Allen, Davis fail to connect on winning TD vs. Eagles

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Josh Allen, Gabe Davis fail to connect on winning touchdown vs. Eagles

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 11/26/23

The Buffalo Bills lost 34-31 to the Philadelphia Eagles in overtime on Sunday during a thrilling Week 12 game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, and the AFC squad missed a great opportunity to win the game in the extra period.

The Bills got the ball first in overtime and drove 53 yards on 12 plays. They had the ball on the Philly 22 for a third-and-6, and that’s when Josh Allen appeared to find Gabe Davis for a winning touchdown.

But there was one problem: Allen passed the ball towards the middle, while Davis went toward the corner of the end zone.

Josh Allen and Gabe Davis were this close to winning the game in OT for the Bills pic.twitter.com/YvwKsVbqZY

— Jeff Eisenband (@JeffEisenband) November 27, 2023

After the pass went incomplete, the Bills kicked a field goal to take a 31-28 lead. That gave the Eagles the ball. Philly drove down the field and scored on a touchdown run by Jalen Hurts to win 34-31. That proved the missed connection between Allen and Davis to be extremely costly.

So, who was at fault over the missed connection between Allen and Davis?

CBS announcer Tony Romo said that the route probably called for Davis to cut back to the corner. However, he noted that once you beat your man as Davis did, a receiver would be expected to continue going past the defensive back.

So Davis likely stuck to the route that was called, while Allen was adapting to what unfolded on the play. The result is that the two not being on the same page cost the Bills a chance to win the game.

Buffalo is now 6-6 following the loss, while Philly is 10-1.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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