Bills vs. Packers score, takeaways: Josh Allen fends off Aaron Rodgers as Green Bay drops fourth in a row

The Bills improve to 6-1 on the season with a prime-time win

The Bills moved to 6-1 on the season after taking down the Packers on Sunday night, 27-17. Buffalo entered this game as a double-digit favorite and made quick work to show why jumping out to a 24-7 at the half and it was off to the races from that point forward. Meanwhile, this loss brings Green Bay down to 3-5 on the season, as the Packers have now lost four straight. 

Out of the gate, it looked like Green Bay may be able to give the Bills a game as it forced Josh Allen and the offense into a rare three-and-out on their opening possession. After failing to convert on fourth down on their first offensive series, however, the Packers watched as the Bills piled up 24 points and scored on each of their final four possessions prior to the break. Aaron Rodgers was able to find Romeo Doubs on an impressive 19-yard touchdown catch, but that counterpunch was sandwiched in-between two touchdown drives for Buffalo, which kept the Packers at arms length. 

Green Bay was able to run the ball effectively, but the passing game still proved to be a work in progress. Because their best chance of moving the football came on the ground, it was simply too difficult to keep pace with Buffalo's high-flying offense and chewed plenty of valuable time off the clock. 

In the second half, both quarterbacks turned the ball over. In fact, there were three consecutive drives that resulted in an interception, including Allen tossing picks on back-to-back possessions. After Allen's second pick, the Packers were able to drive 95 yards down the field to cut the lead to 10 points thanks to a 37-yard touchdown catch by Samori Toure. However, that's as close as they'd get to sniffing a win.

Allen completed 13 of his 25 passes for 218 yards, two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions in the win. He also rushed six times for 49 yards. As expected, Stefon Diggs was his go-to target in the passing game, catching six of his eight targets for 108 yards and a touchdown. On the other side, Rodgers was 19 of 30 passing for 203 yards, two touchdowns and a pick. Aaron Jones rushed for 143 yards and added four catches for 14 yards to his totals as well. 

For a more detailed breakdown of how this game unfolded, check out our takeaways below. 

Why the Bills won

Buffalo continued to be one of the most dangerous offenses in the NFL that strike fear into opposing defenses whenever Allen drops back to pass. On any given play, it felt like Allen was capable of blowing the game wide open with a flick of his wrist and he flashed his MVP ceiling in this win. On the Bills' first scoring drive of the night, Allen's skill set was on full display. He rushed for a 20-yard gain to put Buffalo on the 1-yard line. Just two plays later, he used his mobility to keep the play alive and eventually find Dawson Knox for a floater touchdown pass. 

Allen was particularly strong in the face of pressure on Sunday night. According to Next Gen Stats, Allen was pressured on 40.7% of his dropbacks, which is the third-highest rate of his career.  When pressured, he completed six of his nine passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns. 

Specifically, the connection between Allen and Diggs was superb as they connected on a number of key passes, including a 26-yard touchdown that helped build Buffalo's early lead. He also had a 53-yard reception just prior to halftime to set up a Tyler Bass field goal and cap off a first half where they outscored Green Bay 24-7. 

As Allen and Diggs were making waves through the air, Devin Singletary ran the ball well early on in this win and James Cook continues to flash his potential as a game-breaker in the backfield as well. As a team, Buffalo rushed for 153 yards and averaged 5.7 yards per carry. 

Defensively, Buffalo had no real answer for the Packers running game, but their offense was putting up points in such a quick fashion that it didn't seem to matter, especially with Green Bay not having much consistency going in the passing game

Why the Packers lost

As has been the case throughout the season, the inability to have consistent production in the passing game was evident in this loss. Despite finishing with 203 yards passing, Rodgers was held under 100 yards passing for a large majority of this game. With Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb inactive and Christian Watson leaving this game in the first half due to a concussion, it was clear that Rodgers didn't have a rapport with a lot of his pass catchers. 

That was particularly notable in the final stages of this game as the Packers were trying to get within a field goal by running a two-minute offense. That unit didn't seem to have the wherewithal or the practice reps required to run a two-minute drill effectively and too much time was chewed off the clock and made any thought of a comeback pretty unrealistic. 

The only way the Packers consistently moved the football was on the ground. However, that avenue was taking too long to produce results. For example, it took them 12 plays and 8:38 to travel 80 yards on their first touchdown drive of the day and was spearheaded by a ground attack. Meanwhile, the pass-heavy Bills needed just eight plays to travel the same distance and score a touchdown on the very next possession. It also took them essentially half the time to do it (4:21). With the passing game really nonexistent on a consistent basis, it really didn't matter that Green Bay put up 208 rushing on a 6.7-yards-per-carry clip. 

Turning point

After the Packers cut the Buffalo lead to just seven points thanks to a 12-play touchdown drive in the second quarter, the Bills eliminated any realistic shot of this becoming a game with their next two possessions just prior to halftime.

They traveled 80 yards in just over four minutes and capped off their first drive with an Isaiah McKenzie touchdown to bring the lead back to double digits. After forcing Green Bay to punt after a brief possession that lasted 61 seconds, the Bills retained possession with less than a minute to play and traveled 56 yards down the field to set up a 42-yard field goal by Bass to to extend the lead to 17 by the break and cap off a 10-0 run. 

That field goal drive was sparked by a 53-yard reception by Diggs on the very first play. 

That 10-point outburst in the span of just over five minutes created enough cushion that the Bills could be outscored by the Packers in the second and and it really didn't make much of a difference. 

Play of the game

Down by 14 and facing a second-and-12 from just inside the red zone, Rodgers tossed a pass to Romeo Doubs in the right corner of the end zone. With a defender draped over him, the rookie wideout spun his body all the way around, secured the ball, and maintained possession as he went down to the ground for the touchdown. 

With both Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb inactive for this game due to injury and fellow rookie receiver Christian Watson leaving this game early due to a concussion, Doubs was a main target for Rodgers in the passing game. He saw a team-high seven targets, which he turned into four catches for 62 yards and that score.  

What's next

From here, the Bills will gear up for a trip to East Rutherford as they'll visit the Jets for a Week 9 matchup at MetLife Stadium. As for the Packers, they'll finish up their two-game road trip when they take on the Lions in Detroit on Sunday in their first matchup of the season with their NFC North foe. 

[Oct 30, 2022 at 11:25 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Not even close on the field goal, and it's game over. Bills will improve to 6-1, Packers drop to 3-5. 

[Oct 30, 2022 at 11:23 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Packers trying for the 55-yard field goal and then onside kick. A very low-percentage series of plays needs to work out for them. 

[Oct 30, 2022 at 11:21 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Amari Rodgers with his first big play of the night! Goes up over the top of Kaiir Elam for a nice gain.

[Oct 30, 2022 at 11:16 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Tonyan should have gone out of bounds there. The 20 seconds are more valuable to the Packers than the extra 4 yards he gained.

[Oct 30, 2022 at 11:15 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

2:34 to make up a 10-point lead? If anyone can do it, it's Aaron Rodgers. They might need to undo the Davante Adams trade to get it done, though.

[Oct 30, 2022 at 11:14 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Wow. Allen had Jake Kumerow absolutely wide open and just completely air mailed it. It looks like the Bills would have been flagged for ineligible man downfield anyway. 

[Oct 30, 2022 at 11:12 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Stefon Diggs keeps coming onto the field between plays to talk more trash after the Packers call a timeout, even though he hasn't been on the field for the last few plays for the Bills. 

[Oct 30, 2022 at 11:09 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

One more first down and the Bills will be able to kneel on it.

[Oct 30, 2022 at 11:07 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

There's the new-and-improved version of the quarterback sneak, where teams either send a guy in motion or line somebody up behind the quarterback and have them push him forward for a few yards.

[Oct 30, 2022 at 11:04 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Let's see if the Bills can work the clock down enough to take away any chance the Packers have of staging a miracle comeback.

[Oct 30, 2022 at 10:59 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Samori Toure finds himself WIDE the hack open behind the defense. Beat Damar Hamlin in the middle of the field and came away with the first touchdown catch of his career! 

[Oct 30, 2022 at 10:56 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Hey there's Romeo Doubs! He was on the receiving end of the biggest pass play of the game for Green Bay earlier.

[Oct 30, 2022 at 10:54 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Jordan Poyer is on the sideline for the Bills, apparently with some sort of wrap on his elbow. That brings Jaquan Johnson into the lineup. Bills already down Micah Hyde for the rest of the season.

[Oct 30, 2022 at 10:50 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

And now Allen throws the ball to absolutely nowhere again. Packers technically have some new life. Last time that happened, Rodgers was picked on the very next play.

[Oct 30, 2022 at 10:49 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Allen threw that before Diggs was even ready to make his break. Usually that's a good thing but not when you're throwing 100 MPH fastballs at the goal line.

[Oct 30, 2022 at 10:48 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

The Packers cannot stop the Bills.

[Oct 30, 2022 at 10:44 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

...and the Bills get an interception right back in the next play. Matt Milano almost had one earlier, and now he gets one here.

[Oct 30, 2022 at 10:41 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Rasul Douglas with a diving interception of Allen over the middle! Didn't look like there was anything there. Not at all sure where he was going with the ball.

[Oct 30, 2022 at 10:38 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Stefon Diggs continues to jaw at Jaire Alexander. I thought Diggs was drawing a hit on a defenseless receiver penalty on that last play, but instead it's illegal hands to the face on Rasul Douglas working against Isaiah McKenzie in the slot.

[Oct 30, 2022 at 10:35 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

A rare missed connection from Allen and Diggs deep down the field. Eric Stokes on the coverage this time.

[Oct 30, 2022 at 10:33 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

The Packers were having success running up the middle from spread-out formations, so I am not sure why they then crowded the line of scrimmage to run up the middle on fourth-and-1. Taron Johnson came off the slot to get right into the backfield and stop Jones well short of a first.

[Oct 30, 2022 at 10:27 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

That jet flip pass to Aaron Jones was pretty badly telegraphed. Von Miller beat about three guys to stop him from turning the corner.

[Oct 30, 2022 at 10:25 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

A.J. Dillon back in the game despite that nasty-looking hit earlier. Good sign for Green Bay to see him hit a couple ice runs and pick up a first.

[Oct 30, 2022 at 10:24 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Packers ran up against the play clock on that third down but got Aaron Jones up the middle for a first down. They need to figure out a way to break off a big play, though.

[Oct 30, 2022 at 10:18 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Allen was carrying that ball very precariously, but he hangs onto it and gets the Bills into better position for a Tyler Bass field goal.

[Oct 30, 2022 at 10:15 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Josh Allen is just unfair. Pocket collapsing around him and he just beats three guys to the edge and picks up a first down. 

[Oct 30, 2022 at 10:13 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

And now Diggs is back on the field for the third play of the drive. Seems like he's fine.

[Oct 30, 2022 at 10:12 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Stefon Diggs briefly visited the medical tent after his big catch at the end of the first half and was not on the field for the first play of the second half. Haven't seen anything about whether he has been ruled out but notable.