An angst-ridden sellout crowd stood and squinted as the replay was shown Sunday afternoon on the video board at Highmark Stadium.
Officials on the field ruled that New Orleans Saints receiver Brandin Cooks caught quarterback Spencer Rattler’s misfired throw for a 17-yard touchdown.
A catch would have given the winless underdog a 1-point lead over a Super Bowl contender who was favored by more than two touchdowns. An incompletion would force the Saints to settle for a field goal and give the NFL’s reigning MVP a chance to build an insurmountable lead.
The crowd roared as the announcement was made. Cook didn’t make the catch. The ball hit the ground before he could reel in the pass that Rattler sprayed wide right. And, two plays later, Josh Allen showed how an elite quarterback can help a team overcome a mistake-filled performance like the one the Bills endured Sunday afternoon.
Allen scampered through the Saints’ defense for a 27-yard run, then he tossed a 28-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dalton Kincaid as the Bills pulled away for a 31-19 win.
The Bills are 4-0 for the first time since 2020 and the second time in Sean McDermott’s nine seasons as coach. They overcame 10 penalties and a turnover to avoid the dubious distinction of becoming the first 3-0 team to lose to a 0-3 team in 17 years.
Buffalo has won 14 straight regular-season home games, one away from tying the franchise record set from 1990-91, and running back James Cook became just the fourth NFL player since 1990 with 100 rushing yards and a touchdown in four consecutive games to start a season. Cook ran for 116 yards on 21 carries, and Allen completed 16 of his 21 passes for 2019 yards and a touchdown. Bills kicker Matt Prater added a 35-yard field goal.
The Bills didn’t play like a team that was favored by 16 ½ points. They could have pulled away with a stop on defense following Allen’s touchdown run that gave them a 21-10 lead with 6:48 left in the third quarter. Aided by a too-many-men-on-the-field penalty, New Orleans drove 60 yards in 11 plays to cut the deficit to 21-16. The Bills turned the ball over on downs because receiver Khalil Shakir lost 1 yard on a fourth-and-1 catch, before the Saints settled for a 35-yard field goal because of Rattler’s bad pass that was incorrectly ruled a touchdown.
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Though the Bills were without injured defensive tackle Ed Oliver (ankle) and linebacker Matt Milano (pectoral), their issues Sunday began with an offense that scored 30 points for the 13th time in its last 15 regular-season games.
On their first drive, the Bills drove 79 yards in seven plays. Shakir caught a screen on the right side of the formation, spun out of a tackle and ran 42 yards for the game’s first touchdown. They became the only team this season to score on their opening drive in every game this season.
On their second drive, the Bills’ offense drove 66 yards in seven plays. Cook set a franchise record with a rushing touchdown in an eighth consecutive game. He had runs of 5, 7, 9 and 7 yards. Allen was 5 of 5 for 103 yards as Buffalo led 14-10.
The Bills looked unstoppable. But on their third drive, they made the same kind of mistakes that prevented them from pulling away in the first half of their Week 3 win over the Dolphins. The offense’s first turnover of the season happened on third-and-11 when Allen’s throw to Keon Coleman near the left sideline was intercepted by Saints safety Jonas Sanker.
Buffalo punted on each of its next two drives and lost 1 yard on a span of 11 plays. Allen was sacked four times during the Bills’ 3-0 start, but he was sacked twice in a span of three plays on their fifth drive Sunday. Ryan Van Demark, filling in for injured right tackle Spencer Brown, gave up a pressure that nearly led to an interception and allowed a sack.
It would have cost them the lead in the second quarter if the Saints didn’t make a careless mistake. Kellen Moore, their first-year coach, called a trick play in which wide receiver Chris Olave threw the ball to Rattler on third-and-goal from the 8-yard line. Bills safety Cole Bishop read the play perfectly and intercepted the pass.
Though the Bills led 14-10 at halftime, they were uncharacteristically sloppy. Their six penalties were twice as many as they committed in Week 3. The interception was Allen’s second in his last 13 games, but he would have thrown another if it weren’t dropped by Saints linebacker Pete Werner. And, on defense, Buffalo missed too many tackles while giving the Saints too much room to run.
Saints backup running back Kendre Miller broke three tackles while he rushed for an 18-yard touchdown on their first drive to tie it, 7-7. If they didn’t move the ball on offense, then they started with advantageous field position. On each of its first six drives, New Orleans either crossed midfield or started in Buffalo territory. It started in Bills territory three times.
The Bills benefitted from a quarterback whose athleticism didn’t help him overcome too many poor throws. The Saints had 299 total yards, 189 of which were on the ground, and they were five of 13 on third down. Rattler averaged just 4.6 yards per pass attempt. He didn’t turn the ball over, but he didn’t make any impressive throws, either. A.J. Epenesa and Joey Bosa sacked Rattler on New Orleans’ final drive.
The Saints needed a scoring drive following Kincaid’s touchdown reception, but running back Alvin Kamara was tackled by Tre’Davious White short of the first down to give the Bills back. The final stat lines look promising. Buffalo totaled 357 yards and averaged 6.5 yards per play. The defense allowed one touchdown in the final three quarters. The mistakes throughout, particularly the penalties, will bother McDermott as he prepares his team to face the New England Patriots in Week 5.
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Lance Lysowski
News Sports Reporter
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