Josh Allen plays fantasy football, too. In the real world, however, the play he made in Sunday’s snowy, 35-10 win over the 49ers might’ve won him the MVP. The official boxscore listed it as, “J.Allen 7 yd. pass play by J.Allen.”
With just under 6 minutes left in the third quarter, Allen fired a pass behind intended receiver Amari Cooper. The Bills’ newest player, Cooper still made the catch as he drifted toward the inside but before he went down, he spotted Allen drifting in his direction. The quarterback took Cooper’s lateral and beat three 49ers by diving to the pylon for a spectacular touchdown.
“Yeah, I threw a bad ball,” Allen told NBC’s Melissa Stark on the field after the win, which clinched the AFC East and a sixth consecutive playoff berth for the Bills. “I was worried it was going to be tipped up in the air and picked. I was just kind of chasing it. I made eye contact with Coop, he’s a vet, he saw me, I put my hands out, he tossed it to me and I had to make a play.”
Then, on live television, Allen asked Stark to confirm what he thought he heard her say in the question: Yes, he gets a touchdown pass and a touchdown reception on the same play.
“And Cris Collinsworth is very excited because he started you on his fantasy team,” Stark told Allen.
“I love that,” Allen replied. “So did I.”
Allen became the first quarterback in NFL history to record passing, rushing and receiving touchdowns in the same game. His favorite touchdown wasn’t the lateral from Cooper, however. It was his 7-yard pass to Mack Hollins at the end of the first half, capping a nine-play, 97-yard drive that gave Buffalo a 28-3 lead at halftime.
“We’ve worked on this play a lot,” Allen said. “Finally gave him a high-enough fade ball where he can go up and get it. He made a play for me. I love that guy. He deserves all the credit and I’m glad I can get him another touchdown.”
And the Bills were glad to have a little fun for once this season. Allen left the interview and, on the way to the locker room, did snow angels with head coach Sean McDermott.
James Cook racked up 107 yards and a touchdown on only 14 carries, averaging 7.6 yards per tote. Backup Ray Davis added 11 carries for 63 yards and a score as the Bills totaled 220 yards, their most since they had 266 in a 31-10 win over Dallas on Dec. 17, 2023.
The Bills now face a pair of steep tests, a cross-country road trip to play the upstart Rams (6-6) next week, followed by a showdown back at home against the 11-1 Lions in Week 15.
San Francisco, already decimated with injuries, sustained another crushing blow on Sunday night. After battling most of the season to return to the lineup, running back Christian McCaffrey sustained what is believed to be a PCL tear in his knee that could keep him out for the rest of the year.
The 49ers (5-6) have lost three straight entering their Week 14 game at home against Caleb Williams and the Bears. It’ll be the debut of Chicago interim head coach Thomas Brown.
For more information on the Bills and 49ers, visit the Buffalo and San Francisco team pages at ProFootballPost.com.
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