It may not have been the most dominant performance by the Bills, but it ended just like almost all of their meetings with the Dolphins have recently: with a win. Buffalo started fast offensively and finished strong defensively with a Terrel Bernard interception of Tua Tagovailoa for a 31-21 win, its seventh straight over its AFC East rival.
Josh Allen, who threw three touchdown passes, is now 14-2 against Miami, which ties Dak Prescott (14-2 vs. Giants) for the most wins over a single opponent among active quarterbacks. He's also 8-0 all-time on Thursday, the best record by a starting quarterback on any day of the week since quarterback starts became official in 1950.
The Dolphins (0-3) got on the board first via a 2-yard Ollie Gordon plunge, but the Bills (3-0) answered with consecutive touchdown drives. First, James Cook led the way down the field before Allen found Dalton Kincaid for a 20-yard touchdown. After a Miami three-and-out, the hosts cruised down the field again, and this time, Allen found a different tight end -- Jackson Hawes -- for a touchdown. It was just the second time in Allen's career that he's thrown multiple touchdown passes to tight ends in the same half.
It might have been easy for the Dolphins, already 0-2 this season and playing on the road on a short week, to go away. They did anything but. Perhaps invigorated by Matt Prater's short missed field goal, Miami embarked on a 16-play, 71-yard drive culminating in a 3-yard touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa to Jaylen Waddle with just eight seconds remaining. It was Miami's longest touchdown drive (in terms of plays) since 2012.
Buffalo went right down the field to open the second half, with Cook hammering into the end zone from 2 yards away before both defenses seemed to settle in.
Finally, down 21-14, Miami's offense rediscovered its rhythm. Tagovailoa capped the nine-play, 67-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill, but the play of the drive was a gutsy fourth-and-4 conversion to Waddle, who outran Tre'Davious White on a crossing route and picked up 15 yards. Three plays later, Hill was celebrating, having tied the game again.
Once again, Buffalo had an answer on the next drive. This time, though, the Bills even got some help from their opponent. After being stopped near midfield, the Bills punted the ball away. However, Dolphins defensive lineman Zach Sieler, in an attempt to block the punt, ran into Cameron Johnston and was flagged for roughing the kicker. Five plays later, Khalil Shakir took an Allen swing pass 15 yards for a touchdown and a 28-21 lead.
Still, Miami was right there … until it wasn't. Tagovailoa and Co. moved all the way to the Buffalo 21-yard line before Bernard stepped in front of a short Tagovailoa pass and made the easy interception. Matt Prater converted a late field goal to seal the deal.
Here are our takeaways:
Josh Allen leads efficient, but not explosive, Bills attack
Allen's box score numbers weren't anything superhuman: 22 for 28 passing, 213 passing yards, three passing touchdowns and no interceptions plus another 25 rushing yards. But he made the plays he needed to and bailed Buffalo out of several bad situations. On a first and 20 after a holding penalty, Allen rushed for 19 yards to get things back on track. Cook finished the drive with a touchdown.
Later, on a second and 16, Allen calmly scanned the field before finding Elijah Moore for a 30-yard catch and run. The Prater field goal then put the game out of reach.
Allen spread out his 22 completions to nine different receivers.
"We just got that 'Everybody eats' mentality," Cook told the broadcast after the game. "When anybody touch the ball, it could be something big that happens. We keep holding on into the 'Everybody eats' mentality, and this offense [is] gonna be great."
It was a very strong performance, and one that shows the greatest growth over his career. He doesn't have to be Superman. He has a strong offensive line, a strong running game (Cook had 108 yards on the ground) and a variety of weapons who can get it done with the ball in their hands. Allen did not have a turnover, and the Bills have now gone eight straight games (including playoffs) without a turnover, tied for the longest streak since 1940.
Bills defense does enough
Down top defensive lineman Ed Oliver (ankle) and top linebacker Matt Milano (pec), the Bills defense bent but didn't break in the key moment. Bernard said he saw the play he intercepted on film, and linebackers coach Al Holcomb had told him he'd get his chance.
"Terrel Bernard stepped up in a big moment of the game," Allen said postgame. "We needed him to make a play, needed someone to do it. He's our captain for a reason. He showed that tonight."
Still, both key absences were quite noticeable. The Dolphins had 130 yards on 25 rushes, and Tagovailoa was not sacked. Defensive-minded head coach Sean McDermott won't be happy with either of those categories. But as Allen said, the Bills needed a play, and Bernard delivered.
Also give major credit to the Bills' defensive backs for keeping things in front of them and tackling well. De'Von Achane led Miami with seven receptions, but they went for just 29 yards. The Dolphins' longest play was just 19 yards.
Tagovailoa's 4.3 yards per attempt were his fifth-lowest in any game in his career, and his 1.3 air yards per completion were his lowest in a game he finished.
Dolphins 0-3 but still fighting; mistakes too much to overcome
The Bills are 0-3 for the first time since 2019, but this did not look like a team that's given up. Not even close. Except for one throw, Tagovailoa played solidly, even improvising for several key conversions. His touchdown tosses to Waddle and Hill were right on the money. When he's in rhythm -- again, except for one play -- he's very good, and Waddle, Hill, Achane and Malik Washington form a solid group of playmakers.
The secondary, which has been devastated by injuries, fought hard, too. Jack Jones in particular played a strong game. The issue is the offense's lack of explosiveness provided no room for error, and when Sieler roughed the kicker and Tagovailoa threw an interception, that was all Buffalo needed.
The Bills host the Saints next week, and the Dolphins host the Jets on Monday Night Football.
