NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Buffalo Bills needed someone to provide some kind of offensive boost.
And quarterback Tyrod Taylor from Hampton came through by doing a little bit of everything.
Even catching a pass.
Taylor threw a touchdown pass and ran for another in rallying the Buffalo Bills to a 14-13 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
With their top two running backs and top wide receiver out injured, Taylor ran for 77 yards as the Bills (3-2) snapped a five-game skid against Tennessee.
Taylor ran for a 22-yard TD late in the third quarter after a 24-yard run. The former Virginia Tech quarterback also scrambled for 24 more on third-and-23 from the Bills 7 jumpstarting an 80-yard drive he capped with a 2-yard TD pass to Chris Hogan. Taylor caught a 4-yard pass from Hogan to set up that TD.
Stephon Gilmore intercepted Marcus Mariota’s pass with 1:32 left to seal the win.
The Titans (1-3) blew a second straight double-digit lead at home and have lost two straight by a combined three points.
Tennessee outgained the Bills 279-209 and held the ball for more than 35 minutes. But the Titans settled for a pair of field goals by Ryan Succop and a 1-yard TD run by Antonio Andrews.
The Titans also had four sacks and recovered a fumble on a punt return to set up their touchdown.
The Bills played without wide receiver Sammy Watkins (calf) and running back LeSean McCoy (hamstring) for a second straight week with McCoy’s replacement Karlos Williams also out recovering from a concussion.
The Bills lost another running back to injury in the second quarter when Cierre Wood was carted to the locker room with an injured knee and did not return.
Taylor got the Bills going in the third quarter. He had plenty of room to run on the third-and 23, a play that put the Bills near midfield with a horse-collar penalty on Titans linebacker Zach Brown. The Bills’ quarterback then turned in his biggest play, finding Hogan for a 40-yard pass to the Titans 7.
Buffalo nearly had a great start to the game when Bishop Sankey fumbled the kickoff in the end zone, and the Titans recovered at the 2.
But the Bills, who lead the NFL in penalties, had to kick again with Marcus Easley offside on Billy Cundiff’s kick. After that, the Titans dominated, outgaining Buffalo 115-7 and forcing the Bills to go three-and-out twice.
Tennessee’s TD came after Titans rookie Jalston Fowler stripped Denarius Moore, who was signed Wednesday by Buffalo, of the ball at the end of a punt return. The Titans won a replay challenge and got the ball at the Bills 39.
