Bills vs. 49ers score: Josh Allen dominates San Francisco defense as Buffalo remains atop AFC East

The Bills improve to 9-3 thanks to a four-TD night from their QB

Left for dead earlier in the 2020 NFL season, the San Francisco 49ers did not quit under the prime-time lights of "Monday Night Football" in Week 13, embracing their temporary Arizona home and giving the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills plenty of fight. Still, they were no match for Josh Allen and a highly efficient Buffalo offense. Riding a near-perfect game plan from Brian Daboll, as well as big contributions from just about every wide receiver working the San Francisco secondary, Allen had little trouble guiding the Bills to their fifth win in six games, improving Buffalo to 9-4 atop the East with a 34-24 victory.

The Niners fall to 5-7 with the loss after upsetting their rival Los Angeles Rams a week earlier, one game behind the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC West. The Bills, meanwhile, look like the clear front-runners to win the East, even with the Miami Dolphins trailing just behind them, and figure to give the once-undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers a run for their money in Week 14.

Here are some immediate takeaways from Monday night's Bills win:

Why the Bills won

Man, have you seen their offense when it's firing on all cylinders? The Bills struggled to get a consistent ground game going against the Niners' front, with Devin Singletary only occasionally flashing, but boy does Brian Daboll deserve a ton of credit for the way he's tapped into Buffalo's talent. Josh Allen somehow had a quiet four-touchdown performance that also lacked any of his trademark head-scratching decisions, feasting on the Niners' zone coverage all night long. Stefon Diggs and Cole Beasley were equally as impressive working San Francisco's corners to combine for almost 20 catches and over 200 yards on the evening. This team is productive and fun to watch when it's rolling; in fact, it's not a stretch to see just a little bit of Kansas City Chiefs in them.

Why the 49ers lost

For one, their defense had no answers for the Bills' wideouts. Robert Saleh is a big name who just might get a head coaching job in 2021, but he seemed at a loss for strategy as Buffalo continued to milk the clock and move the ball with underneath throws. A couple of deep-ball miscommunications didn't help. Is it fair to pin so much blame on a unit that's carried them in recent weeks? Maybe not, but the reality is San Francisco was never going to win a high-scoring shootout against the Bills. They needed to keep them under wraps and make it ugly. They did not. Offensively, Nick Mullens was just about as good as you could've hoped, but as we know, that's still not an extremely high bar. With a hit-or-miss ground game, he fired some pretty crunch-time passes but was still inconsistent.

Turning point

Early on, the Niners really looked as if they may play spoiler. With a goal-line stand and, later on, a 75-play scoring drive to cut the Bills' lead to 10, San Francisco didn't lack effort. But things honestly seemed tightly in Buffalo's hands at the end of the first half, when the Niners followed up the Bills' first TD drive with only a 96-second drive and punt. Buffalo, meanwhile, proceeded to march 71 yards in just over a minute to add three and enter the break up 17-7 with all the momentum. Micah Hyde's pick of Mullens in the third was another play with game-sealing implications.

Play of the game

Give it to Hyde, whose awareness turned a deflected pass into a huge turnover for the Bills defense and basically put the game away:

What's next

The Bills (9-3) will be back in prime time in Week 14, when they'll host the Pittsburgh Steelers (11-1), who just lost their first game of the year against Washington. The 49ers (5-7), meanwhile, will stay in Arizona to take on the Washington Football Team (5-7).

[Dec 7, 2020 at 11:19 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Great win for the Bills. And with the Steelers' loss, they're a bit closer to competing for the No. 2 seed in the AFC as well, now with two teams for them to chase.

[Dec 7, 2020 at 11:15 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

This game will end up with a final score closer than it actually felt. The Bills outplayed the Niners pretty thoroughly for most of the night. Were it not for a goal-line stand and then the Bills fumbling inside their own 10, it wouldn't have been this close.

[Dec 7, 2020 at 11:13 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Aiyuk beat Wallace on the route there again. A better throw from Mullens and that's an easy TD.

[Dec 7, 2020 at 11:08 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

After doing essentially nothing prior to halftime, Deebo Samuel now has 6 catches for 73 yards.

[Dec 7, 2020 at 11:04 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

So, the Bills are going to move to 9-3 and maintain hold of first place in the AFC East. The Niners will drop to 5-7 and slide further backward in the NFC wild card race.

[Dec 7, 2020 at 10:55 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

And then Mullens throws at White and gets picked for the second time in the game. That's why they've been throwing at Wallace instead.

[Dec 7, 2020 at 10:49 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Tevin Coleman has two carries, and he has been absolutely demolished behind the line of scrimmage on both of them. Never had a chance on either one.

[Dec 7, 2020 at 10:47 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Now that Wallace is on Deebo, he's getting all the quick targets. Pretty interesting how they are just throwing at Not Tre White.

[Dec 7, 2020 at 10:42 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Oh man. Blown coverage and Gabriel Davis ends up wide open for the touchdown. Sherman sits on the quick out from Beasley and the safety doesn't get over the top in time.

[Dec 7, 2020 at 10:41 pm ET · Cody Benjamin]

Good for Brian Daboll dialing up the fourth-and-2 attempt after the timeout. Absolutely the right call in this situation. And perfect read from Josh Allen firing it to Stefon Diggs. All-around great execution.

[Dec 7, 2020 at 10:39 pm ET · Cody Benjamin]

To be fair, that looked like it was on the Bills' O-line. Left side was demolished. Moss had nowhere to go once he cut back.

[Dec 7, 2020 at 10:38 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Why go to Moss there instead of Singletary?

[Dec 7, 2020 at 10:37 pm ET · Cody Benjamin]

Question is, can the 49ers slow down these Bills wideouts? Stefon Diggs just working Jason Verrett on the outside there for a key first.

[Dec 7, 2020 at 10:36 pm ET · Cody Benjamin]

Bills feel like they're on the verge of really letting the Niners back into this. Fortunate not to lose the ball on the pocket fumble.

[Dec 7, 2020 at 10:29 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Absolutely perfect drive for San Francisco. Samuel finally got involved, Aiyuk made a big play, and they scored VERY quickly. Great stuff.