ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Josh Allen recovered from one of his set-piece problems in the fourth quarter. Allen took a lot of hits on these plays, but this one left a bit of an impression.

The Bills incurred a false start penalty between Allen’s 7-yard scramble and his impending throw on third down. It required a larger lift. And as Allen rose to throw it across the field, the ball came away from his hand as if he hadn’t been holding it at all – a kind of pop fly that somehow fell harmlessly to the turf because it was incomplete.

Allen immediately shook his throwing hand as he left the field. And the coming moments on the sideline left Bills fans even more chilled than the 5-degree weather they had been standing in.

“I had no feeling in my hand,” Allen said after the game. “It’s hard to throw without feeling it in your hand.”

When it comes to Allen and the arm that catapulted the Bills into Super Bowl contendership, it’s natural for fans and even the team to fear the worst – even if they get the game-winning lead on defense and the Patriots beat and improve their record to 12-3.

Allen took a few moments to have his throwing hand examined by team doctors. And while that was happening, backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky grabbed several snaps from starting center Connor McGovern and even threw a few passes.

Allen, desperate to play every snap unless it’s time, takes off his coat and grabs a football to throw a few passes. Allen’s first throw was spot on. He shook his hand vigorously. The second throw, high and far. Third litter, more of the same.

Had the Bills forced a punt at that moment, there was a real chance Allen wouldn’t have gotten back into the game.

At the same time, the Patriots fumbled the ball into the end zone, where nickel corner Taron Johnson jumped on it, setting up a Bills touchdown. Not only did it extend the Bills’ lead to 24-14, but it also bought Allen more time.

After those extra moments, Allen went to the heaters in the bench area and warmed his hand. He started throwing again and looked more and more like himself.

“It took a good five to 10 minutes,” Allen said. “Just make sure there’s some blood flowing there again, some activation, you know, when it’s that cold, the more you leave it out, the more the whole hand gets.”

When the Patriots fended off the resulting possession, Allen was ready. He later admitted that if the possession had changed more quickly, Trubisky probably would have come into play. But in the end, no time was missed – as if it had never happened.

The Bills announced it was a right elbow contusion and that Allen had been cleared to return. Crisis averted.

“It was a strange feeling,” Allen said. “I’m just glad it’s gone now.”

What stood out in the Bills’ 24-21 win? Here are some observations.

Even after a slow start, O-Line continues to drive the offense while James Cook takes center stage

The Bills certainly didn’t do themselves any favors in the early going. As if it were a holdover from playing point-for-point in 40-plus point duels the last two games, the offense couldn’t get going right away, especially after the Patriots had just scored their first possession for a touchdown. The Bills barely picked up a first down on their first series. But after that, the offensive line continued to show why it is such an important part of the Bills’ Super Bowl prospects.

On the next drive, the Bills opened the scoring with a 5-yard run by Ty Johnson, and with a James Cook catch in between, the Bills offensive line then opened a gap for Cook, who sprinted 46 yards for a rushing touchdown. Cook, who has home run speed when the offensive line gives him that space, gave the Bills the touchdown they so desperately needed while falling two touchdowns behind. Even after that successful rushing touchdown on a first down, Allen strangely spent the rest of the first half dropping back to pass. The Bills ran 13 straight to end the half after the Cook run. The passing offense sputtered unusually. However, as the second half began, the Bills made sure the running game was no longer sidelined.

The Bills started running plays on four of their first five plays, with Cook gaining 32 yards on those four plays alone. This helped increase passing success as the game progressed, helping the Bills hang on to the ball longer and create potential scoring opportunities. In the second half, the Bills’ offensive line paved the way for an average of nearly 5 yards per carry. The Bills haven’t had to rely on their rushing attack like this in a long time, but it’s a positive reminder for the playoffs that if they need to pivot to their ground game to save them – especially Cook – they can.

Catch Jimbo if you can!

: @paramountplus & @NFLonCBS@thegreat__4 | #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/WzdsrIsesS

– Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 22, 2024

Cam Lewis’ interception was a wonderful thing

Because the Bills went through the game without four defensive starters, they had to rely on some players in unexpected roles to get through. One of them was Cam Lewis, who is something of a jack-of-all-trades but is rooted as a nickel corner. Due to the double injuries to Taylor Rapp and Damar Hamlin, Lewis had to start from a safe position. Although Lewis made it last week against the Lions, it was only his third career start at the position. The other was in 2022. And at the start of the game it was tough, with some penalties and missed tackles. But he erased it all with an excellent read on rookie quarterback Drake Maye.

Perhaps expecting his target to turn in a different direction, Maye stared at the end zone area for far too long. Lewis, who recognized the quarterback perfectly and was initially positioned in the back of the end zone, broke hard toward the penalty area before Maye had even finished throwing the ball. Lewis made the sliding play to stay in bounds and secured the catch for the big change of possession at that point in the game when the Bills were only ahead by three points. That style of play, even with the Bills losing several starters, helped an overwhelmed defense piece things together into its now-trademark style of bending but not breaking.

Bill’s Ball presented by Cam Lewis!

: @paramountplus & @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/CAg7KMqnCM

– Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 22, 2024

Amari Cooper’s strange usage

When the Bills traded for Amari Cooper on Oct. 15, more than two months ago now, the idea behind the deal was to let him slowly build up to a larger workload and eventually become a regular part of Allen’s roster. A wrist injury during his onboarding process didn’t help, but Cooper has been back for several weeks now and his role is still stagnant at the level it was when he arrived. By my unofficial count, Cooper had just 34 of the team’s 61 offensive shots (including penalties) against the Patriots — and that was a tough battle. Cooper’s 34 snaps ranked fourth among the five available receivers, behind Khalil Shakir (46), Keon Coleman (42) and Mack Hollins (41). Cooper’s involvement in the passing game was also relatively low. He was targeted 14 times against the Rams, but in his five other games, Cooper only had 15 total goals. It’s extremely unexpected that Cooper is still behind Hollins given both of his receiving abilities.

For the most part, Cooper was their fourth receiver. Although they’re still ahead of Curtis Samuel and the rest of the room is healthy, the Bills value having the trio of Shakir, Coleman and Hollins in the game more often than Cooper. While it fulfills their “all for one, one for all” mentality in 2024, it puts Cooper’s future in Buffalo after this season into question. Cooper becomes a free agent in March and turns 31 in June. The longer his commitment remains as a bit player rather than a power player, the less likely he will be back in Buffalo in 2025. There’s still time for Cooper’s role to develop before the postseason, but it may only be a week since the Chiefs are one win away from securing first place and the Bills just one win away from that away from securing at least the No. 2 seed, Week 18 could be completely meaningless for seeding if they get there. Cooper’s overall commitment heading into 2025 will be something to watch next week and in the playoffs.

Bills MVP: RB James Cook – Cook was all-encompassing on offense Sunday, recording 126 yards from scrimmage and both offensive touchdowns against the Patriots. He was the only player the Patriots had no answer for, and he created several explosive plays en route to helping the Bills win.

Bills LVP: CB Kaiir Elam — It was a tough game for Elam as he allowed several big plays while also taking defensive penalties. It seemed like the Patriots had him in their sights on Sunday. The descent from one of the top two cornerbacks to him has become much steeper, which could change some offseason plans at the position.

Next: The 12-3 Bills will face the 4-11 Jets at Orchard Park and have a chance to at least secure the No. 2 seed in the AFC. If the Chiefs defeat the Steelers on Wednesday, the Bills will be unable to secure the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

(Photo by Josh Allen: Timothy T Ludwig / Getty Images)