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)

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The United States and Iran are close to signing an agreement aimed at ending their war, three regional officials told The Associated Press on Friday. A senior U.S. official said the tentative deal includes terms for removing and destroying nuclear material from Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted Friday on X that an agreement “has never been closer.” He gave no details, saying a final deal was still pending. U.S. President Donald Trump shared Araghchi's post on his own social media.

The apparent breakthrough in negotiations comes after Iran exchanged fire with the U.S. and Israel over three days this week, threatening to return the Middle East to full-scale war.

Trump has said multiple times in recent weeks that the countries were on the cusp of a deal. The war launched by the U.S. and Israel on Feb. 28 has rattled the Middle East and virtually shut down oil and natural gas shipments from the Persian Gulf. A fragile ceasefire has been in place since April 7.

The regional officials said the emerging deal is expected to pave the way for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the phased lifting of sanctions on Iran, and the release of frozen Iranian assets. These officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations, declined to discuss further details.

A senior U.S. official said key terms in the emerging agreement include the removal and destruction of Iran’s nuclear material and the dismantling of Tehran's nuclear program. The terms also include Iran agreeing not to fund terrorist groups, the official said.

The U.S. official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to provide details about the sensitive talks.

Underscoring the fragility of the talks, Trump on Friday lashed out at Iranian officials on social media and said: “They better get their act together, and FAST!”

Iran's nuclear program has been a key point of division. The U.S. and Israel fear it could lead to an atomic weapon — a main reason their leaders cited for going to war. Tehran has insisted its nuclear efforts are for peaceful purposes.

Also critical is Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for oil and natural gas. Disruption of transit through the strait has crimped global energy supplies, driven up fuel prices and made food and other basics more expensive well beyond the region.

The U.S. has responded since mid-April with a naval blockade of Iranian ports to choke off Iran’s own oil exports.

The regional officials said they expect a signing ceremony for the agreement in the coming days after officials in Washington and Tehran approve it.

“This deal has the potential to remake the region and lead to lasting peace,” U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Friday in a social media post, without releasing details.

Trump on Thursday claimed significant progress in the negotiations, just hours after he threatened to escalate attacks and seize Iran’s oil industry. Esmail Baghaei, a spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said on state television that mediators were active and the text of a deal was “mostly finalized.”

There was no immediate comment Friday from Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, which has been leading efforts to mediate a deal between the U.S. and Iran. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi had said Thursday that Pakistan remained involved in negotiations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel is not a party to the deal being negotiated. He said in a statement Friday that he and Trump were in “full agreement” that Iran must not have nuclear weapons.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a separate statement that Israel also expects Trump to uphold key Israeli interests, including weakening Iran's missile program and proxy network.

Katz warned that Israel could still act independently toward Iran and that the country would not pull out of the zones it is occupying in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, nor would it withdraw from the northern refugee camps of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Iran has insisted that any deal to end the war must also end fighting in Lebanon between its ally militia Hezbollah and Israel. Netanyahu appears intent on pursuing his goal of destroying the militant group, complicating negotiations between Iran and the U.S.

The deal was largely being brokered by Pakistan, led by its army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, the regional officials said, with backing from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar.

Binkley reported from Washington and Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia. Associated Press journalists Julia Frankel in Jerusalem and Michelle L. Price in Washington contributed.

FILE - Vice President JD Vance, left, talks to Pakistan's Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshall Asim Munir, right, and Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, center, before boarding Air Force Two after attending talks on Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool, File)

President Donald Trump is pictured during an event where he signs a proclamation about the fishing industry, in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, June 11, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Residents swim and play in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz while cargo ships and commercial vessels lie anchored in the distance off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Wednesday, June 10, 2026.(Razieh Poudat/ISNA via AP)