Cole Beasley had been involved in an ending like this once before, back when he played for the Dallas Cowboys.
But he was on the winning end.
“Dez Bryant made a play like that one time that won us the game,” Beasley said after Arizona Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins caught a last-second bomb from Kyler Murray in the end zone to send the Bills home with a 32-30 loss Sunday at State Farm Stadium. “And with those type of players, anything can happen when the ball is up in the air, and he made it today. It was a hell of a catch.”
Beasley finished with a game-high 11 catches on 13 targets for 109 yards and a touchdown, contributing his second 11-catch performance in four games.
Beasley would have led all players in receiving yards, if not for Hopkins’ final 43-yard touchdown catch, which he made despite being surrounded by starting safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer and All-Pro cornerback Tre’Davious White.
“That’s kind of his calling card and what he’s done over his career,” Beasley said about Hopkins. “He makes big plays like that, acrobatic catches, it’s just what he does. Anytime they throw it up and he’s around it you get nervous, and that’s why.”
KYLER MURRAY HAIL MARY TO DEANDRE HOPKINS🚀 pic.twitter.com/z4aThLrN3p
— PFF (@PFF) November 16, 2020
Beasley had four catches on what should have been the Bills’ game-winning drive.
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He converted twice on third down while helping to set up Josh Allen’s go-ahead touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs with 34 seconds to play, only to watch the Cards steal the victory at the end.
Beasley and Diggs, who had 10 catches for 93 yards and a touchdown, gave the Bills two receivers with at least 10 catches in a game for the first time in franchise history.
“He was awesome today,” Allen said about Beasley. “He was very smart. He gets into zones and when they tend to bring pressure he’s kind of an outlet guy and just knows where to be and finds zones. I’ve got to do a better job with ball placement and putting it on him. Too many times I put the ball in jeopardy today.”
Allen completed 32 of 49 pass attempts for 284 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
The Bills had eight players catch a pass, including Allen, who brought in a 12-yard touchdown reception from Isaiah McKenzie to give Buffalo an early 7-3 lead. That gives them 12 players to catch a pass this season, the most in franchise history.
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Beasley caught a 22-yard touchdown, his longest play of the day, to give the Bills a 23-9 lead with 9:52 left in the third quarter.
But he came up biggest with Buffalo trailing 26-23 late in the game and needing to drive the field to either kick a game-tying field goal or find the end zone for the go-ahead score.
“We came through when we needed to the most at the end,” Beasley said, “but there was a lot of plays earlier that got away from us, and we’ve got to take care of the football better. We gave them extra opportunities and if we played better in those two situations (that ended with Allen interceptions), the game would probably be a different game. And we had a million penalties, as well, and that hurt us bigtime.”
The Bills faced third-and-4 at the Buffalo 28 with 2:57 to play when Beasley picked up the first down with a stellar one-handed grab.
They faced third-and-5 near midfield, just inside the two-minute warning, when Beasley caught a seven-yard pass to move the chains.
Moments later, it was second-and-13, and Beasley picked up 17 yards for another first down, moving the Bills, who trailed by three points, into field goal range.
He then had a four-yard catch to the Arizona 21-yard line, setting up Allen’s touchdown pass to Diggs, which capped a 12-play, 78-yard drive with 43 seconds remaining on the clock.
“These are the games that you kind of dream about as a kid, coming down to the wire and you’ve got to make plays down the stretch,” Beasley said. “I think both sides were in the moment and really enjoying that moment and really taking full advantage of it. That’s what makes a good football game and what makes this game so great. Just competitors on both sides competing.”
