The 2025 Buffalo Bills season has been written, but the book is incomplete. Before we cast our full attention toward the 2026 season, let’s take one last glance back over our shoulder for our annual look at the Plays That Defined the prior campaign.
For any newcomers, first and foremost; Welcome! When it comes to the “rules” of this exercise, we’re not voting for our favorite highlight necessarily, but the one that best captures the essence of the game. Put differently, if you had to choose just one play
to show someone to explain as much of the contest as possible, which would you choose?
Week 11: Buffalo Bills vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bills returned to Orchard Park, NY with their tail between their legs after giving away a division game to the Miami Dolphins. But Florida came back with them in the form of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With both teams sitting at 6-3, and both coming off a loss, the game felt like a bit of a toss-up.
Don’t let the final score of a 12-point win for Buffalo twist your perception of the contest. A shootout with 10 lead changes, Buffalo’s double-digit victory was decided by the last few possessions. And as you’ll see, there’s a good argument to be made that the Bucs may as well have handed the win to the Bills with late-game decisions.
Mecole Hardman Jr.’s big return (Q1; 8:54)
In a shootout, every advantage matters. Tampa Bay had drawn first blood with a field goal. Anxious to respond, Mecole Hardman Jr. got the Bills started off in a big way. This big return sparked Buffalo’s first touchdown drive of the game.
Tyrell Shavers’ TD (Q2; 9:01)
If you’re curious, no this is not that touchdown. Josh Allen and the Bills were stymied on the ground (mostly, see below). How did they respond? Air dominance. Three touchdowns and 317 yards passing is a good day at the office. Of the three passing touchdowns, it was hard to pick a favorite but this diving grab from Tyrell Shavers after a magic act by Allen in the pocket won me over.
Mecole Hardman’s fumble (Q3, 11:20)
Buffalo wasn’t perfect however, committing three turnovers. Arguably, I should have gone with an Allen interception as he had two, but both of those turned into three points total for the Buccaneers. Hardman’s fumble isn’t necessarily more egregious when it comes to the action itself, but the responding touchdown from Tampa Bay made it the most costly.
Tampa Bay incomplete pass (Q4, 7:32)
I had a tough time picking which late-game throw to use for this as the Bucs really shouldn’t have been throwing at all. Or very little anyway. Okay, fine. Their final drive down by 12 with 2:35 on the clock, I’ll give them that. However…
When you’re up by two points in the third quarter and you have two running backs averaging more than five yards a carry, I’m not sure why the play calls were run, pass, pass. Especially when that run gained four yards. On that drive it cost them dearly as Cole Bishop picked off Baker Mayfield, which was immediately followed by a Bills touchdown.
The play I chose though was this one. Down by five with over nine minutes left, they again chose run, pass, pass. Between the first two plays they gained eight yards, so it’s hard to condemn the first pass. Inexplicably though, they called the play you see above on 3rd & 2, and it backfired.
Even more absurd is the drive between these two they went run, pass, run, run, run, scramble, run, run, pass. Sure that final pass was a long touchdown, but it was set up by a successful running game.
Josh Allen’s rushing TD (Q4; 2:42)
The only exception to the Bills’ run game woes was Josh Allen who added three touchdowns on the ground. If you did the quick math, yes that means Josh Allen accounted for six touchdowns in this game. This was not only the one I think was best, but it was the final nail in the coffin for Tampa Bay.
