The Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills met for the second time this year, finishing their annual home-and-home series between the two AFC East rivals. Buffalo won the first meeting back in Week 3, continuing a streak of dominating the Dolphins in seven-straight wins.
But it was the Dolphins who came out dominating on Sunday. Despite starting the game with an interception, Miami controlled the game for all 60 minutes, scoring first and scoring often as the routed the Bills.
Buffalo never looked comfortable in the game, with Miami’s defense forcing three turnovers and sacking quarterback Josh Allen three times. The Dolphins smacked their rivals in the mouth and the Bills, who have won the AFC East each of the last five seasons, did not have an answer on Sunday.
Final score
Bills 13 – 30 Dolphins
Recap and Reactions
First Quarter
Dolphins first possession
The Dolphins won the toss and elected to receive, putting the offense on the field first. On the opening snap, the Bills appeared to jump offsides, but the referees somehow decided that fullback Alec Ingold, who was going in motion, had somehow false-started instead. The call was so bad, head coach Mike McDaniel called a timeout just to have more time to yell at the refs. Backed up, Miami was limited to a one-yard pass to wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, then a three-yard pass to running back De’Von Achane. On 3rd-and-11, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa took a deep shot toward Waddle, but threw it into double coverage the pass was intercepted.
How was Ingold called for a false start by going in motion? That call made absolutely no sense and the Dolphins offense could not respond from that. Tagovailoa should not have thrown that deep pass – it worked as a punt essentially, but the decision to chuck the ball into coverage was not the right one, even on a 3rd-and-11 desperation pass.
Bills first possession
The Bills opened with an incomplete pass before quarterback Josh Allen completed a pass to running back James Cook for eight yards. Cook was limited to one yard on the third-down rush attempt, leading to a three-and-out punt for Buffalo.
That marked the first opening possession punt of the season for Buffalo. The defense responded well after the interception – and, again, it was basically a punt, starting Buffalo back at their 25-yard line. Fortunately, the turnover caused no harm.
Dolphins second possession
Miami started the drive at the eight-yard line after a beautiful punt from Buffalo. Achane, running back Jaylen Wright, and fullback Alec Ingold made an impact on the possession, with Achane gaining 37 yards on the ground, Wright adding three yards, and Ingold picking up a first down on a 3rd-and-1 run for six yards. Tagovailoa was sharp in the passing game as well, finding Achane for 15 yards and wide receiver Malik Washington for 13 yards, including a nine yard touchdown.
Great second drive for Miami. They were effective with the rushing attack, then Tagovailoa looked decisive with the passes. It came together nicely, and they put the points on the board. Now, they need the defense to make another stop so the offense can try to get an early two-score lead before Buffalo finds their rhythm.
Dolphins 7-0.
Bills second possession
Buffalo rebounded from their three-and-out to quickly pick up a first down with an eight-yard run from Cook and a pass from Allen to wide receiver Keon Coleman for five yards. After that, however, Miami shut down the drive, stopping Cook after two yards on a run, then having cornerback Jack Jones perfectly play an outlet pass to Cook for a four-yard loss. After an 11-yard pass to tight end Dawson Knox set up 4th-and-1, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick broke up a deep pass attempt from Allen to force the turnover on downs.
Okay, defense, we see you. What a great stop to give the ball back to the offense. This is going well.
Dolphins third possession
Waddle picked up 14 yards on a pass over the middle to start the drive. After an Achane run for a one-yard loss, the quarter ended.
Second Quarter
Dolphins third possession (continued)
After the break, Tagovailoa threw a perfect bomb down the field to Waddle, who fought through a pass interference penalty to grab the 38-yard touchdown.
What a perfect, quick-strike drive for the Dolphins. The extra point was missed, but right now, everything is happening perfectly for Miami.
Dolphins 13-0.
Bills third possession
No gain, incomplete pass, incomplete pass. The Bills punted after a three-and-out drive that gained nothing.
The defense is playing the run strong, with linebacker Jordyn Brooks meeting Cook at the line of scrimmage, and they are keeping the pressure on Allen, with linebacker Bradley Chubb leading the way. They are making Allen uncomfortable but not letting him use his legs to get down field. The cornerbacks are doing a great job in coverage as well. The defense is playing lights out right now.
Dolphins fourth possession
Three yards from Achane to open the drive was negated by a three-yard loss from running back Ollie Gordon II on the second play. Facing 3rd-and-10, Miami ran a screen pass to Achane, who turned it into an eight-yard gain, but could not convert the first down and the Dolphins punted.
Not the high-scoring drive Miami had the last two possessions, but a good punt and Miami just needs the defense to step up again.
Bills fourth possession
Buffalo finally found some offensive rhythm, starting with back-to-back passes from Allen to tight end Dalton Kincaid, one for 20 yard and one for 17 yards. The Dolphins forced a 4th-and-1 four plays later, with a neutral zone infraction flag flying and the Bills gaining a first down. On the next play, Cook picked up nine yards on a run to the left, but as he was being tackled, Jones punched the ball loose and Miami recovered.
Let’s go! The Bills had momentum and their offense was moving, but the defense came to play today and they made the stop when needed. The offense has a long way to go, starting at the five, but they have time and they have the 13-point lead.
Dolphins fifth possession
Miami moved the ball 67 yards on the drive, starting at their five-yard line and reaching the Bills’ 28-yard line. The drive included an Achane run for 14 yards, a 24-yard pass from Tagovailoa to Waddle, and an 18-yard run from Wright. Miami settled for a field goal to extend the lead.
Not a touchdown, but it extends the lead and keeps the pressure on Buffalo. It was a solid drive, with Miami hitting on some big plays to keep the Bills off balance. Smacking Buffalo right now.
Dolphins 16-0.
Bills fifth possession
One-yard run, two-yard pass, six-yard loss on the first sack of the year for Dolphins’ defensive tackle Zach Sieler. Another three-and-out for the Bills.
The defense was ready for Buffalo. Great to see Sieler making an impact with his first sack. If Miami is going to do anything in the second half of the year, they are going to need Sieler looking more like himself.
Dolphins sixth possession
An 11-yard screen pass to Achane started the drive, but two incomplete passes as the sky opened up and dumped rain into Hard Rock Stadium led to Miami choosing to run the ball, force a timeout from the Bills, and punt.
The rain came down suddenly, and the ball seemed to be slipping out of Tagovailoa’s hand. Probably a good choice to just run it there and punt.
Bills sixth possession
The Bills started with a five-yard pass from Allen to wide receiver Khalil Shakir, but an incomplete pass targeting Kincaid, with the ball sliding through the tight end’s hands, led to a run and the end of the half.
The weather change hit both teams hard. Will it keep up in the second half? Can we get a hot, humid field for the rest of the game to slow down any Buffalo comeback attempt?
Third Quarter
Bills seventh possession
Buffalo opened with a return to the 44-yard line, but a holding penalty backed them up to the 18-yard line. A Cook run for three yards and an Allen scramble for five yards, with a defensive holding penalty added on, gave the Bills a first down. Cook was then stopped for no gain on the next snap, only to have another defensive holding penalty called on Miami, moving the ball forward five yards and giving Buffalo another first down. Cook gained five yards on a reception before the Dolphins’ defense, led by Jack Jones, stuffed wide receiver Elijah Moore for a one-yard loss. Allen scrambled for 15 yards on the 3rd-and-6 play, but a holding penalty negated the gain and pushed the Bills into a 3rd-and-16. Somehow, Allen scrambled around for about 10 seconds on the next snap, avoiding the rush and moving around in the backfield to stay alive until he could complete a 21-yard pass to wide receiver Curtis Samuel. Allen threw on the next three plays, completing two of them to Shakir for a combined 16 yards. Cook then added 14 yards on the ground. The next four plays featured a Cook run for three yards, an Allen scramble for nine yards, a Cook run for two yards, and a Allen pass to running back Ray Davis for no gain. On 3rd-and-Goal from the five-yard line, Allen targeted Knox in the endzone, but the ball went straight to Miami safety Ifeatu Melifonwu for the interception.
That was a nasty, nine-minute drive from the Bills, just doing anything they wanted to do as Allen worked his magic. They moved the ball 77 yards and came away with nothing as the Miami defense made another play to steal away the momentum.
Dolphins seventh possession
After the pick, Miami began at its 20-yard line, with Tagovailoa finding tight end Greg Dulcich for 22 yards on the second snap, then Achane running for 13 yards to move into Bills’ territory. The next play, however, had the Bills in the backfield almost as soon as Achane took the hand off and he lost four yards. An incomplete pass and a four-yard screen to Achane led to a Miami punt, with Jake Bailey dropping the ball perfectly at the two-yard line where it immediately died.
That punt was just gorgeous. Like, work of art gorgeous. Just perfect execution.
Bills eighth possession
Buffalo picked up three yards on a run from Cook, six yards on a pass to Coleman, and two yards on an Allen run up the middle for the first down as the quarter ended.
Fourth Quarter
Bills eighth possession (continued)
After the break, Buffalo turned to chunk plays, including a 24-yard pass to wide receiver Tyrell Shavers, a 20-yard pass to Knox, and a 35-yard touchdown pass to Coleman. On the two-point attempt, Fitzpatrick met Shakir at the goal line to deny the attempt and keep Miami leading by 10.
At some point, Allen was going to will the Bills to a score. Now, how does Miami respond? Can they control the ball, run clock, and put up some points here?
Dolphins 16-6.
Dolphins eighth possession
Miami picked up one first down on a seven-yard pass from Tagovailoa to wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, a play that the Bills tried to challenge but the referees did not see the red flag. Three plays later, Tagovailoa looked deep for Waddle, but like the opening drive interception, he simply threw up a jump ball and the Bills picked it off.
Both picks looked the same, with Tagovailoa just throwing the ball up and hoping Waddle could make a play. Both times it was into double coverage, and both times it led to an interception. The Bills are still starting at their own 24-yard line, so it is as good as a punt, but Miami missed an opportunity to continue to chew clock.
Bills ninth possession
The Bills opened with a four-yard pass to Moore and a 16 yard pass to running back Ty Johnson. After an incomplete pass, Allen found Shakir for nine yards, then carried the ball for 15 yards on a sneak attempt, but as he was held up, linebacker Jordyn Brooks knocked the ball loose and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick recovered for Miami.
YES!!!!!! The Bills have to score quickly, Allen knows it and tried to make something happen, continuing to try to move forward even as he was being tackled. It allowed Miami to change a big Bills play into a huge Dolphins play. They took advantage of the situation and can now work to kill the clock.
Dolphins ninth possession
Miami opened the drive with a three-yard run from Achane to start working to chew the clock. The second run did the opposite, however, as the running back took the ball 59 yards for the score.
Who cares about killing the clock when you can take a carry up the middle and turn it into a 59-yard score. Let’s go!
Dolphins 23-6.
Bills tenth possession
The Bills opened at their 35-yard line, needing to move the ball quickly. Cook gained nine yards on a reception and seven yards on a run on the first two snaps before an incomplete pass and a sack pushed the Bills into a 4th-and-15. Allen was again pressured on the play, but he was able to scramble free and find Shakir for a 25-yard gain. Knox picked up five yards on a reception on the next snap before an incomplete pass brought up 3rd-and-5 at the Miami 25-yard line. Allen threw to Shakir for the first down on a five-yard gain, but an unnecessary roughness penalty backed the Bills up 15 yards. Allen was sacked by Chubb on the next play, with a phantom taunting call after the play. The Bills scored a touchdown on the next play.
Fitzpatrick made the initial hit on Allen for the sack, but he could not finish it, with linebacker Willie Gay, Jr., cleaning up. That taunting penalty was crap. Chubb was nowhere near any player after the sack, yet somehow was called for a taunt.
Dolphins 23-13.
Dolphins tenth possession
After wide receiver Cedrick Wilson, Jr., dove forward to snag the onside kick attempt from Buffalo, Miami added five yards with an illegal formation penalty on the Bills. Achane ran for two yards to force the Bills’ first timeout. Achane picked up nothing on the next play, but forced another Bills timeout. On 3rd-and-8, Achane found a hole and the endzone from 35 yards out.
It has been a long time since Miami had a performance like this against Buffalo. Let’s keep it going!
Dolphins 30-13.
Bills 11th possession
Buffalo pulled Allen for their 11th possession, replacing him with Mitchell Trubisky. Davis took two carries, one for a one-yard loss and one for no gain, on the first two snaps, leading to the two-minute warning. Trubisky scrambled for two yards on 3rd-and-11, leading to a punt.
Clearly, the Bills have thrown in the towel. The fans are leaving and the team is just trying to run out the clock. This feels so good.
Dolphins 11th possession
Miami knelt to kill the clock and end the game with the win.
