What we learned from Sunday’s games

What we learned from Sunday’s games

FULL BOX SCORE

Grant Gordon’s insights:

  1. Allen makes everything in the MVP statement. Not long after Saquon Barkley-led Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Lamar JacksonJosh Allen, leading the Baltimore Ravens in a game full of MVP talk, said hold back my very, very cold drink. Despite the steady, heavy snowfall, Allen was productive – and acrobatic – in a Buffalo win that secured the AFC East title and made him a Play-of-the-Year contender. Allen became the first NFL quarterback in history to record passing, rushing and receiving touchdowns in the same game, depending on what is recorded in the scorebook when he passes a touchdown to himself. Allen was already leading 21-7 in the third quarter and threw a dart into the target Amari Cooperwho stood up and threw it back to Allen. The QB sprinted to the pylon and held out his hand for a score. It was a never-before-seen play in an Allen-driven blowout. He was credited with two TDs in the game – one passing and one receiving TD, as he became only the fourth player in NFL history to do so. He previously had a TD throw and completed the historic trifecta with an 8-yard run. Unlike Barkley or Jackson, he also secured a bid for the postseason in just 13 weeks. Allen made his final statement on MVP candidacy and, more importantly, led his Bills on a giant step forward toward their ultimate goal, Super Bowl success.
  2. San Francisco – and probably its season – lost in the snow. Against the backdrop of a snowy night, the 49ers in their white jerseys seemed to temporarily disappear. Perhaps it was a fitting portrait of their season, as the longtime NFC giants have been plagued with injuries compounded by subpar performances from their stars and scoring woes. In a microcosm that took place inside a snow globe, this was the story of San Francisco. Christian McCaffreywhose calf/Achilles tendon injuries led to team health issues early in the season, suffered a knee injury that could end his season. Jake Moody missed two field goals in the icy conditions.Deebo Samuel had just 20 yards on five catches. SF had three turnovers. And the 49ers are playing without it Brandon Aiyuk, Nick Bosa Trent Williams and many others fell to 5-7 with their third straight loss. The 49ers are cold and hurt, in last place in their division and will leave Western New York with a seemingly snowball’s chance of making the playoffs in the NFC West.
  3. Don’t forget the D. Offensive highlights will always overshadow the defensive play, but Buffalo’s performance on both sides of the ball was outstanding. The Bills overwhelmed the 49ers Gregory Rousseau Continuing his sensational campaign, Matt Milano back, healthy and contribution-oriented, Terrel Bernard It devoured tackles and many others that contributed to an all-round crushing performance. Buffalo thrived on offense, scoring touchdowns or making three-pointers on its first eight drives. But after the Bills overcame an early 3-0 deficit, this game stalled and the defense played a huge role as the Niners struggled with just three third-down conversions and 239 yards. Regardless of whether this was a fair fight, it doesn’t matter given the injuries and the weather. Not to mention, after both Super Bowl LVIII participants scored a combined 31 points in their last two games, the Bills have won at least one home playoff game. Opponents will have to get used to facing big, bad Buffalos in the elements.

Insight into the next generation of stats for the 49ers-Bills (via NFL Pro): Buffalo’s Josh Allen, who became the fourth player in NFL history to record a receiving touchdown on a pass he threw, scored when he threw a pass to Amari Cooper, which was redirected back to Allen. Allen accelerated from 9.70 mph to 16.61 mph in 1.8 seconds, beating the linebacker Dee Winters to the pylon to touch down.

NFL Research: Bills QB Josh Allen passed Hall of Famer Jim Kelly (244) for the most touchdowns in franchise history. Allen, who had four touchdowns (two passing, one receiving, one rushing) on ​​Sunday, now has 248 in his career. That includes two receiving TDs.

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