Allen launches TD in Bills’ 42-15 preseason rout of Broncos

ORCHARD PARK, NY

Josh Allen needed just six plays to lead the Bills to 70 yards for an opening touchdown before taking a seat on his preseason debut, and Buffalo routed Denver Broncos backups 42 -15 Saturday.

Allen completed all three attempts for 45 yards, capped by a 28-yard touchdown to Gabe Davis showing that he and new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey are on the same page. Backup Case Keenum continued the scoring by closing out the first half overseeing three touchdowns.

Acquired in a trade with Cleveland this offseason, Keenum rebounded from a sloppy preseason debut by going 16 of 18 for 192 yards and a perfectly placed 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end OJ Howard. Keenum threw two interceptions and lost a fumble in a 27-24 win over Indianapolis last week.

Zach Moss rounded out the first half with a pair of 1-yard touchdowns, while Duke Johnson scored on 2-yard and 8-yard runs in the second half.

Buffalo extended its preseason winning streak to 10 games. The run is the second-longest active streak in the NFL behind the Baltimore Ravens, who have won a league-record 21 in a row and play Arizona on Sunday.

The Broncos took a step back from an encouraging 17-7 preseason opener win over Dallas, while resting Russell Wilson and many of their starters for a second straight week.

Journeyman Josh Johnson went 8 of 16 for just 70 yards in the first half in an attempt to lock up the backup job.

After overseeing a 12-play, 64-yard opener that ended with Brandon McManus hitting a 33-yard field goal, Johnson’s final three drives of the half combined for 52 yards and three first downs.

Denver’s Brett Rypien was 22nd of 26 for 191 yards and a 1-yard touchdown to Eric Saubert with 10:55 left.

Matt Barkley caught Buffalo and went 7 of 8 for 65 yards in the second half.

The Bills finished with 510 yards and scored touchdowns on each of their first six possessions before Matt Haack threw from midfield with 8:08 left.

On his TD pass to Davis, Allen tried to rush to his left before backing into the pocket and finding his receiver on the left side of the end zone with a step on rookie cornerback Damarri Mathis.

One of the reasons Allen got the start was because the Bills wanted to give him some live action and a chance to get more comfortable with Dorsey, who was promoted from his role as quarterbacks coach this off season. He replaced Brian Daboll, who was hired by the New York Giants, and had been Allen’s sole coordinator during his first four seasons at Buffalo.

BY THE GREETER

Bills pass-rusher Von Miller had the day off from his former team after being traded by the Broncos to eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams last season. Signed by the Bills to a six-year deal in March, the NFL’s active leader in sacks (115 1/2) spent part of pregame warmups chatting with former teammates.

INJURIES

BRONCOS: P Sam Martin was ruled out after injuring his ankle in pre-game warm-ups. … CB Michael Ojemudia did not return after injuring his right elbow in the second quarter. … OT Casey Tucker did not return after injuring his right foot in the third quarter.

BILLS: S Nick McCloud returned after needing six stitches to close a gash in his face in the first quarter.

HONOR KNOX

The Bills observed a minute’s silence before the game in honor of Florida international linebacker Luke Knox, who died Wednesday. Knox is the younger brother of Bills tight end Dawson Knox, who was excused from the team to be with his family. Bills fans rallied in support of Knox by donating more than $100,000 to the PUNT Pediatric Cancer Collaborative, a charity backed by the tight end.

Bills tight end Tommy Sweeney was spotted entering the stadium wearing a T-shirt, with “Long Live Luke” printed on the front.

NEXT

Broncos: The preseason closes with the Minnesota Vikings on August 27.

Bills: Closing the preseason at the Carolina Panthers on Friday.

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