Orchard Park, N.Y. (WGR 550) - The Buffalo Bills returned to Highmark Stadium on Sunday and dominated their AFC East rival Miami Dolphins in front of an electric crowd.
In an offensive onslaught, the Bills emerged victorious over the Dolphins, 48-20, on the backs of quarterback Josh Allen and the overall defensive unit.
The Bills opened the game with the football and drove the ball down the field for the game's opening touchdown. After finding wide receiver Stefon Diggs down the sidelines on a 17-yard pass - plus another 15 yards for a late hit - Allen connected on an 18-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Gabe Davis.
The Dolphins kept up the pace on their opening drive, getting right to work with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa completing two big passes to tight end Durham Smythe. Rookie running back De'Von Achane eventually capped off the drive with two quick runs, the second of which being a three-yard touchdown scamper.
The Buffalo offense kept rolling on the next drive with Allen hitting tight end Dawson Knox with a 12-yard pass that led to a big first down for the Bills. Shortly thereafter, veteran running back Latavius Murray busted down field on 29-yard run to get the Bills into the Miami red zone again.
Running back James Cook ended the drive with another Buffalo touchdown, this time with a one-yard touchdown run through a pile of bodies.
The Dolphins kept the ball moving on their second drive, and eventually found the end zone once more. This time, it was Achane punching it in again from 10 yards out for his second touchdown of the day.
The Bills offense continued their prowess on the next drive, and even got a big assist from a flag against the Miami defense when Dolphins cornerback Kader Kohou was called for pass interference. That put the Bills all the way down at the Dolphins' 20-yard line.
A few plays later, Allen extended a play and found Diggs in the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown pass.
The Dolphins and Bills traded punts for the first time in the second quarter, and then the Buffalo defense eventually forced another Dolphins punt with less than four minutes remaining in the half.
On the second play of Buffalo's next drive, Allen fired a short pass to Diggs, who spun off two defenders and used his legs to run the ball into the end zone for a 55-yard touchdown.
The Dolphins got the ball back with a chance to add some points before halftime, but, once again, the Bills defense came up big with a forced turnover.
Three plays into Miami's drive, linebacker Matt Milano forced a fumble of running back Raheem Mostert, and linebacker Terrel Bernard recovered the loose change at the Dolphins' 31-yard line.
Despite failing to find the end zone once again after the turnover, the Bills were able to tack on three points with a Tyler Bass 53-yard field goal to take a 31-14 lead into halftime.
The Dolphins received the football to start the second half and took their time en route to finding the end zone again. After chewing 5:30 off the game clock to start the third quarter, wide receiver Braxton Berrios capped off the drive with an 11-yard touchdown reception.
Miami went for the two-point conversion to cut into the Bills' lead, but cornerback Dane Jackson was in position to break up the attempt.
The Bills had a great start on their first drive of the half. Allen, once again, extended a play by finding some open space and tossing to a wide-open Cook, who gained 48 yards on a third down conversion into the Dolphins' red zone.
After advancing as far as the Miami 12-yard line, the Bills eventually turned to Bass, who extended Buffalo's lead with a 33-yard field goal.
Only two plays into the Dolphins' next drive, Tagovailoa floated a pass that ended up in the arms of Bills safety Micah Hyde, who returned the pick 23 yards to the Miami 25-yard line.
Four plays into Buffalo's next drive, Allen found Diggs in the end zone for the third time of the game, this time from 13 yards out.
The Dolphins continued to struggle on their next drive, turning the ball over on downs in just five plays.
However, concern turned towards Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White, who ended up going down to the turf on the fourth down play that resulted in a Buffalo sack. White ended up being carted off the field with an Achilles injury and did not return.
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Despite the concerns for White, Allen and the Buffalo offense turned around and went right back to work with a 34-yard bomb to Davis down to Miami 11-yard line. On the very next play to open the fourth quarter, Allen finished the drive himself with an 11-yard touchdown run.
Throughout the final quarter of play, both teams traded possession two times each, with neither team finding the end zone again.
The Bills were eventually able to kneel out the remainder of the clock and secure the 48-20 victory and improve to 3-1 on the season.
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GAME SUMMARY
First Quarter:
- 7-0 BUFFALO: Bills touchdown (10:41) - Josh Allen tosses an 18-yard touchdown pass to Gabe Davis. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:19
- 7-7 TIE: Dolphins touchdown (6:30) - De'Von Achane rushes three yards for a touchdown. (Jason Sanders' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 7 plays, 77 yards, 4:11
- 14-7 BUFFALO: Bills touchdown (1:10) - James Cook punches in the football from one yard out for a rushing touchdown. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 10 plays, 80 yards, 5:20
Second Quarter:
- 14-14 TIE: Dolphins touchdown (12:47) - De'Von Achane scampers for 10 yards for a touchdown run. (Jason Sanders' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 7 plays, 70 yards, 3:23
- 21-14 BUFFALO: Bills touchdown (10:02) - Josh Allen finds Stefon Diggs over the middle for an 11-yard touchdown pass. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 5 plays, 79 yards, 2:45
- 28-14 BUFFALO: Bills touchdown (2:58) - Stefon Diggs breaks free on a reception from Josh Allen and runs 55 yards for a touchdown. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 2 plays, 59 yards, 0:53
- 31-14 BUFFALO: Bills field goal (1:39) - Tyler Bass' 53-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 4 plays, -4 yards, 0:35
Third Quarter:
- 31-20 BUFFALO: Dolphins touchdown (9:30) - Tua Tagovailoa threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Braxton Berrios. (Two-point conversion attempt is no good)
Drive info: 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:30
- 34-20 BUFFALO: Bills field goal (5:21) - Tyler Bass' 33-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 7 plays, 60 yards, 4:09
- 41-20 BUFFALO: Bills touchdown (3:00) - Josh Allen fires a 13-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 4 plays, 25 yards, 2:03
Fourth Quarter:
- 48-20 BUFFALO: Bills touchdown (14:55) - Josh Allen keeps it himself for an 11-yard touchdown run. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 2 plays, 45 yards, 0:44
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SKYWORKS EQUIPMENT RENTAL STATS OF THE GAME
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What's next:
The Bills will head to London, England, where they will host the Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next Sunday, Oct. 8. Kickoff is set for 9:30 a.m. ET on the official voice of the Bills - WGR Sports Radio 550.