Seahawks at Bills score: Josh Allen shines against Seattle's defense, Russell Wilson commits four turnovers

The Buffalo Bills have another statement win under their belt after handling Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks (6-2) with relative ease on Sunday, 44-34, to move to 7-2 on the year. You really couldn't have asked for a better start from Josh Allen and the Bills offense out of the gate. It only took the unit three plays to put up the game's first points on the opening drive. From there, Buffalo took the lead and never looked back. 

After being shut out in the first quarter, Russell Wilson's team did make things a bit interesting and flirted with a comeback, cutting the Bills lead to as little as seven with two minutes remaining in the third quarter. That would be as close as they would come to sniffing a lead, however, as the Bills proceeded to score 14 unanswered points to give themselves the necessary breathing room to make a comeback merely an afterthought. 

Overall, Buffalo's defense did a tremendous job of limiting the NFL MVP favorite in Wilson, who finished with 390 yards passing and two touchdowns. They took him off his spot a number of times, resulting in five sacks and 11 quarterback hits. That pressure forced him to commit four turnovers (two interceptions, two fumbles) on the afternoon, which helped swing this game in Buffalo's favor and earn its seventh win of the year. 

For a deeper look at this contest, check out our main takeaways below.

Why Buffalo won

This was really an immaculate game for Josh Allen and the Bills from wire-to-wire. From the jump, Brian Daboll's offense put pressure on the poor Seattle secondary and never took their foot off the gas. In the first half alone, Allen threw for 282 yards and three touchdowns with only four incompletions. The third-year quarterback finished with 415 yards passing on the day and those three scores. Allen also rushed for 14 yards and a touchdown. 

The offense cruised, scoring on the first four possessions of the day, which helped get them to a double-digit lead by halftime. In the second half, they continued to come up clutch through the air but were particularly stout on defense. They baited Russell Wilson, who was pressured all afternoon, into four total turnovers, including a key strip-sack by linebacker A.J. Klein with 6:30 to go in the fourth quarter to really put the game away. 

When Sean McDermott flips on the tape of this game, he won't have much to complain about. 

Why Seattle lost

The Seahawks simply came out flat and it haunted them throughout the afternoon. The defense's weakness through the air was apparent out of the gate when Josh Allen needed just three passes to travel 45 yards and score the game's first touchdown. As the Bills scored 17 unanswered points to begin the game, Russell Wilson's offense punted once and gave up an interception in the end zone. Wilson's four turnovers on the day were uncharacteristic for him and can partially be blamed for Seattle's offensive line struggling mightily to protect him. Buffalo constantly knocked him off his spot, sacking him five times and hitting him a total 10 times. 

While those struggles on offense were clear, the Seahawks' secondary continues to look like it could be a fatal flaw in their hopes of winning another Lombardi. Josh Allen was able to average 10.9 yards per attempt en route to a 415 yards passing day where he totaled four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing). When your defense doesn't make the opposing offense punt until 4:24 in the third quarter, it's not giving the offense much of a chance to stay in the game.  

Turning point

The backbreaker to this game came on a third-and-16 play at the Seattle 35-yard line with 12:21 to play and Buffalo clinging to just a 27-20 lead. If the offense was not able to convert, they'd likely settle for a field goal and give the ball back to a Seahawks offense that was heating up and now looking at just a 10-point deficit. Buffalo avoided that fate, however, when Josh Allen completed a screen pass to John Brown, who took it 33 yards on the field to extend the Buffalo drive. 

On the very next play, Seahawks corner Quinton Dunbar was flagged for DPI as Allen targeted Stefon Diggs in the back right corner of the end zone. That placed the ball on the 1-yard line and set up an easy Zack Moss touchdown on the next play to give the Bills at 34-20 lead. That essentially eliminated any realistic shot for the Seahawks to mount a comeback. 

Play of the game

Despite the 78 combined points in this game, there really wasn't that many eye-popping plays to speak of. The biggest of the day, however, came with 9:01 to play in the fourth quarter when Russell Wilson took snap from Seattle's own 45-yard line, evaded pressure, rolled out right, and completed a 55-yard bomb to David Moore for the touchdown.   

That type of escapability in the pocket, wherewithal to look downfield, and arm strength to meeting his receiver in the end zone is extremely rare and why Wilson is still in MVP discussions. Moore, meanwhile, finished with four receptions for 71 yards and that score. 

What's next

From here, the Bills will gear up for a road trip to Arizona to take on the Cardinals. As for the Seahawks, they'll put a bow on this two-game road trip when they head back west for an NFC West showdown with the Los Angeles Rams in Week 10.