Bills vs Dolphins Recap
The Bills escaped a nearly perfect game by Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins with a 30-27 victory. The Bills started slow and found themselves down 10-6 at halftime after a Jalen Ramsey interception on a bobbled pass by Keon Coleman ended a promising Bills drive that led to a 14-point swing. The Bills scored points on all four drives of the second half, where we saw five lead changes before Tyler Bass broke a 27-27 tie with a career-long 61-yard field goal with five seconds remaining.
Bills vs Dolphins Sunday, November 3, 2024
The Dolphins fall to 2-6 and third place in the AFC East, wasting Tua Tagovailoa’s best career performance against the Bills. Tagovailoa had three incompletions on the day, with 16 completions going to his running backs and tight ends. A’Chane and Jonnu Smith were players I mentioned in the preview, along with Tua, as players that could hurt the Bills, and they all played key roles in the offense. The Dolphins' running game helped Miami sustain long drives, as the Bills’ defense successfully kept Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle in check most of the afternoon. The Dolphins have decisions to make as the trade deadline looms, and they decide whether they want to be buyers or sellers.
5 Things I Liked
Second-Half Offense - Josh Allen was 13-20 with 156 passing yards and three touchdown passes in the second half. The Bills scored on all four drives, three touchdowns, and one field goal. The Bills continue to be a second-half team this season.
Role Players Stepping Up - Ray Davis, Mack Hollins, and Quintin Morris each had a touchdown reception. They are not the usual suspects, although Davis is taking advantage of his opportunities to the point that he needs to be on the field more. He has proven to be a real difference-maker in the Bills offense.
Special Teams - Sam Martin had one punt on the day but put it inside the 20 to flip the field on the Dolphins. Brandon Codrington fielded the only Dolphins punt on the day and returned it 29 yards into Miami territory to help set up the Bills field goal to take a 3-0 lead. Yes, Tyler Bass missed a PAT. He also went 3-3 on field goals, including a career-long, Buffalo Bills record, game-winning 61-yard field goal. It was a good day for the unit.
Tyler Bass - Bass has been under much scrutiny since last season. He has not played well at times, but some of it has not been deserved. I was happy that he got the opportunity to win a game for the team and did so in dramatic fashion. You could tell by the post-game locker room video how much this meant to Bass and the team.
Coaching Decisions - I’m not sure what McDermott or his spotter saw to challenge the spot of the ball on Tagovailoa's fourth-down scramble, but I understand the logic behind it. Outside of this call, McD and the coordinators made good decisions and had great game plans. I thought the defense did a great job schematically keeping everything underneath. Unfortunately, the Dolphins' running game was up to the task. The offense was patient and chipped away at a much improved Dolphins’ defense. The final drive may not have been pretty, but the Bills made sure to use almost all of the clock before McDermott made the call to send Bass out to attempt a career-long and Bill's record 61-yard game-winning field goal.
5 Things I Didn’t Like
Run Defense - The Bills struggled to stop the Miami rushing attack a week after a dazzling performance in Seattle. De'Von Achane and Raheem Mostert had 119 of the team’s 149 yards on the ground. Averaging 4.8 yards per carry, the Dolphins picked up ten first downs on the ground. The Bills could not slow the run game down and need to figure out a plan to do so as they enter the season's home stretch.
Red Zone Offense - Five trips, two touchdowns, two field goals, one turnover. This was not a good showing by the sixth-ranked red zone scoring offense.
Pass Rush - Greg Rousseau had a sack on a botched snap, and other than that, it didn’t feel like they could generate much of a pass rush against the Dolphins’ offensive line. This has become a bit of a trend lately. I hope Von Miller’s return will help bring some life back to a unit that started the season strong.
Drops - James Cook and Keon Coleman had key drops that likely took 14 points off the board, Coleman’s leading to seven points for Miami.
Injuries - Dawuane Smoot injured his wrist and will need surgery, resulting in an IR designation. Keon Coleman was injured late in the game by a Jordan Poyer hit to the head that drew an unsportsmanlike penalty. He is still being evaluated with a wrist injury. This on top of Christian Benford and Amari Cooper missing the contest with wrist injuries. The Bills have some positions to consider at the trade deadline.
Critical Plays From the Game
Keon Coleman’s bobble/drop that Jalen Ramsey wrestled away from him on the Bills’ third drive was a significant turning point in the game. The offense appeared to be in a rhythm, and Allen called an audible to the right play to beat the Dolphins’ defense and potentially give the Bills a 10-3 lead. The Dolphins responded with their longest scoring drive of the season, a 14-play, 97-yard touchdown drive that ate up over half of the second quarter.
The “penalties” called on Dion Dawkins and O'Cyrus Torrence moved them from a 1st and 10 at the Miami eleven-yard line to a 1st and 30 from the Miami 31. The second penalty negated a 21-yard touchdown scramble by Josh Allen. The Bills kick a field goal to make the score 10-6 instead of being tied 10-10 at halftime.
Stat(s) of the Game
BillsBanter Group Chat Quote of the Game
“Maybe Poyer is more concussed after that play than I thought. He said that hit was a legal play?”
Postgame Quote of the Game
“ A 61-yard field goal to win a game against a division rival, its what stories are made of. I love him. I respect him so much. Everybody in that locker room is so happy for him. He’s our guy.”
Postgame Perspective
The Bills are in a great spot in the standings at the halfway point of the season. The concern is the injuries to me. Can they sustain them for the next 5-6 weeks when their level of competition increases? I expect Brandon Beane will be active on Tuesday before the deadline to address some issues that have developed due to injury. Go Bills!
Up Next: Buffalo at Indianapolis - Sunday 1:00 PM
