The 2025 version of the Buffalo Bills might need to be properly renamed to the Heart Attack Kids.
Though, that name currently belongs to an obscure Canadian rock band out of London, Ontario – look it up.
Regardless, for the second time in three weeks the Bills came out flat on defense and had fans on pins and needles late into the fourth quarter, needing a heroic effort to close out the game once again at Highmark Stadium as they defeated the Miami Dolphins 31-21 Thursday night in Orchard Park, N.Y..
The final score may be deceiving at first glance – seeing Buffalo with a 10-point margin of victory – but things were much closer than they appear to be from the box-score view.
Led by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, receivers Tyreek Hill (5 rec., 49 yds., 1 TD) and Jaylen Waddle (5 rec., 39 yds., 1 TD), as well as running backs De’Von Achane (91 total yards) and rookie Ollie Gordon (9 attempts, 38 rushing yds., 1 TD), the Dolphins managed to keep victory within their reach all night – until Bills’ linebacker Terrel Bernard and defensive tackle Deone Walker called “game.”
Driving the ball down 28-21 with 3:07 remaining in the fourth quarter, Miami seemed destined for the end zone with a 1st-and-10 at Buffalo’s 21-yard-line.
Then, the Walker-Bernard magic happened.
With a simple swipe move, Buffalo’s massive rookie defensive lineman quickly beat his man to get into the backfield immediately after the snap.
Knowing Tagovailoa likes to get the ball out fast, Walker got his hands up, using his arms and all of his 6-foot-7 frame to obstruct the quarterback’s throwing lane before slightly tipping the ball that Bernard would eventually intercept after stepping in front of Waddle on the play.
Returning the ball to nearly midfield, the turnover helped set up a game-sealing 48-yard field goal by Bills’ kicker Matt Prater that put the game out of reach with 27 seconds left on the clock.
The performance as a whole wasn’t up to the team’s standards, but Bernard relied on film study and instincts to come up clutch in the biggest of moments.
“It’s honestly something that we had seen on tape – it’s a common route around the league. But, I want to give a shoutout to Al Holcomb – the linebackers coach – he put it on tape a few times. We’ve worked that play,” Bernard said following the game in which he tallied seven tackles.
“He basically told me if I see it – go … we were in a three-deep zone, and (I) just saw it and broke on it.”
As for his thoughts on his rookie teammate’s performance?
Bernard was more than willing to give Walker, who has started the past two games in place of Ed Oliver, his flowers.
“(Deone’s) made a ton of plays. Even the plays that he’s not making – he’s causing. So, shoutout to him,” Bernard said.
“I know it’s tough to come in here as a rookie and to really play to the level that he’s played at, and he’s a guy that constantly wants to get better. (He’s) constantly talking to Ed (Oliver), talking to Big Phil (Jordan Phillips), talking to DQ (DaQuan Jones) – those guys up front that have been here a long time that have done it at a high level. So, I’ve got all the respect in the world for him … he’s a unique guy. He’s a big guy, but he’s super athletic and can make plays that people wouldn’t assume that he can make. So it’s fun, man, getting to work and play behind him. He’s been a great addition.”
The end result of the game was an eerily similar finish to the one Buffalo had against the Baltimore Ravens just two weeks ago, and, although the team came away with another win, having to rely on late-game herculean efforts isn’t something coaches, players, and fans want to consistently happen.
While heroic plays are nice in the moment, fixing the current issues that plague the team – particularly the defense – must occur sooner rather than later before the mishaps catch up to them.
“It takes a full team effort. It’s hard to win in this league every week. That’s a good team, an explosive offense. So to come out here on Thursday night on a short week and get it done – it feels good,” Bernard added.
“I think just our fundamentals (need work). There’s a couple times when we have them and we miss a tackle here, (Tua) gets out of the pocket (and) creates a play. So, that’s really what it comes back down to. I’ve got to go back and watch the tape. I know we weren’t great, at all, on third down, and that was really the emphasis at halftime. We felt like we were winning first and second down getting them to third-and-long. We just weren’t detailed in finishing those drives … That’s something that we’ll go back and look at.”
For the most part, the issues that arose in the season opener cropped up again on the field against the Dolphins after a layover last week in New Jersey.
Buffalo was dreadful on third downs for the entirety of the game, surrendering a first down on 67% of its opportunities (10-for-15). Bills’ coach Sean McDermott noted at halftime that the coverage and pass rush needed to work in tandem in order to get the results they wanted.
That eventually came to fruition in the form of Bernard’s game-altering interception, but it was missing for the majority of the night.
Buffalo’s run defense was also once again a sore spot as the defense allowed Miami to rush for 130 total yards on 25 attempts for an average of 5.2 yards per carry.
Those stats aren’t a recipe for success on most nights, and veterans like Bernard and cornerback Tre’Davious White know it.
So, what can they do? Use the extra time they have and go back to the drawing board, White said.
“I feel like the game is all about the ball, and we were able to get the ball when it mattered the most to win the game. So, it’s good that we can correct those third downs in a win rather than a loss. So we can go into the film room, see what we can do better on those third downs to put ourselves in better position. And, I feel like next Sunday we will do that,” White said following the thrilling victory.
“We’re going to take these next couple days (and) we’re going to get in and watch the tape (Friday), get our bodies right – get a day or two away from it just to refresh – and try to come back next week and prepare like we always do and try to go into another Sunday game up at Highmark and try to win the game.”
The Bills’ “mini bye week” begins now as they have the weekend off before preparing for their upcoming matchup versus the New Orleans Saints at Highmark Stadium on September 28 at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Editor’s babble: Many thanks to John Green for his terrific contributions to our blog. You can also find John on Xwitter @JGreen_PRsports.
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