Trick TD sparks Bills in Thanksgiving win over Cowboys

BILLS 26, COWBOYS 15

ARLINGTON, TEXAS» Cole Beasley savored a little extra time on the field with his former teammates after what had to be one of the most satisfying days of the Buffalo wide receiver’s career.

And to think he didn’t even have the most noteworthy play for the

Bills’ pass catchers.

John Brown became the first Buffalo receiver to throw a touchdown pass, Josh Allen set a franchise record by producing at least two touchdowns in an eighth consecutive game and the surging Bills beat the fading Dallas Cowboys 26-15 on Thursday.

Allen ran for a TD and threw a scoring pass to Beasley, who had 110 yards receiving in the stadium where he spent his first seven seasons as the Bills (9-3) posted their first Thanksgiving win since 1975 in their first appearance on the holiday in 25 years.

Buffalo is 5-1 on the road for the first time since 1966, and the nine wins through 12 games are the most since the Bills finished 10-6 in Hall of Fame quarterback Jim

Kelly’s final season in 1996.

“It’ll be the most satisfying day when we win a Super Bowl,” said Beasley, who was critical of the Cowboys after leaving, then had six catches and finished 2 yards shy of his career high against them. “It’s just another win, another step in the right direction.”

The Cowboys (6-6) stumbled after scoring a touchdown on their opening drive, giving Philadelphia a chance to rejoin them atop the NFC East after their fourth double-digit loss in the past six Thanksgiving games.

A lackluster showing for Dallas’ sixth loss in nine games came just four days after team owner Jerry Jones blasted the

coaching staff following a loss to New England from a team that entered the season with lofty expectations.

Jones remained supportive of embattled Dallas coach Jason Garrett, who is in the final year of his contract in his ninth full season for a franchise that hasn’t been past the divisional round since the last of its five NFL championships to finish the 1995 season.

“This is not the time for me,” said Jones, who made an in-season change when Garrett got the job in 2010. “I’m looking ahead at winning four or five straight. Every decision that I make over the next month will be with an eye in mind to get us in the Super Bowl now.”

Allen, whose 15-yard run put Buffalo ahead 23-7 late in the third quarter, was 19-of-24 for 231 yards and a career-best 120.7 passer rating as the Bills won their third straight game and solidified their hold on an AFC wild-card playoff spot.

The second-year quarterback from Wyoming found the ball at the bottom of a pile after fumbling a snap on fourthand-1 in the second quarter, quickly reached the ball over the first-down spot and then stumbled forward 3 yards to the Dallas 28, pumping his arms emphatically afterward.

“On fourth down, fourth and short, fumbling the snap, I got to do a better job with that, and get the ball to our running back and let him do the job there,” Allen said. “But I wanted it. I wanted it really bad.”

On the next play, Brown took a pitch on a double reverse and lofted the ball to wide-open running back Devin Singletary for Buffalo’s first lead at 13-7 in the second quarter.

“I played a little backup quarterback in Pop Warner, but I wasn’t all that,” Brown said of becoming the first non-QB with a touchdown pass for the Bills since Fred Jackson 10 years ago.

“Dropped a dime,” Beasley said. “We had two great quarterbacks today.”