James Cook ran in a 3-yard touchdown with 4:43 left and Tyler Bass followed with his fourth field goal, and the Buffalo Bills held off the Las Vegas Raiders 33-30 at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, October 18, after Las Vegas had erased a 10-point deficit.
Buffalo improved to 5-1 heading into its bye. Josh Allen threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns, and the second one tied Jim Kelly’s franchise record of 258 career touchdown passes. The Raiders fell to 3-3 and have lost three in a row.
How the game turned
The teams traded punches for a half. Bass opened with a 44-yard field goal, Ashton Jeanty answered with a 1-yard run, and Bass hit again from 28 yards before Allen found Khalil Shakir for a 9-yard touchdown and a 13-7 lead. Matt Gay pulled Las Vegas back with a 35-yard field goal, and the half ended in controversy: Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was ejected for spitting at a Raiders player with 15 seconds left, the penalty moved Las Vegas to the Buffalo 14, and Gay tied it 13-13 from 27 yards as time expired.
Buffalo took over in the third quarter. Bass made a 47-yarder, and on third-and-8 Allen slipped what looked like a certain sack and threw a 12-yard touchdown to Keon Coleman for the record-tying score and a 23-13 lead.
The Raiders then wasted a chance to make it a one-score game early in the fourth. Facing second-and-goal at the 1, Jeanty was dropped for a loss by Greg Gaines, and Davison Igbinosun broke up the third-down throw, so a 15-play march produced only a 23-yard Gay field goal. Kirk Cousins tied the game at 23 with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Tre Tucker with 8:07 left.
Cook answers, Tucker keeps it close
Allen needed seven plays to go 66 yards. Cook’s 26-yard catch set up his own 3-yard run for a 30-23 lead, a strong response from a back who fumbled twice six days earlier. After a defensive stop, Cook and the Bills ate clock, and Bass hit a 38-yarder with 1:56 left for a 33-23 cushion.
Cousins and Tucker struck once more, a 44-yard touchdown on a diving catch with 1:32 to go, but Gay’s onside attempt carried too far and Shakir caught it in the air to seal the result.
We’re live after our Week Six win against the Las Vegas raiders.
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— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) October 18, 2026
The numbers
- Josh Allen: 23 of 33 for 255 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions; sacked twice, by Quay Walker and Kwity Paye.
- James Cook: 95 rushing yards and a score on 22 attempts, plus 58 receiving yards on 3 grabs.
- Keon Coleman: 4 catches for 59 yards and a touchdown; Dalton Kincaid led Buffalo with 7 catches for 38 yards on his 27th birthday.
- Tyler Bass: 4 of 4 on field goals (44, 28, 47 and 38 yards) and 3 extra points, 15 points.
- Kirk Cousins: 23 of 41 for 313 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, by Dorian Williams.
- Raiders receivers: Tucker 5 catches for 97 yards and two scores; Michael Mayer a career-high 95 yards on 7 catches; Brock Bowers 4 for 70. Nakobe Dean made 12 tackles.
Buffalo did not turn the ball over after giving it away nine times in its previous three games. Las Vegas scored touchdowns on only two of five red-zone trips, and Raiders coach Klint Kubiak called that “unacceptable” and took the blame himself.
Allen credited the traveling crowd for the second road week in a row. “It feeds us, and we play better when we feel that energy,” he said.
Injuries and discipline
Bills coach Joe Brady said Gardner-Johnson’s actions will be addressed by the team; further discipline from the league is possible. Bradley Chubb (ribs) and Kincaid (ribs) were both hurt and returned. Receiver DJ Moore (shoulder) and defensive lineman Ed Oliver (knee) missed a second straight game.
What comes next
The Bills are off in Week 7 and host the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, November 1, at 1 p.m. ET. The Raiders host the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, October 25, at 4:25 p.m. ET.
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