Game Recap

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Bills 37, Commanders 3 | Game Recap, highlights + stats to know

Sep 24, 2023 at 04:25 PM

Patrick Warren

Contributing Correspondent

The Buffalo Bills got their second win in a row in a dominant road victory over the Washington Commanders. The defense had four interceptions and the offense held the fearsome Commanders' pass rush to no sacks and a single quarterback hit.

Linebacker Terrel Bernard was all over the field Sunday, snagging the first interception of the day and tallying two sacks, seven total tackles, one pass defensed and a fumble recovery. Bernard, who got the first and second sack of his career Sunday, also had an interception in last week's win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Safety Micah Hyde and cornerback Tre'Davious White also finished the game with an interception. After missing most of last season with a neck injury, Hyde's pick was his first since Jan. 15, 2022 against the New England Patriots. White prevented another potential scoring drive by picking off Howell in the end zone.

In the fourth quarter, A.J. Epenesa recorded his first career interception as Howell attempted to sail a pass over the 6-foot-6 defensive end. Epenesa snatched the ball out of midair and ran it back for a 32-yard touchdown. Epenesa also finished the game with a sack.

Quarterback Josh Allen looked sharp, completing 20 of his 32 passing attempts for a touchdown and an interception. He also had 46 yards on the ground, including a 10-yard touchdown scramble. Allen led the Bills to their ninth victory over Washington in their last 10 matchups, finding nine different receivers in the process. The Bills offense converted nine of their 15 third downs.

Wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who made a return to his home state of Maryland, finished the game with eight receptions for 111 yards, becoming just the sixth active player with over 9,000 receiving yards.

James Cook had 98 yards on the ground, including a 34-yard run that set up the Bills' final touchdown of the game. He added 14 yards off of two receptions. Running back Latavius Murray had a touchdown for the second straight week.

The Bills' first touchdown of the game came courtesy of wide receiver Gabe Davis, who recorded a touchdown in his second-straight game. After a 23-yard punt return from Deonte Harty and an offensive holding penalty called against Washington, Josh Allen needed just one play to find Davis on a 35-yard pass to the end zone for Buffalo's longest touchdown of the season.

Washington's best chance of finding the end zone came on the following drive, but Buffalo's defense forced a turnover on downs at their own 2-yard line. The Bills' front finished with nine sacks, 15 quarterback hits and 10 tackles for loss. Howell was held to just a 41.5 passer rating.

Accounting for 13 of Buffalo's 37 points, Tyler Bass continued his perfect streak, hitting field goals from 54, 36 and 32 yards and going 3-for-3 on extra points. His 54-yarder came after a 15-play, 62-yard drive that took 9:47 off the clock, marking the longest drive of the season for Buffalo.

The Bills will host the Miami Dolphins in Highmark Stadium next week at 1 p.m.

Related Links

Washington Commanders vs Buffalo Bills, Regular Season, September 24, 2023 at FedEx Field.

Key Stats and Facts to Know:

Stefon Diggs became just the sixth active wide receiver with 9,000 or more receiving yards. Diggs, who was born in Maryland, has 25 receptions for 353 yards and a touchdown across three professional games played in his home state.
Running back James Cook, who is fresh off the birth of his daughter, had his fifth game in a row with over 50 yards from scrimmage. Cook finished with 112 all-purpose yard, the fourth time in his career that he has eclipsed 100 total yards.
Dawson Knox passed Charles Clay for the fifth-most receiving yards in Bills history among tight ends on an 11-yard reception, his only catch of the day. Knox now has 1,826 career receiving yards.
Terrel Bernard had his second straight interception, becoming the second Bills defender this season to have back-to-back games with interceptions. Matt Milano had interceptions against the New York Jets and the Las Vegas Raiders. Bernard also became the first NFL player to record multiple sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery in the same game since Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher in 2007.
Defensive end Leonard Floyd finished the game with a pair of sacks, the 50th and 51st of his career. Floyd has 3.5 sacks on the season.
The Bills' 9 sacks Sunday are tied for the teams' second-highest in the Super Bowl era, behind a 10-sack performance against Washington in 2011.