During the week six matchup for the Buffalo Bills, the team faced off against the New York Giants at home in Buffalo.
For older fans, it’s always a spectacle when these two teams see each other not only because they are both teams representing New York State, but also because of Super Bowl XXV, where the Giants and Bills competed in a low scoring affair that resulted in the Giants pulling away with the 20-19 win. This marked the Bills’ first Super Bowl loss of four in a row. The closeness of this game and the loss as a result of a botched field goal attempt left a bitter taste in many Bills’ fans mouths.
Just like the Superbowl that was played between the two teams over 30 years ago, this game too turned out to be a low scoring affair, with a final result of just 14-9. This time, however, the Bills came out as the victors, though in an ugly fashion.
The Bills came into this game with a 3-2 record, coming off a tough week five loss to the Jaguars in London. The Giants came into this game at 1-4, coming off three somewhat embarrassing losses in a row. The Giants’ rough start to their season has been a surprise to many, as they were expected to build off of their impressive playoff run last season. The Giants also came into this game suffering a key loss to their offense, as starting QB Daniel Jones didn’t play this past Sunday due to injury.
The first drive of the game for the Bills looked promising as Josh Allen was connecting with receivers Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis early on. However, on a second and 10 play that looked like it would result in a big gain for Davis, ultimately resulted in a fumble that was recovered by the Giants. The Giants’ first drive would be more fruitful than the Bills, as some impressive throws from Giants backup QB (and former Bills starting QB) Tyrod Taylor to receivers Darius Slayton and Wandale Robinson would result in a successful field goal attempt. This put the Giants up 3-0 towards the end of the first quarter of play.
The Bills’ second drive would also be somewhat of a letdown, as the drive included a 29-yard completion from Allen to Diggs. That once-promising drive would end in the Bills again putting no points up on the board. The Giants’ second drive would end in a similar result, as the offense could not get going and a sack from Bills DE AJ Epenesa on third down would seal the deal.
The Bills’ third drive would result in the Bills again moving their way down the field well, however, they would end up settling for a field goal, which was missed by kicker Tyler Bass. The Giants’ third drive would result in another slate of impressive throws from Taylor which would push the Giants into field goal range and the Giants walked away from this drive with another three points, pushing their lead to 6-0 over the Bills.
The rest of the first half would be much of the same from both sides, where both offenses failed to get into gear and no more points were put up from either side. Josh Allen threw an interception to Micah McFadden just before the two minute warning, ending an extremely poor showing from the Bills in the first half off on a sour note. On the Giants’ side, the first half ended with a missed opportunity for more points by the Giants due to poor clock management by head coach Brian Daboll. The score at the end of the half would be 6-0 in favor of the Giants.
Despite the poor showing from the Bills’ offense in the first half of the game, the second half would prove to be the momentum shift they needed to secure the win over the Giants.
The Giants would get the ball at the start of the second half, but could not get much going ending the drive with an early punt. The Bills first drive of the second half would finally result in points going up on the board, as the long drive by the team would end in Allen throwing a touchdown pass to Deonte Harty for the first touchdown of the night, putting the Bills up 7-6 over the Giants early in the fourth quarter.
The Giants would answer the Bills touchdown, however, as a quick drive from the Giants’ offense would result in them putting up three more points, giving them the lead back and putting them up 9-7 over the Bills. The Bills got the ball back and wasted no time getting back down the field for another touchdown, settling into their groove in the fourth quarter.
On a broken play where it looked like Allen would get sacked, he found space between two defenders to locate tight end Quintin Morris, putting the Bills up 14-9 late in the fourth. This score would be the nail in the coffin, as the Giants were unable to put any more points on the board, and the Bills secured the win.
The win for the Bills moves them to 4-2 on the season and second place in the AFC East behind the 5-1 Miami Dolphins. They travel to see the 1-5 Patriots in Foxborough next Sunday. The loss for the Giants moves them to 1-5 on the season and last place in the NFC East.
The Giants will see the 3-3 Commanders in East Rutherford next Sunday. Bills QB Josh Allen finished the game with 169 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, and Bills WR Stefon Diggs ended the game with 10 receptions for 100 yards. Giants QB Tyrod Taylor ended the game with 200 yards and no scores and Giants RB Saquon Barkley ended the game with 93 rushing yards.