Josh Allen’s eventful week started with singer and actress Hailee Steinfeld saying “Yes” to his marriage proposal and ended with the Buffalo Bills quarterback celebrating his three-touchdown performance in a 35-10 win over San Francisco by making snow angels with coach Sean McDermott on Sunday night.
“He’s the one that got me to do it,” Allen said about interrupting McDermott’s TV interview to lay back into a snow pile. “I’m not the biggest snow angel fan, because you get cold down there, my toes are freezing right now … but it was fun.”
Regarding Steinfeld’s “Yes” during his bye week proposal, Allen shared, “Felt good. Felt free.”
He could have also been referring to his performance in the freezing temperatures and heavy snow, where he became the NFL’s first quarterback and seventh player in the Super Bowl era to score a touchdown passing, rushing, and receiving. Between his 7-yard touchdown pass to Mack Hollins and his 8-yard scoring run, Allen also caught a touchdown on a pass he threw in his latest all-around performance.
With Amari Cooper making a one-handed catch on a short pass while being tackled by two Niners defenders, he pitched the ball back to Allen. The quarterback ran to the left corner of the end zone and dove past the pylon for the touchdown.
“It’s got to be up there. I wish he got credited for something there, an assist or a passing touchdown,” Allen said about Cooper. “I just kind of chased the ball to be there and we made eye contact. … It was dope.”
Cooper said he acted on instinct during a play that could have been drawn up in the snow on the sideline.
“I was wondering what he was doing over there,” Cooper said. “I figured he was over there because he wanted the ball, so I gave it to him.”
Snow flew through the air like confetti from the excited crowd as the Bills (10-2) scored on four of five possessions, extending a 28-3 lead starting with Ray Davis’ 5-yard run. James Cook added a career-high 65-yard run and finished with 107 yards rushing.
The defending NFC champion 49ers (5-7) fell apart, losing their third straight game and also losing running back Christian McCaffrey to a potential season-ending injury to his posterior cruciate ligament in his knee.
Coach Kyle Shanahan believes McCaffrey got hurt on an 18-yard run up the middle. The All-Pro running back stayed in the game but then seemed to step awkwardly with his left foot on the snowy field, falling immediately. After being checked on the sideline, McCaffrey limped to the locker room and was ruled out for the second half. He had 53 yards on seven carries before leaving the game, after missing the first eight games of the season with Achilles tendinitis.
“It feels dark and gloomy and absolutely depressing, honestly I’ll feel that probably in a couple hours,” tight end George Kittle said. “The only way to make this feel better is to go take advantage of next week and try to get a win.”
The 49ers had a tough game, losing three fumbles and kicker Jake Moody missing two of three field-goal attempts. San Francisco was also missing five starters due to injury, and now their playoff chances are at risk after losing the Super Bowl to Kansas City last season.
Moody started the scoring with a 33-yard field goal, and Isaac Guerendo added a 15-yard run for a touchdown. Brock Purdy, back after missing a game due to a sore shoulder, finished 11 of 18 for 94 yards.
Allen completed 13 of 17 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns, rushed three times for 18 yards and a score, and caught one pass for 7 yards and a touchdown. He was cheered by fans chanting “MVP!” and sat out most of the fourth quarter.
“It’s a good feeling. This one feels a little bit different this early in the season,” Allen said about clinching the division while still being in the hunt for the AFC’s top seed, currently held by Kansas City (11-1). “It’s going to be fun, I mean, to go out there and play free and play relaxed and play loose. I think that could be a dangerous team.”
Allen now has 247 career touchdowns (186 passing, 59 rushing, and 2 receiving), breaking Hall of Famer Jim Kelly’s franchise record of 244.
Buffalo has won seven straight games since losing to Baltimore and Houston, and they are now 10-2 or better for the fifth time in team history and the first since 1991. The Bills became the NFL’s eighth team to clinch a division title with five games remaining, the first since Indianapolis in 2009.
Buffalo extended its streak of scoring 30 or more points to six straight games, while the 49ers fell to 0-5 when scoring 20 points or fewer.
