The Bills hosted the Dolphins on Sunday, led by a healthy Tua Tagovailoa, with the Fins desperate to keep their season alive with a division win. Unfortunately for them, no matter what year it is, or what time it is, Josh Allen will find a way to lead the Bills to a victory over Miami.
Trading Field Goals
The Bills started the game with a quick three-and-out, unable to get much traction in the run game with James Cook’s two carries only totaling five yards. Miami’s opening drive wasn’t much better, with a sack from Greg Rousseau helping stall the drive. Miami was able to move the chains once, but punted after five plays.
Allen found Khalil Shakir for an 11 yard gain on 3rd and 6, but was tackled behind the line of scrimmage on a designed QB-run three plays later, forcing Buffalo to kick a field goal. Tyler Bass drilled the kick from 40 yards out.
Taylor Rapp was flagged for a questionable unnecessary roughness penalty, as it looked like ball-carrier Raheem Mostert lowered his helmet into Rapp, not vice-versa. Regardless, Miami gained an extra 15 yards off of the 17 yard run, moving them into Buffalo territory. Rapp met Mostert in the backfield for a one yard loss on 3rd and 1, thanks to the help from Dawuane Smoot blowing up the play. Miami settled for a 39 yard field goal from Jason Sanders.
Redzone Inefficiency
Ray Davis continued to shine for Buffalo, taking his first carry eight yards, and his first reception seven yards, the final two plays of the first quarter. The Bills were moving the ball effectively down the field, with a 15 yard completion to Dalton Kincaid and a 13 yard run by Cook setting up first down at the 11 yard line. Keon Coleman beat Jalen Ramsey off the line of scrimmage, and Allen hit him in the hands for what should’ve been a walk-in touchdown. Instead, the rookie bobbled the ball twice, and allowed Ramsey to regain the step he lost on the receiver, with the former All-Pro corner coming down with the goal line interception. It was a play that the rookie surely wants back, and will somehow go down as a turnover from Josh Allen in the box score.
Miami capitalized on the turnover with a 97 yard touchdown drive, methodically working their way down the field on a 14-play drive. Mostert recorded carries of 16 and 12, while De’Von Achane added 45 total yards from the passing and rushing game. The drive was capped off with a RB slip screen to Achane, who followed his blocks and used his speed to reach the endzone for a 14 yard touchdown.
Mack Hollins moved the chains with a five yard catch on 3rd and 3, drew a 13 yard defensive pass interference penalty, and moved the chains again with a 13 yard reception. A 14 yard run from Allen on 3rd and 12 kept the drive alive. With 1st and 10 from the 11 yard line, it looked like the Bills would be able to match Miami’s touchdown. However, back to back holding calls, each of which extremely questionable, moved Buffalo back 20 yards, and took a beautiful 21 yard touchdown run away from Allen. The first holding call was against Dion Dawkins, yet former NFL offensive lineman Ross Tucker called it a “legal snatch/trap technique,” and explained that “from multiple angles there’s zero evidence of any hold,” against O’Cyrus Torrence to wipe out the touchdown on the ensuing play. Three straight incompletions forced the Bills to kick a 49 yard field goal on 4th and 30, which Bass drilled. Buffalo would go into halftime down 10–6.
Timely Turnover
Three plays into the second half, a seven yard run by Mostert saw arguably the biggest play of the game. As Mostert was running to his right, Taron Johnson ran up from behind and punched the ball out, with Kaiir Elam in the perfect spot to recover the fumble. Just like that, Buffalo had the ball around midfield.
A 17 yard run from Ty Johnson, in between three Cook carries for 17 total yards, moved Buffalo into scoring range. On 4th and Goal from the one yard line, Allen found Hollins in the back corner of the endzone for a touchdown. A beautiful design by Joe Brady, pre-snap motion from Shakir and a play action to Cook completely fooled the defense. Bass missed the extra point, keeping it a two point game.
Miami would settle for a 23 yard field goal on their next drive, thanks to Buffalo’s defense stepping up in the redzone. A 28 yard completion to Tyreek Hill moved Miami down the field quickly. A great play by practice squad call-up Eli Ankou stuffed Miami’s first down run attempt, and forced the Fins into a more obvious passing situation. A big third down hit from Terrel Bernard on Jonnu Smith forced Miami’s kicking unit to trot onto the field.
RAC from the Rookie
Following a seven yard run from Davis, Allen found the rookie running back in the flat for a checkdown. Davis had plenty of green grass in front of him, and cut inside on a Miami defender who accidentally took out another Fin with his diving tackle attempt. Davis had beat everyone, and sprinted the last 30 yards into the endzone for an amazing 63 yard touchdown catch and run. Buffalo’s two point conversion attempt was successful, with Allen delivering a strike to Coleman in the endzone to make up for the missed extra point earlier.
Fins Fight ‘til the End
A 27 yard completion over the middle to Hill ended the third quarter, with Miami only trailing by seven with the ball in Buffalo territory. Achane rumbled into the endzone for the second time, this time on an eight yard run where he was practically untouched. The game was tied 20–20 with just over 12 minutes remaining.
Allen started the drive hot, completing an 11 yard pass to Cook, 21 yard pass to Coleman, and 14 yard pass to Shakir. Shakir broke several tackles on the WR screen to turn a potential negative play into 14 yards. A holding penalty against former Bill Siran Neal moved the chains for Buffalo on 3rd down, setting up 1st and Goal from the three. On second down, Allen threw a short pass in the direction of Quintin Morris as he was getting tackled by two Miami defenders. Morris hauled in the pass, completing a miraculous play from the QB.
It was Miami’s turn to once again drive down the field for a touchdown. A 12 yard run from Achane and a 19 yard completion to Hill quickly moved the Fins to midfield. On 3rd and 7, Jaylen Waddle saw his first target of the game, a 12 yard completion down the sideline to keep the drive alive. A checkdown to Achane went for 18, with no Bills defenders in the area. On 2nd and Goal from the seven, Tagovailoa found an open Waddle for the game-tying touchdown.
TYLER BASS
With 1:38 on the clock and one timeout remaining, Buffalo had the time to get into field goal range. However, the drive started out less than ideal, with Allen sacked on first down, and an incomplete pass on second down. Allen found Coleman deep down the sideline, but the rookie was obliterated by a hit from former Bill Jordan Poyer. Replays showed the rookie probably would’ve made the catch without the hit from the safety, but Poyer made contact to Coleman’s head, drawing a 15 yard unnecessary roughness flag. With new life, Allen threw two completions to Hollins for a total of 11 yards, then three straight incompletions forced a 61 yard field goal attempt from Bass. With ten seconds left on the clock, Tyler Bass drilled the longest field goal in Buffalo Bills history, with plenty of distance to spare. Bills Mafia erupted, and Bass was mauled by his teammates on the sideline. Rousseau would make a great tackle on Waddle to prevent any lateral magic from the Fins, ending the game 30–27.
Afterthoughts
What. A. Game. Josh Allen and the Bills seem to find new ways to beat the Dolphins in every matchup, and this game was no different. The scoreboard would say it was a slow first half from the offense, however the team moved down the field rather efficiently, and shot themselves in the foot in the redzone. Teams can’t control the referees making bad calls, but Coleman also gifted the Dolphins a turnover.
Allen had another strong performance against the Dolphins, completing 25 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns, and technically was credited with an interception. The run game looked strong, but was unable to be utilized at times due to the clock. Cook averaged 4.4 yards per carry, while Ty Johnson averaged 7.7 yards per carry on his three attempts.
The defense has some concerns, especially with the pass rush. Von Miller was silent in his first game back from suspension, while injuries to DeWayne Carter last week and Dawuane Smoot and Casey Toohill this week leave the Bills suddenly lacking depth up front. The Bills should be in the market for a defensive lineman at the trade deadline, because Rousseau cannot generate pressure and stop the run by himself.
Getting Christian Benford back and eventually Matt Milano should also provide a boost to the defense in time for the playoffs.
It was a small move, but what a difference Brandon Codrington has made. What will go down as one of Brandon Beane’s more underrated trades, Codrington continues to provide a spark on special teams, recording a 29 yard punt return to give Buffalo good field position. It feels like only a matter of time before he takes a kick or a punt to the house.
Game Awards
Co-Offensive Players of the Game: Ray Davis and Khalil Shakir
The rookie running back continues to shine with every opportunity he gets. He finished the day with four carries for 20 yards, and added two catches for 70 yards in the passing game. I would not complain if the Bills shifted more towards a 50/50 backfield between Cook and Davis going forward.
Shakir is always open, Shakir will always make the catch, and Shakir will always turn plays into bigger gains than you’d expect. That was once again the case on Sunday, with the receiver hauling in a team-high six catches for 50 yards. He has quickly emerged as one of the best slot receivers in the NFL.
Defensive Player of the Game: Taron Johnson
The Bills have an amazing slot receiver, and they also have arguably the best slot corner in the NFL. Johnson finished the game with four total tackles and a critical forced fumble to flip the script in the second half. He is arguably the team’s most important defender, and showed up in another big moment for the defense.
MVP: Tyler Bass
What an up and down season it’s been for Bass. After missing the field goal against KC in the playoffs last year, the kicker has been less than stellar in 2024, opening the door for warranted criticism and frustration from fans. He even missed an extra point against Miami! However, his ability to brush all of that aside, and set a franchise record by drilling a 61 yard field goal to win the game, is a moment I will not forget anytime soon. Seeing his face in the locker room talking to his teammates, you can tell how much that kick meant to him. Will he struggle more this season? Who knows. But for now, let’s all enjoy the win and celebrate Bass going into the franchise record books.
What’s Next: Bills @ Colts 11/10
Buffalo travels to Indianapolis to face a 4–5 Colts team that has questions at QB. We’ll see if the Bills defense will face Joe Flacco or Anthony Richardson, but it should be a game where Buffalo’s offense sees plenty of success.
Editor’s babble: Many thanks to Colin Richey for his terrific contributions to our blog. You can also find Colin on Xwitter @whatthef00tball.
BuffaloFAMbase.com is sponsored by 26 Shirts
Every Monday, we launch a new two-week campaign of a limited edition t-shirt design. Every shirt purchase results in a donation to a local family in need. After the campaign ends, the shirt is retired. A new design is released, and a new family benefits from your fandom!
