ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Something about the NFC West has brought the best out of the Buffalo Bills this season.
Buffalo (7-2) improved to 2-0 against the NFC West with a resounding 44-34 win on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. On paper, this game had the makings of a shootout with two of the league's leading passers in Josh Allen and Russell Wilson; the real-life product did not disappoint.
Allen outdueled the MVP front-runner Wilson, completing 31 of 38 passes, tying a career high with 415 yards and three touchdowns and adding a fourth touchdown on the ground to put the Bills up three scores. It was a dream matchup against a Seattle defense that came in allowing nearly 360 passing yards per game.
It marked a signature win for a Bills team that has now won three straight, and it signals a pivotal point in Allen's career. Buffalo put the ball in his hands early and dialed up a pass-heavy script to exploit Seattle's weakness. General manager Brandon Beane said this offseason that his team wanted to be able to win games when the plan called for it to throw the ball 40 times.
Allen didn't quite hit 40 attempts, but he did prove himself more than capable of winning games with his arm -- even when one of the league's superstars is standing on the opposite sideline.
Describe the game in two words: Constant action. Out of 23 combined possessions, only four ended in anything other than points or a turnover (excluding Buffalo's final possession to end the game). The teams also combined for 78 points, 839 yards of offense and 12 sacks.
QB breakdown: Wilson entered the game as the NFL's premier passer, but Allen outperformed him with what could possibly be the best game of his career. He started hot, completing 20 of 24 passes for 282 yards and three scores in the first half -- the best half of football he's played since entering the league in 2018. Allen's 154 passing yards in the first quarter represented his highest total in a single quarter. Considering Seattle's league-worst pass defense, the Bills needed Allen to return to his early-season form, and he delivered.
Pivotal play: Facing third-and-25 midway through the fourth quarter, Wilson fired a pass to DK Metcalf on a corner route. Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White initially covered Seattle receiver David Moore in the flat, opening the deep sideline for Metcalf -- or so Wilson thought. White left Moore and dropped back into a Cover 4 zone and intercepted Wilson's pass, returning it to the Seahawks' 3-yard line. Allen scored on the Bills' first play following the interception to put them up by an insurmountable three-score lead. It was one of four turnovers Buffalo forced Sunday, each of which turned into points for the Bills.