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Josh Allen cost the Bills points with terrible mistake

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Jan 17, 2026 6:30 PM ET

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen cost his team three points at the end of the first half Saturday thanks to some carelessness with the football.

The Bills were already trailing 17-10 with 16 seconds left in the first half of Saturday’s AFC Divisional game at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Co. when Allen decided to make a run for it and try to pick up enough yards to potentially set up a field goal or shot at the end zone. The quarterback cut back toward the middle of the field but made no real effort to protect the football, and he wound up fumbling at his own 42 yard line.

The Broncos wound up recovering at the Buffalo 35 with two seconds left on the clock, setting up a 50-yard field goal by Will Lutz as time expired.

Broncos ball!

What a break before the half

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Allen seemingly got greedy here. The Bills had no timeouts left, so he was already taking a risk by cutting toward the middle of the field. Perhaps he thought the worst case scenario involved him just getting tackled and having the clock run out on him, and that would have been the case if he had held onto the ball.

The Bills turned the ball over twice in the first half, the other coming on a James Cook fumble. The game was largely even other than that, and the turnovers allowed Denver to build up a 10-point halftime lead.

Allen can do things that no other quarterback can. He also sometimes tries to do too much. That could cost him in a tight playoff game like this one.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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