Josh Allen has 3 TDs passing, 3 rushing to outduel Baker Mayfield as Bills beat Buccaneers 44-32

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen wasn't in an I-told-you-so mood after he threw three touchdown passes and ran for three scores.

Following a few clunkers, Allen led the Buffalo Bills to a season high in points in Sunday's 44-32 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — and afterward, he refused to fall into the trap of riding emotional peaks and valleys.

“Starting off 4-0 and we're the best team in the world. And we lose two in a row and now we're the worst team in the world,” Allen said. “We don’t want to ride that. We want to stay here, stay consistent.”

Either way, Allen brought the Bills' offense out of a monthlong slump, overcame what he called a “boneheaded” interception on his second snap, and added another extraordinary stat line to a career full of them.

Allen became the first NFL’s first player with two games of three TDs passing and rushing. He did it last year in a 44-42 loss at the Los Angeles Rams. He also upped his career total to 290 touchdowns, the most by a quarterback before turning 30 — passing Peyton Manning’s 288.

The reigning MVP did it this time with a retooled receiving group that featured Gabe Davis and Mecole Hardman making their season debuts. And Allen outdueled fellow 2018 first-round draft pick Baker Mayfield in a back-and-forth game that featured nine lead changes.

“I think at the end of the first quarter, just the way how things were going, I’m just knowing that we’re gonna have to put our hard hats on and go to work,” Allen said. “And I thought we made some plays today.”

A week after Buffalo was blanked through three quarters of a 30-13 loss at Miami, Allen came out firing, even with wind gusts of up to 30 mph (48.28 kph) off nearby Lake Erie. His three TD passes went for 25 yards or longer, including a perfectly placed 43-yard deep ball that Tyrell Shavers hauled in while tumbling into the end zone.

And the dual-threat quarterback used his legs to score three times. The last was a 9-yard run in which Buffalo's offensive linemen shoved him the final 2 yards to seal the victory with 2:35 remaining.

“High-level competition, two great quarterbacks, two great teams,” coach Sean McDermott said.

“Fun, yeah. My heart could have used a little bit different type of game," he added. "This win right here showed me how tough we are.”

McDermott also sent a message to his team by deactivating receiver Keon Coleman for being late to a meeting. It’s the second time this season and third time in Coleman’s career he’s faced team discipline, which was previously limited to him sitting out a quarter or a series.

“Yeah, it is disappointing, but I still believe in the young man,” McDermott said of Buffalo's top pick in the 2024 draft. “I believe he will learn from it.”

Buffalo (7-3) resembled the team that beat Kanas City 28-21 and Carolina 40-9 coming out of its bye week, rather than the one that lost back-to-back games to Atlanta and New England entering its break last month.

Meanwhile, the Buccaneers (6-4) let their NFC South lead dwindle to a half-game after Carolina beat Atlanta.

“We’re in a good place mentally,” Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles said. “Our fight is outstanding. Our execution needs to be cleaned up.”

A week after Mayfield said the Bucs needed more of a killer instinct following a 28-23 loss to New England, Tampa Bay’s offense showed a spark, trading scores with Buffalo through the early part of the fourth quarter.

Mayfield finished 16 of 28 for 173 yards with a 28-yard TD pass to Sean Tucker and a 4-yard TD run. Mayfield also threw an interception and lost a fumble when sacked on Tampa Bay’s final drive.

Tucker finished with 106 yards rushing and scored on runs of 43 and 28 yards.

“The fight was there, the toughness. It just came down to not making enough plays,” Mayfield said. “There was definitely a lot more points out there for us today.”

One opportunity came after Allen’s first interception — a wobbly shovel pass over the middle while he was under pressure at his own goal line — gave Tampa Bay the ball at Buffalo’s 7. Tucker managed just 2 yards on two runs and Mayfield overthrew Emeka Egbuka in the end zone, forcing Tampa Bay to settle for Chase McLaughlin's 23-yard field goal.

Buccaneers: CB Jamel Dean did not return after hurting his hip in the first quarter.

Bills: Hardman did not return after sustaining a calf injury in the second half.

Buccaneers: Play at the Los Angeles Rams next Sunday.

Bills: Visit the Houston Texans on Thursday night.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) celebrates with tight end Dawson Knox, right, after a touchdown by running back Ty Johnson, center, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker SirVocea Dennis (8) intercepts the ball against Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox, top, during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Sean Tucker (44) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Buffalo Bills running back Ty Johnson (26) celebrates with tight end Dawson Knox, second from left, after scoring a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Buffalo Bills running back Ty Johnson (26) celebrates with wide receiver Tyrell Shavers (14) after scoring a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Atlanta Hawks coach Quinn Snyder believes fifth-year forward Jalen Johnson is still a work in progress. If he’s right, it’s a terrifying prospect for opponents.

Johnson continued his emergence with his second triple-double in two nights Saturday, finishing with 30 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in a 131-116 win over the Washington Wizards.

It was his fourth of a season in which every one of those performances has been needed as the Hawks manage without four-time All-Star Trae Young, who has been out since late October with a sprained right MCL.

Johnson is averaging 23.8 points, 10.5 rebounds and 7.8 assists, all significant improvements from a 2024-25 campaign that was easily his best.

“It’s reflective of a guy that’s done a lot of work that we need to make a lot of plays for us,” Snyder said of Johnson. “The triple-doubles, like the statistics, are great. But he wants to win and there’s more there. He can continue to become more efficient, because we need him to be that.”

Both Friday and Saturday’s performances were historic.

In Friday’s 134-133 home loss to Denver, he recorded the second-fastest triple-double in NBA history, reaching the threshold in only 16:44. (Denver’s Nikola Jokic holds the record of 14 minutes, 33 seconds.)

Saturday, he became only the second Hawks player ever with triple-doubles on both ends of a back-to-back, after Bob Sura did it on April 9 and 10, 2004.

“Yesterday was cool, but tonight was more important because we got the win,” Johnson said. “So I think that’s what makes it better. But it was just a great group effort and like I said before, it’s just a product of my teammates hitting shots and everybody making the game much easier for me.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) dribbles the ball against Washington Wizards forward Justin Champagnie, left, during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) shoots against Washington Wizards guard Bub Carrington (7) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) goes to the basket against Washington Wizards forwards Justin Champagnie (9) and Tristan Vukcevic (00) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Wizards forward Justin Champagnie (9) fouls Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)