Despite a slow start on Sunday afternoon in Orchard Park, the Buffalo Bills use a solid second half performance to down the visiting Miami Dolphins, 26-11 at Highmark Stadium. With the win, Buffalo has earned a seventh-straight victory over their AFC East rival dating back to the 2018 season.
After the Bills opened the game with a three-and-out on offense, the Miami offense went to work with the football on their opening drive. Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins converted a pair of third down chances and managed to get as far as the Buffalo 18-yard line.
However, the Dolphins came away with nothing on the scoreboard after kicker Jason Sanders missed his 36-yard field goal attempt.
Josh Allen and the Buffalo offense turned the missed Miami chance around and converted their next drive into three points. Buffalo got set up nicely thanks to a big 34-yard run from Allen on a third down play to get down to the Dolphins' 40-yard line.
After only gaining a yard on the next three plays from scrimmage, Bills kicker Tyler Bass put his team on the scoreboard with a big 57-yard field goal that snuck inside the right upright.
After Matt Haack shanked a punt for 19 yards in the second quarter, the Dolphins were able to get into field goal range for Sanders, and this time, he was able to get Miami on the board with a 51-yard field goal to tie the game at 3-3.
With less than a minute remaining in the first half, the Bills faced a 4th-and-4 at the Dolphins' 44-yard line and elected to go for the first down to keep their drive alive. Although it appeared Miami jumped offside at the time of the snap, no flag was thrown and Allen ended up throwing the ball away as he faced the blitz and was flagged for intentional grounding on the play.
With the Dolphins getting the ball at the Bills' 41-yard line with 53 seconds remaining in the half, they had a chance to put some points on the scoreboard before receiving the second half kickoff.
However, Miami failed to produce the drive into points after a third down snap at the Buffalo 12-yard line hit tight end Mike Gesicki as he moved in motion. The ball bounced around a bit before Bills safety Micah Hyde recovered the fumble and returned the football 16 yards.
The Bills then elected to kneel down the ball and head to the locker room for halftime. It was a dismal half of football for the Buffalo offense that produced just 122 yards and possessed the football for just 11:34.
After forcing a second-straight three-and-out of the Miami offense to start the third quarter, the Bills avoided disaster on the ensuing punt as returner Isaiah McKenzie muffed the attempt and the football bounced into the end zone. Luckily, wide receiver Jake Kumerow recovered the ball and the ruling on the field ended up being a touchback.
Buffalo immediately turned their good fortunes into the first touchdown of the game with a 13-play drive that chewed 7:06 off the game clock. Allen and the offense went to work to drive the football 80 yards down the field, and it resulted in an eight-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Gabriel Davis.
For Davis, it was his first receiving touchdown since Week 1 of the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
After another three-and-out forced by the Buffalo defense, the Bills added to their lead early in the fourth quarter with Allen hooking up with one of his favorite targets. The offense managed to drive the ball 69 yards down the field with the drive ending with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs.
Miami was able to respond with a scoring drive of their own, this time driving 75 yards down the field in 3:44 to cut the deficit to six points. It was Tagovailoa who capped the drive with a one-yard quarterback keeper, and then adding two more points on the board with a successful conversion attempt to tight end Mike Gesicki.
With 9:49 to go on the clock, the Bills were able to chew 6:10 off the game clock in an attempt to kill off any momentum in favor of the Dolphins. Buffalo ended the drive by making it a two-possession game with a 39-yard field goal from Bass to make the score, 20-11.
In desperation mode with less than three minutes remaining, the Dolphins were forced to go to the air and it ended up in a turnover for Tagovailoa deep in their own territory. On a 3rd-and-26 at the Miami 19-yard line, Tagovailoa was picked off by Bills safety Jordan Poyer, who returned the football 26 yards to the Dolphins' 11-yard line.
Buffalo added the cherry on top of their win three plays later, as Allen found the end zone for the third time in the half. This time, he kept the football himself with a seven-yard score for his 28th career rushing touchdown.
With the victory, the Bills improve to 5-2 on the 2021 season, while handing the Dolphins a seventh-consecutive loss in the standings.
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GAME SUMMARY
First quarter:
- 3-0 BUFFALO: Bills field goal (3:52) - Tyler Bass' 57-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 7 plays, 35 yards, 4:18
Second quarter:
- 3-3 TIE: Dolphins field goal (8:10) - Jason Sanders' 51-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 7 plays, 32 yards, 3:51
Third quarter:
- 10-3 BUFFALO: Bills touchdown (3:49) - Josh Allen tosses an eight-yard touchdown pass to Gabriel Davis. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 13 plays, 80 yards, 7:06
Fourth quarter:
- 17-3 BUFFALO: Bills touchdown (13:23) - Josh Allen fires a 19-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 9 plays, 69 yards, 3:49
- 17-11 BUFFALO: Dolphins touchdown (9:39) - Tua Tagovailoa keeps the ball for a one-yard touchdown run. (Miami's two-point conversion attempt is successful)
Drive info: 11 plays, 75 yards, 3:44
- 20-11 BUFFALO: Bills field goal (3:29) - Tyler Bass' 39-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 14 plays, 59 yards, 6:10
- 26-11 BUFFALO: Bills touchdown (1:07) - Josh Allen rolls out and rushes for a seven-yard touchdown. (Buffalo's two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful)
Drive info: 3 plays, 11 yards, 1:14
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SKYWORKS EQUIPMENT RENTAL STATS OF THE GAME:
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What's next:
The Bills will travel to Florida to take on the Jaguars next Sunday at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. ET on the official voice of the Bills - WGR Sports Radio 550.
