JuicyTalk
The Buffalo Bills outlasted the Miami Dolphins 31-21 for their seventh straight win over the ‘Phins. They are now a league-best 3-0 heading into this weekend.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen was once again masterful, completing 22 of 28 passes for 213 yards and three passing touchdowns. Meanwhile, running back James Cook ran for 108 yards and a TD.
Miami came out guns blazing by returning the opening kickoff 54 yards to set the offense up with field position in Buffalo’s territory. From there, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa completed his first four passes for 29 yards, which eventually led to Ollie Gordon II’s first career touchdown to put the Dolphins ahead 7-0.
The Bills had no issue responding. They moved the ball 85 yards in seven plays, allowing quarterback Josh Allen to link up with tight end Dalton Kincaid for a 20-yard TD pass to tie things up 7-7, which is how the second quarter started.
Josh Allen once again made the impossible look easy. On a 1st and goal from the ‘Phins’ five yard line, Allen completed a flicking shovel pass to tight end Jackson Hawes for his first career touchdown reception. That increased the score to 14-7 in favor of the Bills.
Following a quick three-and-out by Miami, a promising Bills drive was cut short. Despite gaining 59 yards, Josh Allen took a poorly timed sack on a 3rd and 8. That caused kicker Matt Prater to miss his first field goal attempt of the evening. The sack was recorded by Bradley Chubb, his third in the last three games.
Dolphins wideout Tyreek Hill showed he still has speed to be reckoned with. He kept a Miami drive alive by recording a 19-yard catch-and-run on a 3rd and 12 to move the ball into enemy territory. A few plays later, Tua Tagovailoa picked up another third-down conversion with his legs. The ‘Phins converted five third-down attempts on this series alone. With eight seconds left in the first half, wideout Jaylen Waddle caught a pass while falling into the end zone to tie this one 14-14 at the break. That 16-play drive was Miami’s longest in 13 years.
Dalton Kincaid was Buffalo’s lead receiver tonight with a team-high five catches for 66 yards and a touchdown. His 19-yarder in the third quarter eventually resulted in a one-yard touchdown by running back James Cook to reclaim the lead 21-14. He has a league-high four rushing TDs.
This time around, Miami wasn’t as successful on third down, recording a three-and-out on the ensuing drive. They were an efficient ten for 15 on third-down attempts tonight.
Early in the fourth quarter, Tua Tagovailoa tied it again, 21-21, on a touchdown to Tyreek Hill. Tua finished the game with 146 passing yards, two TDs, and an interception on a night where he completed 22 of 34 passes.
A costly penalty by the Dolphins breathed new life into Buffalo’s next drive. On a Bills fourth-down punt, Miami’s Zach Sieler was flagged for roughing the kicker, which gave Buffalo a new set of downs. A few plays later, wide receiver Khalil Shakir took a swing pass 15 yards to the end zone to give the Bills a 28-21 advantage with 7:17 remaining in the game.
The Dolphins literally threw this one away late in the fourth quarter. Tua Tagovailoa threw a drive-killing interception with three minutes to go in the game.
The Bills would run down the clock before settling for a field goal to put this out of reach and secure the win. With the victory, Buffalo improved to 11-3 against the AFC East since the start of the 2023 season.
*Author’s note: all information and statistics are tracked in real time and are provided by the game’s broadcaster, NFL.com, and ESPN.com*
