The Buffalo Bills will return to Highmark Stadium for a 1:00 p.m. game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, marking their first consecutive early afternoon games of the season.
The two teams have faced each other 13 times, with Tampa Bay holding an 8-5 advantage in the series. Their most recent meeting occurred in Week 8 of the 2023 season, when Buffalo defeated Tampa Bay 24-18. In that matchup, Bills quarterback Josh Allen recorded three total touchdowns while Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield had two. Khalil Shakir led Buffalo’s receivers with six catches for 92 yards.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott has played against Tampa Bay three times since taking over in Buffalo in 2017 and holds a 2-1 record against them, with his only loss coming in overtime during the 2021 season. In that game, the Bills overcame a 17-point deficit before ultimately losing on a touchdown pass from Tom Brady to Breshad Perriman.
Sunday’s contest will be Allen’s third career start against the Buccaneers; he currently has one win and one loss against them.
Both starting quarterbacks were selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft—Mayfield was chosen first overall by Cleveland out of Oklahoma, while Allen went seventh to Buffalo from Wyoming. Mayfield had strong early seasons with Cleveland before being traded to Carolina and then moving to Los Angeles and finally signing with Tampa Bay, where he achieved career highs last season with a completion rate of 71%, over 4,500 passing yards, and 41 passing touchdowns.
Allen missed part of his rookie year due to injury but has since become one of the league’s most productive quarterbacks. He is noted as being “the first player in their first seven seasons with at least 76 wins, 262 total touchdowns and 30,595 total yards.” Allen has also led Buffalo to five straight AFC East titles and at least ten wins per season for six years running.
On preparing after their third loss this season, McDermott said: “It is a loss on the sheet, but you got to learn from it,” adding: “We talk about what did we learn from it? How do we learn for that experience so that we move forward better. That’s the important part. That’s really the only thing we control right now and then how we handle ourselves moving forward.”
McDermott emphasized consistency: “That’s the battle every week in this league,” he said. “And that’s part of the reason why you see fluctuations week to week and because the competition is so elite. It’s a part of the journey and it’s part of a learning experience.”
Offensive coordinator Joe Brady took responsibility for recent offensive struggles: “I’m not going to point the fingers at anybody else, when we have that type of performance, it falls solely on me,” Brady explained. “And if guys aren’t getting involved in ways that they probably should, that’s strictly on me. So, it’s something that as a staff, we continue to look at and try to find ways.”
Since 2019, following their third defeat each year under McDermott’s leadership, Buffalo has always responded with a win.
Defensively, young players such as second-year safety Cole Bishop and rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston have made notable contributions recently. Bishop had four passes defensed and an interception over two weeks; Hairston secured interceptions in back-to-back games.
McDermott praised Hairston’s resilience after overcoming adversity during last week’s game: “What I love about Max is, had a tough play in the first half. In the second half he comes back and makes a big play at a big-time moment in the game,” he said.
Other young defensive backs like Jordan Hancock are seeing increased playing time as well. McDermott commented: “Very impressed. Doesn’t mean that there’s not been some hiccups there,” noting growth among these players while emphasizing continued development.
Defensive coordinator Bobby Babich highlighted Bishop’s improvement: “Cole is kind of finding that rhythm and that flow…He just seems like he’s more in control of the down – down in and down out.” Babich also acknowledged areas where Hairston can improve despite his recent interceptions.
“We’re moving in the right direction. It’s a journey,” McDermott said regarding player development. “It’s just going to take some time…It’s all part of it. I’m proud of them, the way that they’re working.”
Statistically entering Week 11 both teams share identical records (6-3) overall as well as home/away splits—Buffalo is undefeated at home except for one loss (4-1), while Tampa Bay boasts an identical road record (4-1). Offensively Buffalo ranks higher than Tampa Bay across most categories including points per game (27.6 vs 24.4), total yards per game (384.4 vs 328.3), rushing yards per game (153.2 vs 99.8), red zone efficiency (65.6% vs 52%). Defensively both teams allow similar points per game but differ more widely on rushing defense—with Buffalo allowing significantly more rushing yards per contest than Tampa Bay.
