Game Summary
The Bills wasted no time getting to work from their own 22-yard-line, bouncing back-and-forth between the run game and pass game. Khalil Shakir ended up with the ball just over four minutes into the game when Buffalo put the first score on the board. The wide receiver made the catch behind the line of scrimmage and taking it all the way into the end zone for a total 43-yard touchdown pass.
New Orleans answered accordingly. The drive was powered initially by Saints Quarterback Spencer Rattler’s run game, escaping pressure from the Buffalo defense twice in this first drive. A holding call on the Bills gave New Orleans an extra five yards on the play as well. Rattler connected with Tight End Juwan Johnson on a 17-yard pass and handed it off to Kendre Miller on the next snap. Miller avoided getting tripped up by the Bills and tied the game, 7-7, with under seven minutes left of the first quarter.
Buffalo converted quickly once they took the field for a second time. Allen connected with Keon Coleman who easily separated himself from the Saints and had nothing but open space to catch the 17-yard pass. Cook continued posting significant, multi-yard runs. On first-and-goal, Cook tried to drag the Saints defenders into the end zone with him, but recorded Buffalo’s second touchdown on the next play, only needing to pick up one yard.
Just as New Orleans developed a rhythm, looking like it was going to find an answer to the Bills’ second touchdown, Defensive Tackle DaQuan Jones got the first sack of the afternoon and his second of the season. The Buffalo defense lit up as captain Terrel Bernard flew towards Rattler on the next play that forced the quarterback to throw away the ball. He picked up an intentional grounding penalty as the pass didn’t cross the line of scrimmage, but regardless, the defense forced the Saints to punt.
Given a chance to extend the lead, Allen and the offense fell short. Saints Tight End Jonas Sanker knocked the ball out of Dawson Knox’s reach on second down and Allen looked down the field to find Coleman at the Buffalo 49-yard-line. Sanker showed up big for the Saints again and intercepted the pass. It was his first interception of his career, and the first turnover for the Bills since December 2024 against the Patriots.
Buffalo’s defense forced another three-and-out to put the offense back out on the field as quickly as possible, but New Orleans had the same goal in mind. Once the Saints’ offense retook the field, it was back in the Bills defense’s hands to control. Bernard sat out for one play after getting stepped on but was back out on the field and instantly applied pressure that forced New Orleans to eventually settle for a field goal. The 54-yard attempt was good.
Four points down, the Saints capitalized on the lack of fire underneath Buffalo’s offense. With offensive penalties and a sack on Allen, the Bills were pushed back into a third-and-22 situation. Carl Granderson fed off the defensive strides and delivered a second sack that forced Buffalo to punt it away.
Rattler and his offense crept up on the end zone, using up time under the two-minute warning in attempts to keep the ball from going back in Allen’s hands. Eating up time, though, didn’t work in the Saints’ favor. On third-and-goal, New Orleans tried putting Chris Olave in Rattler’s position as the quarterback ran towards the endzone prepared to catch the pass from his wide receiver. Safety Cole Bishop read the play and earned his first career interception.
The Buffalo offense ultimately let the second quarter clock run out and could not capitalize on the interception by Bishop. Coming out of the locker room for the second half, the offense needed to regroup and fire up again while the defense needed to stay consistent. Both came out doing just that.