The Buffalo Bills secured a 31-19 victory over the New Orleans Saints at Highmark Stadium, moving to a 4-0 record for the season while the Saints dropped to 0-4. The Bills will next face the New England Patriots on Sunday, October 5.
Buffalo maintained a narrow lead early in the fourth quarter before tight end Dalton Kincaid scored his third touchdown of the season, helping extend their advantage. After a turnover on downs by Buffalo, quarterback Josh Allen led an important drive, including a 27-yard scramble and a touchdown pass to Kincaid along the right sideline.
The Bills’ defense contributed with two consecutive fourth-down stops late in the game. Defensive end A.J. Epenesa recorded a sack and Joey Bosa forced a fumble as Buffalo closed out the contest.
Khalil Shakir opened scoring for Buffalo with a 43-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter. The Saints responded with an 18-yard rushing touchdown from Kendre Miller. James Cook added another score for Buffalo before New Orleans narrowed the gap with a field goal.
Allen threw his first interception since December 2024, ending a streak of 391 offensive plays without a turnover—previously the longest active streak in the NFL. Despite this setback, Buffalo’s defense limited New Orleans’ opportunities, including forcing punts and holding them to field goals after key stops.
James Cook continued his strong performance, recording his third consecutive home game with a rushing touchdown and surpassing 4,000 career yards from scrimmage in just his 53rd game—the fifth fastest to do so in franchise history. The Bills have now scored touchdowns on their opening drive in all four games this season and have posted at least 30 points each time; it is only the third time in team history they have achieved this through four games and marks their best start since 1992.
Josh Allen had over 100 passing yards in the first quarter for the sixteenth time in his career (including playoffs), with Buffalo holding a strong record when he reaches that mark early.
Head coach Sean McDermott reached his 90th career win faster than any NFL coach since George Seifert did so in fewer games (117). The victory was also significant as it marked Buffalo’s first home win against New Orleans since October 30, 1983, and extended their regular-season home winning streak to fourteen games.
Scoring highlights included touchdowns from Shakir, Cook, Allen (rushing), and Kincaid for Buffalo; Miller and Chris Olave found the end zone for New Orleans. Matt Prater contributed with extra points and field goals throughout.
Buffalo’s offense surpassed 600 rushing yards through four games—a milestone not reached by the team since 2013—and there were over 250 total yards gained between both teams in just the first quarter of play.
