interception — the cornerback leaped to snag Burrow’s lob intended for Ja’Marr Chase — gave Buffalo its first lead with 5:25 remaining.
The Bills then went up 39-28 after Epenesa’s interception, which he caught after Burrow’s pass was tipped by defensive tackle Jordan Phillips. On fourth-and-goal from the 3, Allen found tight end Jackson Hawes for a touchdown.
The Bills (9-4) have won two straight for the first time in a month, and they kept pace in the tightly packed AFC.
The Bengals (4-9) saw their already shaky playoff prospects dim even further. Their only realistic shot entering the weekend was winning the AFC North, but they fell three games behind Pittsburgh.
Burrow’s boost to the Bengals lasted only one week after he oversaw Cincinnati’s 32-14 win over Baltimore in the starter’s first game after missing nine with a toe injury.
The interceptions were Burrow’s first in four starts this season. He finished 25 of 36 for 284 yards and four touchdowns while losing for the first time in nine starts dating to last season.
Burrow completed a 25-yard touchdown pass to Tee Higgins with 2:13 left to give the Bengals a chance. With Buffalo facing third-and-15, Allen took off up the middle for a 17-yard gain, allowing the Bills to run out the clock.
Allen finished 22 of 28 for 251 yards. His first TD pass, an 11-yarder on fourth down to Khalil Shakir, was Allen’s 20th of the season, making him the first NFL player with three seaons of 20 TDs passing and 10 rushing.
Benford, who returned a fumble 17 yards for a touchdown in a 26-7 win at Pittsburgh last week, became the Bills’ first player to score defensive TDs in back-to-back games.
The field was blanketed with snow throughout, with a temperature at kickoff of 30 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-1 Celsius) that felt about 10 degrees colder because of persistent wind.
The Bills mdae two costly gaffes on offense, and their defense allowed the Bengals to convert seven of eight third-down opportunities in the first half.
With Buffalo trailing 21-18, James Cook was stripped of the ball at the Cincinnati 1 by DJ Turner, and the Bengals’ Oren Burks recovered it in the end zone.
On Buffalo’s game-opening drive, Ty Johnson appeared to have a wide-open path the end zone before he tripped and fell, limiting him to a 23-yard gain. The drive stalled at Cincinnati’s 5 and Buffalo settled for Matt Prater’s 26-yard field goal.
Bengals’ Burton suspended
Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton did not travel to Buffalo and has been suspended for one game by the team. The Bengals did not specify a reason for their decision. The second-year player has yet to appear in a game this season. He had four catches for 107 yards in 14 games, including one start, last year.
Up next
Bengals: Host division rival Baltimore next Sunday.
Bills: At the AFC East-leading New England Patriots next Sunday.
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