Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen didn’t get much help from his wide receivers in Sunday’s Week 11 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Tyrell Shavers, who saw a bump in playing time after the team announced former second-round pick Keon Coleman would be a healthy scratch after showing up late to a team meeting on Friday, was the lone exception.
Through the first three quarters, Shavers had four catches for 90 yards and a touchdown, including a 43-yard score in the second quarter, but everyone else left much to be desired.
Running backs Ty Johnson (2 catches, 61 yards, 1 TD) and James Cook (two catches, 43 yards, 1 TD) carried the passing game as receivers Curtis Samuel (2 catches, 19 yards), Joshua Palmer (1 catch, 13 yards), Gabe Davis (1 catch, 7 yards), and Khalil Shakir (1 catch, -3 yards) struggled to make much of an impact.
Ty Johnson Likely to be Fined for TD Celebration
Though Johnson’s 52-yard touchdown was a highlight of the game, it will likely also land him in hot water with the league.
After racing into the end zone, Johnson grabbed his right hamstring and feigned an injury before falling to the turf while hip-thrusting and banging his hand on the ground. CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones hinted Johnson’s wallet could take a hit because of the celebration.
As harmless as Johnson’s celebration may seem, it’s likely to lead to a big fine from the NFL for an obscene gesture. The league hit Carolina Panthers RB Rico Dowdle with a $14,491 fine for a similar gesture a little over a week ago.
The former 1,000-yard rusher joked that he didn’t expect to get fined because he believed the league allowed players two hip-thrusts without consequence.
“From my understanding and everything I’ve learned — we go over stuff like this every week in the meeting room — I definitely think you’re supposed to get two pumps,” Dowdle said after the incident.
While most NFL players might not bat an eye at a $15,000 fine, it’s actually quite a lot of money for Johnson, who makes just $2.5 million per year.
Josh Allen Continues MVP-Level Play
GettyBuffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen scored 6 touchdowns against the Tamp Bay Buccaneers in Week 11
Entering Sunday’s game against the Bucs, Allen ranked in or near the top 10 in most major passing categories. His 70.3 completion percentage ranked 4th, his 105.7 passer rating 7th, his 2,139 passing yards ranked 12th, and his 15 touchdown passes were 13th.
But he had his best game of the season when the Bills needed him most.
Against the Bucs, Allen threw for 317 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions while adding 40 yards rushing and three more scores. It was the second 3-passing touchdown game of the season for Allen, and the fourth game this year in which he had 2 or more rushing touchdowns.
If Allen were to win the MVP this season, he would be the first back-to-back winner of the award since Aaron Rodgers won two straight with the Green Bay Packers in 2020 and 2021.
Since 2000, only two players — Rodgers and Peyton Manning — have won back-to-back MVP award. In fact, Manning did it twice (2003-2004 and 2008-2009).
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