DENVER — The Buffalo Bills captured their first AFC East title in a quarter-century Saturday when 24-year-old quarterback Josh Allen threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more in a 48-19 rout of the Denver Broncos.

The Bills (11-3) scored twice in a 17-second span in the third quarter to ice their fourth straight victory that officially ended the New England Patriots’ 11-year reign atop the division.

The Broncos (5-9) are assured of their fourth consecutive losing season for the first time since they had 10 straight sub-.500 campaigns from 1963-72. They’re also the first team to go five years without making the playoffs following a Super Bowl title.

Allen threw for 359 yards, hitting Stefon Diggs 11 times for 147 yards before a foot injury in the fourth quarter, and Cole Beasley eight times for 112 yards.

Allen tied Jack Kemp’s team record of 25 career touchdown runs by a quarterback with his second TD scamper, a 1-yard keeper to the right that was set up by Andre Roberts’ 55-yard return of Taylor Russilino’s short second-half kickoff.

The Broncos turned to Russolino, whose vagabond career included stops in the XFL, the Canadian Football League and even the Chinese arena league, after Brandon McManus went on the COVID-19 reserve list.

Russolino missed a 51-yard field goal and two extra points on a windy day that didn’t adversely affect Bills kicker Tyler Bass, who made both field-goal attempts and all six extra points.

After Allen’s 1-yard TD run to start the second half, cornerback Tre’Davious White strip-sacked Drew Lock on Denver’s first offensive play. Defensive end Jerry Hughes scooped up the ball at the 21 and weaved his way through several Broncos to make it 35-13.

Allen dismantled Denver’s makeshift secondary that lost five cornerbacks in two weeks, picking on De’Vante Bausby all afternoon while completing 28 of 40 passes. Rookie cornerback Michael Ojemudia held his own but was ejected in the third quarter for slapping Bills rookie receiver Gabriel Davis.

The Bills took a 21-13 halftime lead behind Allen’s touchdown throws of 9 yards to tight end Dawson Knox and 22 yards to Jake Kumerow, sandwiched around a 24-yard keeper into the end zone. Kumerow became the 13th Bills player to catch a TD pass this year. That tied an NFL record set by seven other teams.

PACKERS 24, PANTHERS 16: Aaron Jones rushed for 145 yards and a touchdown, and Green Bay (11-3) reached the end zone on its first three series before hanging on to beat visiting Carolina (4-10).

Aaron Rodgers threw for a season-low 143 yards but produced his 40th touchdown pass of the season and also ran for a score. Rodgers is the first player in NFL history to throw at least 40 touchdown passes in three separate seasons; he had 45 during his 2011 MVP campaign and 40 in 2016.

Green Bay won its fourth straight and took a half-game lead over New Orleans (10-3) in the race for the NFC’s best record. The Packers own a tiebreaker over the Saints after winning 37-30 at New Orleans on Sept. 27.

Under the NFL’s new 14-team playoff format this year, only the No. 1 seed in each conference earns a first-round bye.

The Packers built a 21-3 halftime lead before withstanding a comeback attempt from a gritty Carolina team playing without injured 2019 All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey and left tackle Russell Okung.

Carolina has lost eight of its last nine games.

 

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