Baker Mayfield throws a Hail Mary from perfect distance, but Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin agonizingly fails to look up in time and drops the attempt, allowing the Bills to hold on for a 24-18 victory

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were on the verge of a last-second win against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night.

Unfortunately, the perfect Hail Mary play to steal the game fell short.

Trailing 24-18 with four seconds left, Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield marched backwards while scanning the field in front of him. After a few stuttering steps, Mayfield walked between two Bills defenders before firing the ball forward.

The intended target, if any, might have been Trey Palmer, Chris Godwin or Mike Evans, who were swarmed by five Blue Jerseys in the end zone.

But as the ball headed toward Godwin, the wide receiver turned his back and tried to shake off Buffalo’s Terrell Bernard.

Godwin turned and looked up a split second too late. The ball landed on the grass and the game was over.

Baker Mayfield threw a Hail Mary pass to Chris Godwin against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday

Wide receiver Godwin turned and tried to shake off Buffalo’s Terrell Bernar

Mayfield’s last-second attempt was not intercepted by Godwin and the Buccaneers lost 24-18

Buffalo built a 17-10 lead at halftime and never trailed. That was seven more points than the Bills had scored in the first halves of their last three games, two of which they lost.

The lead took the pressure off the defense, which was missing three key starters.

Mayfield finished 25 of 42 for 237 yards and two touchdowns, including a 3-yarder to Godwin. Running back Rachaad White led the Bucs with seven catches for 70 yards and nine carries for 39 yards.

Tampa Bay’s defense was missing both starting defensive tackles. Vita Vea was sidelined with a groin injury and Logan Hall injured his groin during pregame warmups.

Allen took advantage and passed the 300-yard mark for the 23rd time in his career.

Allen said Tuesday he may be partly to blame for Buffalo’s slow-starting offense after making a conscious decision to rein in his emotions last month. Allen called it a “less than positive” approach and acknowledged that he may have gone too far in reducing his energy levels.

The only thing subdued about Allen was his touchdown celebration after his 13-yard scoring run. Standing in the left corner of the end zone in front of a cheering crowd, Allen casually walked up the sideline after several teammates congratulated him.

Josh Allen took advantage of the Bucs’ injuries and surpassed 300 yards rushing for the 23rd time in his career

On the play before his TD run, Allen was sacked on the sideline, and that hit was the reason he was sent to the medical tent to have his shoulder checked. He returned in time for Buffalo’s next drive, but threw an interception when his pass was deflected off the fingers of Antoine Winfield Jr. and caught by defensive lineman William Gholston.

The Buccaneers scored two plays later on Mayfield’s pass to Godwin, tying the game 10-1.

The Buccaneers suffered their third straight loss. They remain second in the NFC South despite a 3-4 record. The Buccaneers will play the Houston Texans on the road on November 5th.

On the other hand, the Bills are in second place in the NFC North at 5-3 heading into their game against the Cincinnati Bengals that same Sunday.