Orchard Park, N.Y. — Josh Allen was happy that only a few fans left early on Sunday.
In their thrilling Week 1 comeback over the Baltimore Ravens, the Buffalo Bills’ franchise quarterback noticed fans heading for the exits early. His message after that win was straightforward.
“Have some faith next time,” Allen said.
The Bills Mafia must have remembered that message despite things looking pretty bleak late in the game. Midway through the fourth quarter, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow found Mike Gesicki for a 12-yard score to go up 28-18.
Down 10 points, Buffalo’s win probability fell to 8.4 percent.
It didn’t matter. The fan base stayed and saw Allen lead the team on a four-play, 68-yard drive in just one minute and 11 seconds to pull within three points.
Down three, the fans’ loyalty was rewarded with some Highmark Stadium magic.
Christian Benford started things off for Buffalo. After Cincinnati marched the ball to the Bills’ 33-yard line, the cornerback leapt in the air to snag a pass intended for Ja’Marr Chase. Benford was able to keep his distance from Chase and took the ball 63 yards to the end zone. A.J. Epenesa followed that with an interception on the next play, thanks to a Jordan Phillips batted pass, and, of course, fans saw some Allen magic.
After the Bengals scored quickly to get within five, Allen shut the door. Facing a 3rd and 15 with 1:54 remaining, Allen took off and scrambled for 17 yards. The first down sealed the game and took Buffalo’s win probability from 8.4 percent all the way to 100 percent.
