Game Recap

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Bills 33, Raiders 30 | Final Score, recap + highlights

Oct 18, 2026 at 08:05 PM

Mike Maynard

Seasonal Writing Associate

Location: Allegiant Stadium

Final score: Bills 33 Raiders 30

Records: Bills (5-1), Raiders (3-3)

Next opponent: Bills vs. Ravens Sunday, Nov. 1 at 1:00 p.m. EST

The Buffalo Bills held on for a 33-30 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday afternoon, with a crazy second half eventually making the difference. The two teams were tied at the break, but the Bills made the game-winning plays down the stretch to head back to Western New York with another one in the win column.

Game Recap

Buffalo's defense especially looked like a rejuvenated unit to begin the second half. The group forced a quick three-and-out on the opening possession, with an even better showing on the following drive.

ILB Dorian Williams lurked over the middle on the second play of the possession, following Raiders QB Kirk Cousins' eyes in the backfield. Cousins threw a pass in his direction, with Williams jumping the route for his first career interception.

The ensuing possession looked like it was fizzling out 12 yards from the end zone, with the Bills facing a third and eight. QB Josh Allen took the shotgun snap, with defenders quickly closing the pocket behind him.

Stepping up toward the line of scrimmage, Allen hit a Raider defender with a basketball-esque stepback move, drawing five other defenders toward him. The 30-year-old's Houdini act wasn't done there, flipping a shovel pass over the collapsing defenders and into a waiting WR Keon Coleman's hands in the middle of the end zone to take a 23-13 lead.

The 12-yard touchdown pass was the 258th of Allen's career through the air across both regular season and playoff games, tying Jim Kelly for the most in Buffalo Bills history.

In the win, Allen finished with 255 through the air and two touchdowns. After a big rushing performance last week, the signal caller was limited to just one yard on the ground on Sunday.

Allen nearly had another passing touchdown on the possession prior, with an 18-yard strike to TE Dalton Kincaid on fourth down being nullified due to a holding penalty. The Bills settled for their third field goal of the game, taking the first lead of the second half.

Buffalo's defensive success continued through the end of the third and into the beginning of the fourth quarter as well.

Despite three third-down conversions and 15 total plays, Las Vegas couldn't punch the ball in from the one-yard line. A tackle for loss from DL Greg Gaines and a pass deflection by CB Davsion Igbinosun forced a chip-shot 23-yard field goal.

The Raiders offense didn't go down without a fight, getting the ball back down 23-16 with just under 12 minutes to play. Cousins led an impressive 91-yard drive down the field, including 47 yards through the air to his TE Brock Bowers.

It seemed the Bills may have another red zone stand on their hands, forcing a third-and-eight from the 11-yard line. Cousins layered a beautiful ball over a defender just inside the front right pylon to WR Tre Tucker, tying things up at 23-23.

Cousins put together a solid day under center in the loss, throwing for 313 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Looking to break the tie once again, Buffalo's offense got started at its own 34-yard line. RB James Cook III picked up 46 of his team's 66 yards on the way to the end zone, punching it into the end zone with some help from his offensive line pushing him in from behind for a three-yard score to take a 30-23 lead.

Cook carried the ball 22 times on Sunday, rushing for 95 yards on the ground along with the touchdown. Through the air, Cook was effective as well, hauling in three passes for 58 yards.

The defense came through again for the Bills after taking the lead with under five minutes left in the fourth quarter. OLB Greg Rousseau batted down a pass at the line on first down, followed up by incompletions forced by CB Dee Alford and S Jalen Kilgore to force a quick punt.

Hoping to ice the game, Buffalo started milking the clock from the Las Vegas 49-yard line. The offense took just over two minutes off the clock, also wasting all of the Raiders' timeouts before K Tyler Bass made a 38-yard field goal to make it a two-possession game on the other side of the two-minute warning.

It took just two plays for Las Vegas to answer back, with Cousins launching a 44-yard moon ball deep over the middle of the field. Tucker's speed was on full display, diving out and fully extending to bring in an impressive touchdown.

After hauling in the Raiders' onside kick attempt, the Bills' last field goal proved to be enough to hang on for the 33-30 victory.

Field goals were a theme early in the game as well, with Buffalo making kicks on the first two drives of the day. Cook accounted for 51 multipurpose yards on the Bills' third drive, getting them down to the nine-yard line as they searched for their first touchdown.

On a second and six from inside the ten, Allen took a shotgun snap, quickly getting the ball out to his right. WR Khalil Shakir stepped back and hauled in the screen pass behind the line of scrimmage, following a cavalry of blockers and weaving his way into the end zone for a nine-yard score.

The Raiders nearly went three-and-out on their first offensive drive of the day. A 26-yard completion over the middle of the field from Cousins to Tucker on a third-and-seven extended the drive, with RB Ashton Jeanty eventually barreling into the end zone for a one-yard touchdown to take an early 7-3 lead.

Buffalo had a chance to extend its 13-10 lead ahead of the halftime break, receiving a kickoff with 2:14 on the clock. A dropped pass that would've been enough for a first down was followed up by a sack on third down, forcing P Tommy Doman Jr. to come on for his 10th punt of the season.

Las Vegas fair caught the punt at its own 33-yard line, with 1:40 before the half. With the help of a holding penalty and an unsportsmanlike conduct call against the Bills, the Raiders got into field goal range, tying things up heading into the break 13-13.

Up next for Buffalo is its bye week, getting back on the field in Week 8. The Bills will be back at home to host the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 1 p.m. EST.