Michael David Smith ,
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With the Buccaneers trailing 37-32 and facing fourth-and-2 at their own 39-yard line with 7:26 remaining in the fourth quarter on Sunday, analytics said to go for it . Bucs coach Todd Bowles decided to punt.
That decision did not work out: The Bills got the ball after the punt and marched down the field on an eight-play, 85-yard drive that ended with a Josh Allen touchdown run that effectively ended the game. Giving the ball back to Josh Allen when you need a stop to have a chance is a risky move, but Bowles said he believed his defense could contain Allen and the Bills’ offense, and give the Bucs a chance to score late.
“I thought we’d get a good punt and hold them down there. Obviously it didn’t work out,” Bowles said.
Bowles said that if it had been fourth-and-1, the Buccaneers might have gone for it, so it was a close call. It was a call the Bucs might like to have back.
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