Field Level Media
Sep 24, 2023
Visiting Buffalo intercepted four Sam Howell passes and sacked him nine times and the Bills routed the Washington Commanders 37-3 on Sunday.
Josh Allen passed for one touchdown and ran for another as the Bills (2-1) won their second straight. He completed 20 of 32 passes for 218 yards.
Stefon Diggs had eight catches for 111 yards.
Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard had an interception, a fumble recovery and two sacks.
Howell finished 19-of-29 for 170 yards for the Commanders (2-1), who were unable to duplicate their come-from-behind victories of the first two weeks.
Washington trailed 16-0 at halftime, but back-to-back runs by Brian Robinson (23 yards) and Antonio Gibson (13) gave the Commanders a first down at the Buffalo 17 early in the third quarter. Two plays later, Tre'Davious White intercepted Howell's pass at the 1-yard line.
Bernard recovered a Gibson fumble at the Commanders' 30 early in the fourth. Six plays later, Allen scampered up the middle 10 yards for his first rushing touchdown of the season and the Bills led 23-0 with 10:37 remaining.
A.J. Epenesa returned an interception 32 yards for a touchdown on the Commanders' next possession and Latavius Murray ran for a 2-yard score with 2:15 remaining before Joey Slye's 51-yard field goal averted the shutout.
The Bills took a 3-0 lead on their first possession. Allen scrambled for 13 yards on third-and-10 and later hit Diggs for 30 yards to set up a 36-yard field goal.
Late in the first quarter, Deonte Harty returned a punt 23 yards and a holding penalty set the Bills up at the Washington 35. On first down, Allen found Gabe Davis down the left side for the touchdown.
On Washington's next drive, Howell scrambled 18 yards for a first down at the Buffalo 6. But on fourth-and-goal from the Buffalo 2, Howell's pass into the end zone fell incomplete.
The Bills took over and drove into Commanders territory and increased their lead to 13-0 on a 54-yard Tyler Bass field goal.
On third-and-1 at his own 34, Howell's pass was intercepted by Micah Hyde and Bass added a 32-yard field goal with 19 seconds left in the half.
--Field Level Media