Josh Allen passed for one touchdown and rushed for another, and the Buffalo Bills pulled away for a 26-7 win over the host Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday afternoon.
James Cook added 32 carries for 144 yards for Buffalo (8-4), which bounced back from a loss last week against the Houston Texans. Allen completed 15 of 23 passes for 123 yards, one score and one interception, and he rushed eight times for 38 yards and a score.
Aaron Rodgers completed 10 of 21 passes for 117 yards for Pittsburgh (6-6) before he exited the game because of an injury. Mason Rudolph replaced Rodgers and threw an interception.
Rodgers was injured in the second half when he was sacked from behind by Bills pass rusher Joey Bosa. He clenched his left hand and had blood on the bridge of his nose after the hit, but returned to the field after missing just one possession.
Pittsburgh opened the scoring with 8:09 to go in the second quarter. Jaylen Warren powered through the middle of the line of scrimmage for a 1-yard rushing touchdown.
Buffalo cut the deficit to 7-3 with 51 seconds remaining in the first half. Matt Prater made a 27-yard field goal to end a 16-play, 60-yard drive that took 7:18 off the clock.
The Bills defense gave its team the lead on the Steelers’ first play of the second half. Bosa’s blindside hit forced Rodgers to fumble, and Christian Benford scooped up the loose ball and sprinted 17 yards for the touchdown.
Buffalo increased its lead to 16-7 with 8:49 to go in the third quarter. Allen connected with Keon Coleman for a 1-yard touchdown.
Allen struck again, this time with his feet, to boost Buffalo’s lead to 23-7 with 14:08 remaining. He cut to his right and darted toward the end zone, with several teammates pushing him from behind to help him power past the goal line.
The play marked Allen’s 76th career rushing touchdown, which set an NFL record. He broke a tie with Cam Newton, who finished his career with 75 rushing touchdowns.
Prater finished the scoring when he kicked a 37-yard field goal with 1:07 to go.
–Field Level Media
