NFL action is back on Amazon Prime this evening, and this is your one-stop shop for all the Thursday Night Football highlights from the Week 8 clash between the Buffalo Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Tonight’s matchup between the Bills and Bucs is a pivotal early-season game for both. After the first few weeks of the season, the two teams were two of the best in their respective conferences. However, both have hit a bit of a slump.
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Quarterback Josh Allen and Buffalo could have easily lost three straight if not for barely surviving a Week 6 game against the struggling New York Giants. If they hope to keep pace with the Miami Dolphins in the AFC East, they need to post a win on Thursday and move their record to 5-3. A loss would mean falling to .500 and some in the organization may start to panic.
After scoring three victories in their first four games, and looking like they would race to the NFC South title again this season, Baker Mayfield and the Bucs have struggled in recent weeks. They have lost two straight and their run game has become a serious weakness hindering them each week. Tonight might be a chance to break out of that rut with Buffalo being a bottom-10 team when it comes to stopping the run this season.
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With all of that in mind, get a look at all the key Thursday Night Football highlights to kick off NFL Week 8.
Thursday Night Football highlights in NFL Week 8
Below you can find all the top highlights from the Thursday evening clash on Amazon Prime between the Buffalo Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Also, get a look at some of the players who are hobbled or expected to miss the team’s matchup in Week 8.
After limiting the Bucs to a six-play drive to open the game, the Bills got the ball and had some early success. The standout moment came a couple of minutes into the game when Khalil Shakir showed off his shiftiness and durability during a big gainer that got the team into Tampa Bay territory.
The Bucs were able to slow down Buffalo’s progress, but they were still able to put three on the board from a 37-yard field goal from Tyler Bass.
Following the field goal, Tampa drove down the field and attempted their own kick to tie the game, however, the 50-yarder was blocked and gave Buffalo the ball back near the 50.
The Bills had another solid drive that again was highlighted by a big play from Shakir (below). But again, the Tampa defense stiffened. This time at the goal line and they were able to earn a stop on fourth and short and turn their opponents over on down.
Deep in their own territory, the Buccaneers had trouble getting out of their own end zone and unfortunately went three and out after earning a big defensive stop. Once Buffalo got the ball back, they were able to quickly get down the field.
On a 2nd and 12 near the red zone, Allen showed his dual-threat talents when he was able to use nifty footwork to score the game’s first touchdown on an impressive run to push the Bills lead to 10-0.
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After falling down by 10, the Buccaneers were able to finally get their first points on the board via an impressive 57-yard field goal. With a little momentum going their way finally, they were able to capitalize on a blitz and tip by William Gholston that led to a big interception for Tampa on the next drive.
The team made the most of the turnover when they were able to score quickly on their next drive, which concluded with a TD pass to Chris Godwin to tie the game at 10 midway through the third quarter.
With the game all of a sudden tied, the Bills did not rest on their laurels and fired back with a strong drive of their own. After eight plays that took them deep into Tampa territory, Allen connected with rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid on a 22-yard touchdown pass to give Buffalo the lead back.
Buffalo got the ball first in the second half and continued the hot play they had to end the second quarter. Despite concerns about his shoulder, Josh Allen led his team on an impressive nine-play, 75-yard drive that was capped off with another TD pass for the QB, this time to wide receiver Gabe Davis. The score gave them their biggest lead of the night at 24-10.
Following the touchdown, much of the third quarter became a defensive battle as the two teams traded drives and the score remained the same heading into the fourth quarter.
The score stayed the same until the final three minutes of the fourth when some helpful calls were able to help Tampa drive down the field and put the ball in the end zone off a great catch from Mike Evans. In a show of more evidence that the momentum was finally behind them, they even scored on a two-point conversion via a lucky tip off a helmet to get the game to within six at 24-18.
In the end, it wasn’t enough as the Bills were able to kill most of the clock left and leave Tampa with too little time to get the touchdown they needed to win the game in the final second. Buffalo Bills 24, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 18.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers injury report
- Matt Feiler (knee) – Out
- Kaevon Merriweather (ankle) – Out
- Chris Godwin (neck) – Questionable
- Baker Mayfield (knee) – Questionable
- Vita Vea (groin) – Questionable
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Buffalo Bills injury report
- Dawson Knox (wrist) – Out
- Baylon Spector (hamstring) – Out
- Quintin Morris (ankle) – Out
- Ed Oliver (toe) – Questionable
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