SEATTLE - Given the difficulty of their schedule, including five road games in a seven-week stretch following their opener at home, the Buffalo Bills have put themselves in an envious position as they enter Week 8.

They are at Lumen Field Sunday afternoon to take on the hard-to-figure Seattle Seahawks, and they’re sitting comfortably in first place in the mundane AFC East with a chance to further strengthen their position with a victory.

If that were to happen, the Bills would be 6-2, and any reasonable fan would have taken that record when the schedule was first announced back in May, and quite frankly, many would have been satisfied with 5-3 should the Bills lose in Seattle.

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Which is to say, while you want to win every game, and the Bills would love to win this one, because of the good work they’ve put forth to date, it would not be a soul-crusher if they lost it.

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Final score: Buffalo Bills 31, Seattle Seahawks 10

Mack Hollins recovers muffed punt for Bills - 2:43 4th quarter

Seattle couldn't executive a punt return. Returner Dee Williams slipped and muffed the punt, and Buffalo's Mack Hollins pounced on it on the Seahawks' 26-yard line.

Josh Allen's day is over. Mitchell Trubisky entered the game on the possession for the Bills and handed off to Ray Davis three times before Martin's punt.

Seahawks punt on fourth-and-24

Geno Smith completed to Jaxon Smith-Njigba for 14 yards and scrambled for 13 yards but Smith was sacked by rookie defensive end Javon Solomon for an 11-yard loss on the ensuing third down. Michael Dickson punted 58 yards and Brandon Codrington returned it 12 yards to the Bills' 25-yard line.

Bills go three-and-out

Josh Allen is still in the game. On third-and-11, Allen completed to Khalil Shakir for 8 yards. Sam Martin punted and a tripping penalty on the return will force the Seahawks to start at their 10-yard line.

Bills 31, Seahawks 10: Zach Charbonnet rushes for 1-yard touchdown

It finally happened. Seattle got into the red zone and scored a touchdown. Zach Charbonnet scored on a 1-yard run. Geno Smith got into a rhythm with completions of 14, 18, 20 and 12 yards on the drive.

Bills 31, Seahawks 3: James Cook lowers shoulder for another touchdown run

Buffalo is pouring it on. James Cook scored his second touchdown in as many possessions with a tough run up the middle. Josh Allen converted a fourth-and-1 with a quarterback sneak and followed it up with a 27-yard completion to Dawson Knox. Cornerback Riq Woolen was called for defensive pass interference, Cook sprinted for 12 yards and the Seahawks were called for encroachment to set up the touchdown. Buffalo has scored on its last four possessions and has 416 yards of offense.

Seattle offense unravels on three-and-out - :03 3rd quarter

That was ugly. Seattle fumbled a snap, offensive guard Christian Haynes was called for offensive holding and Geno Smith was flagged for taunting after tossing the ball at a Bills' defensive player. On third-and-20, Zach Charbonnet caught a pass for 5 yards on third-and-20 and Seattle was flagged for illegal formation but it was declined. Michael Dickson punted 58 yards to the Bills' 27-yard line.

Bills 24, Seahawks 3: James Cook runs for touchdown as Buffalo carves up Seattle defense

Buffalo capitalized off the big man interception. The Bills went 51 yards in seven plays, with James Cook scoring on a 2-yard touchdown run. Josh Allen completed a third-and-5 with a 21-yard strike to Keon Coleman to keep the drive alive. Cook ran up the middle for 13 yards on the next play and then punched in the touchdown.

Geno Smith throws interception to Austin Johnson

Seattle's offense has been crushed by an inability to run the ball and miscues. On first-and-10 from the Bills' 40, Geno Smith was picked off by Bills defensive tackle Austin Johnson. Linebacker Dorian Williams blitzed up the middle and defensive end A.J. Epenesa got pressure off the edge. Defensive end Casey Toohill got in Smith's face and tipped the ball, Smith retreated and tried throwing a screen pass but Johnson intercepted it.

Bills 17, Seahawks 3: Tyler Bass makes 27-yard field goal

Buffalo went 69 yards on the opening drive of the second half but settled for a field goal. Josh Allen completed five straight passes on the drive, including 15 yards to Keon Coleman and 35 yards to Khalil Shakir. The Bills had first-and-goal from the Seahawks' 5-yard line but was pushed back with a delay of game. Allen threw incomplete for Dalton Kincaid on third-and-goal and Tyler Bass made a 27-yard field goal.

Halftime score: Buffalo Bills 14, Seattle Seahawks 3

The Bills scored touchdowns on both trips to the red zone. The Seahawks two trips into the red zone only yielded a field goal.

Josh Allen has completed 16 of 22 passes for 152 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. James Cook has 56 yards rushing on eight carries and Khalil Shakir has six receptions for 58 yards.

Geno Smith is 10 of 13 for 95 yards and the Seahawks have 1 rushing yard on 10 carries for a 0.1 average.

Bills 14, Seahawks 3: Josh Allen throws TD to Dalton Kincaid after killer Seattle penalty

After Seattle’s failure inside the 10, the Bills took possession at the 7 with 4:44 left in the half and Josh Allen put together a well-orchestrated 93-yard drive through a driving rain that ended with his 12-yard touchdown pass to Dalton Kincaid.

The Bills overcame another big penalty that wiped out a 22-yard pass to Keon Coleman, but then they caught two huge breaks, too. On a third-and-5, Allen fumbled the ball, but it went forward and Ty Johnson recovered for an 11-yard gain and a first down.

And then late in the drive an illegal shift penalty on Buffalo was superseded when the Seahawks roughed Allen on a third down, giving the Bills a first down at the 12 with 31 seconds left.

Buffalo avoids another turnover

The Bills came into the game with two turnovers in 2024. They almost had two in four plays. On third-and-5 from the Bills' 12, Allen scrambled and fumbled. The ball bounced forward 10 yards and running back Ty Johnson hopped on it for an 11-yard gain and a Bills first down.

Bills stops Seahawks on fourth-and-goal from the 1

Seattle had disaster strike on the center-quarterback exchange near the goal line again. They came up empty after an interception set up the offense with first-and-goal from the 7-yard line. Kenneth Walker rushed for 3 yards, Zach Charbonnet ran for 3 yards to the 1-yard line and defensive end Greg Rousseau blew up a handoff to Walker with a stop for no gain on third-and-goal. Seattle went for it on fourth down. Center Connor Williams and quarterback Geno Smith got their feet tangled on the snap and Smith lost 6 yards to turn the ball over on downs.

Josh Allen throws first interception of season

Josh Allen's streak without an interception is over. Allen threw his first interception of the season. He was looking for Amari Cooper and cornerback Josh Jobe, who was called up from the practice squad, stepped in front of it for the pick. Jobe returned it 33 yards to the Bills' 7-yard line.

It's Allen's first interception in 301 pass attempts, which is the longest streak in Bills history.

Bills 7, Seahawks 3: Seattle settles for field goal after botched snap

The Bills had a 91-yard touchdown drive, and the Seahawks nearly had one of their own, but after staring at second-and-goal from the 3, an errant shotgun snap went sailing over Geno Smith’s head and the Seahawks lost 19 yards, and then a delay of game cost them five more, so they had to settle for a 39-yard Jason Myers field goal.

The Seahawks did not have a first down on their first two possessions before making five on their 13-play, 71-yard drive that consumed 7:04. Geno Smith got hot as he made several easy completions against a Buffalo defense that looked lost for most of the drive. He had four straight completions of at least 10 yards in the middle of the march.

Bills punt - :18 1st quarter

Buffalo began with a first down as James Cook took a short pass 12 yards. Cook rushed for 7 yards and another first down but offensive tackle Dion Dawkins was flagged for a false start to force the Bills into a second-and-15. Josh Allen's deep pass was incomplete for Keon Coleman and Allen' completed to Khalil Shakir for 13 yards. The Bills elected to punt on fourth-and-2 from their 42-yard line. Sam Martin punted 49 yards to the Seahawks' 9-yard line.

Seattle still searching for a first down - 3:21 1st quarter

Seattle went three-and-out for the second straight possession to start the game. Bills cornerback Rasul Douglass dropped Walker for a 2-yard loss on the first play, Walker rushed for 4 yards and Geno Smith threw incomplete on third down. Michael Dickson punted 68 yards and Brandon Codrington returned it 12 yards to the Bills' 12-yard line.

Bills 7, Seahawks 0: Keon Coleman makes one-handed touchdown catch

The Bills put together a rather amazing opening drive to take an early 7-0 lead. Starting at their own 9, they drove the 91 yards on 14 plays, eating up 9:07 off the clock, and they overcame four penalties along the way.

Josh Allen was on point, completing seven of eight passes for 80 yards, the last a five-yard fade pass to Keon Coleman who made a contested catch over Riq Woolen in the end zone, and James Cook gained 24 yards on the ground. It was exactly the kind of drive you want on the road in a loud environment.

Seattle starts with three-and-out - 13:58 1st quarter

Seattle received the ball first and held it for a minute. Geno Smith completed 1 of 3 passes for 1 yard on the opening possession. Michael Dickson punted 61 yards and and Buffalo's Cam Lewis was flagged for an illegal blindside block so the Bills will start from their 19-yard line.

Bills get two favors with Dolphins, Jets losses

The Bills’ good fortune in the AFC East continued early Sunday as their two closest pursuers, the Dolphins and Jets, lost shocking games in the final seconds.

Miami fell 28-27 to the Cardinals in Tua Tagovailoa’s return to action when Chad Ryland made a 34-yard field goal as time expired, dropping the Dolphins to a rather shocking 2-5. And in New England, Jacoby Brissett replaced injured Drake Maye in the first half, and he drove the Patriots to a game-winning Rhamondre Stevenson touchdown run on fourth-and-goal from the 1 with 22 seconds remaining.

That drops the Jets to an even more shocking 2-6, so the Bills have all kinds of wiggle room Sunday, even with a loss.

Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks inactive list

We already knew that linebacker Terrel Bernard, defensive tackle DeWayne Carter and wide receiver Curtis Samuel were not playing, and Carter is now on injured reserve with his wrist injury, meaning he will be out at least four weeks.

They are joined on the sidelines Sunday by inactives offensive lineman Will Clapp, linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio, defensive tackle Zion Logue and safety Mike Edwards.

In two corresponding moves to cover the losses of Carter and Samuel, the Bills elevated DT Eli Ankou and WR Jalen Virgil from the practice squad, and both players are active.

For the Seahawks, the big news, though it was expected, is that wide receiver DK Metcalf will not play due to his knee injury. That’s a big blow for the Seattle passing which was ranks No. 1 in the NFL largely because of him.

The Seahawks are also without three defensive linemen - Cameron Young, Mike Morris and Myles Adam, cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett, linebacker Trevis Gipson, and offensive lineman Sataoa Laumea.

Bills need to find a way to start better

One issue that has plagued the Bills a few times this season has been stumbling out of the starting blocks. It happened in the victories over Arizona and Tennessee as well as the losses to Baltimore and Houston, and Josh Allen hasn’t been thrilled with their starts in a couple other games.

“I think really in all but maybe one or two games we really haven't clicked early on and it’s taken us a couple of drives to feel out what the defense is doing and getting into a rhythm,” Josh Allen said. “So getting off to a fast start is our utmost important thing going forward. It’s a lot of self-inflicted stuff. It’s misreads, it’s pre-snap penalties, it’s whatever the case may be. We really feel like we’re hurting ourselves, not so much what teams we’re playing against are doing. It’s something we’re looking to clean up.”

Offensive coordinator Joe Brady has spent plenty of time trying to fix it, and now it has to start showing up once the ball is kicked off.

“It's the worst feeling going three-and-out on the first drive, and I think a lot of times, whether we get the ball or we don't, I'd love for us to be able to set the tone for the game,” he said. “You'd love for us to be able to execute and just be able to sustain drives and be able to stay on the field.

We were able to set the tone against the Jets, you see the Miami game, the Jacksonville game, you can kind of see the difference in some of those games. Obviously, we don't want to wait ‘til second half to get going. We don't need to make it that hard, that's for sure. Can't make it that hard. Can't make a living in NFL doing that.”

Buffalo Bills vs Seattle Seahawks preview stories

What time is the Buffalo Bills vs Seattle Seahawks game?

• Date: Sunday

• Time: 4:05 p.m.

• Place: Lumen Field

Who is favored to win Bills vs. Seahawks game

• Betting line: Bills -3

• Over-under: 45.5

• Money line: Bills minus-160 (bet $160 to win $100) and Seahawks plus-135 (bet $100 to win $135).

Bills vs Seahawks prediction

There will be points scored in this game because both of these passing offenses can light it up if things are going well. Last week, Allen put up his biggest passing game of the year thanks to a dynamic second half where he got into pitch and catch mode with Amari Cooper, Dalton Kincaid, Khalil Shakir, and Keon Coleman and those four combined for 15 receptions for 248 yards in the second half. But Seattle leads the NFL in passing, so this could very well be a shootout where last team with the ball wins. I like Allen and the Bills in that scenario. Sal’s prediction: Bills 30, Seahawks 24

Who is announcing the Bills vs. Seahawks game

• Play-by-play: Kevin Burkhardt

• Analyst: Tom Brady

• Sideline reporter: Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi

How to watch Bills vs Seahawks game on TV, streaming

∎ Cable/Network TV: FOX. The game will be available locally via the following stations: WUHF channel 7 (Rochester area), WUTV channel 29 (Buffalo area), WSYT channel 68 (Syracuse area), WFXV channel 33 (Utica area), WYDC channel 48 (Elmira area), WXXA channel 23 (Albany area), and WICZ (Binghamton area).

∎ Online streaming services: You can watch games on NFL.com and the NFL mobile app, and you can subscribe to NFL+, the league’s own streaming service, though you can’t cast the games to your TV - you must watch on your phone or tablet.

∎ TV streaming: You can also stream if you have subscriptions to Spectrum, DirecTV, fuboTV, NFL+, Sling, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV.

Watch Bills vs Seahawks live on Fubo (free trial)

On the radio: How to listen to the Bills vs Seahawks game

You can listen on SiriusXM satellite radio on channel 225 (Bills feed) and channel 226 (Seahawks feed), and on traditional radio, the Bills Radio Network has stations all across the state. Chris Brown has the play-by-play, Eric Wood is the analyst, and Sal Capaccio is the sideline reporter. The network includes:

• Rochester (WCMF 96.5 and WROC 950 AM)

• Buffalo (WGR550, 550 AM)

• Syracuse (WTKW 99.5/WTKV 105.5)

• Binghamton (WDRE 100.5FM)

• Ithaca (WIII 99.9/100.3 FM)

• Bath (WVIN 98.3 FM)

• Newark (WACK 1420 AM)

• Dansville (WDNY 93.9 FM)

• Elmira (WNGZ 1490 AM)

• Auburn (WAUB 98.1 FM/1590 AM)

• Geneva (WGVA 95.9 FM, 1240 AM)

Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 35 years as the full-time beat writer for the D&C, and he has written numerous books about the history of the team. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana. https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Buffalo Bills 31, Seattle Seahawks 10: Final score, highlights, stats