Buffalo wins the AFC East with a strong second-half performance. The Bills defeated the Miami Dolphins 21-14 at Hard Rock Stadium to win the division and guarantee the No. 2 seed in the AFC.
Both of these teams had a fairly awkward start as Josh Allen and Tua Tagovailoa traded picks on the first two possessions. On Buffalo's second drive of the game, Allen again had a pick, this time inside the end zone, which prevented the Bills from having a chance to score. Miami went 80 yards down the field after the fumble, and rookie running back for the Dolphins, De'Von Achane, scored the first touchdown of the game with a 25-yard touchdown run. The teams then exchanged two more scoring drives before halftime, and when the Bills advanced the ball to the Miami 11-yard line in the final seconds, it appeared as though they would at least narrow the Dolphins' advantage of 14–7. Allen made the poor choice to throw over the middle of the field, though, and they failed to get to the line in time before the first half's clock ran out, preventing another chance for a score.
After a scoreless third quarter and an apparent huge swing in momentum in favour of Miami due to an Allen fumble just beyond the red zone, the second half was initially quiet. In the first few minutes of the fourth quarter, Buffalo's defence forced a punt, and return specialist Deonte Harty fielded it from his 5-yard line and carried it 95 yards to the house to tie the score at 14.
With the touchdown, the tide turned sharply in the Bills' favour. After that touchdown, the defence forced the Dolphins to go three-and-out, giving the ball to the offence, where Allen had what was likely his greatest stretch of the game. He led the team with a 74-yard touchdown drive that included some spectacular chunk plays and Dawson Knox's game-winning touchdown to give them the lead.
The Dolphins had a chance to tie the game after a botched fourth-and-1 from the Miami 37-yard line, and they got the ball as far as the Buffalo 40, but Taylor Rapp picked off Tagovailoa to give the Bills the division title for the fourth consecutive year.
After 30 of 38 passes for 359 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions, Allen's night came to an end. Among receivers, Khalil Shakir had the most with 105 yards on six catches. Tagovailoa, in the meantime, finished 17 of 27 passes for 173 yards, two interceptions, and a touchdown.
Why the Bills won:
We'll talk more about Deonte Hardy's 95-yard punt return below, but it was the main reason the Bills beat the Dolphins 14-0 in the second half and took first place in the division. Josh Allen is regarded as one of the NFL's best quarterbacks despite his sometimes flippancy with the ball. This is due to his performance in the final stages of the game. During the offence's fourth-quarter touchdown drive, which gave them a lead over Miami, Allen was outstanding. He accounted for five yards on the ground and completed all five of his throws for 68 yards during the drive. He also passed Dawson Knox the game-winning touchdown. Allen managed to pull all the proper strings, using his legs to stop the clock and compel the Dolphins to use their timeouts, even after that drive. Over the remaining two quarters, the Buffalo defence significantly improved and shut out the Dolphins, one of the league's top second-half scoring teams.
Why the Dolphins lost:
When Miami's offence couldn't afford to, it became silent. For the first time this season, the Dolphins punted on four straight possessions in the second half. During the four-possession run, Buffalo had three three-and-outs and one punt return for a 95-yard touchdown, which set off Buffalo's ultimate comeback and victory. In the second half, the Dolphins managed just 47 yards of total offence. Even if they were missing some important players for this game, such as Jaylen Waddle and Raheem Mostert, that number is unacceptable given that Tyreek Hill and Tagovailoa are still healthy.
Overall, the Dolphins let opportunities slip away while the Bills made a run at winning the game. The defenders forced a punt on the opening drive of the second half, and the offensive immediately went three and out. After that, on a fantastic play by Christian Wilkins, Allen fumbled the ball away, preventing Buffalo from scoring, and the club was unable to answer with a point of their own.
In the second half, Buffalo attempted to take advantage of several mismatches caused by Miami's defensive injuries, which included a play when tight end Dalton Kincaid scored a 26-yard touchdown while experienced linebacker Melvin Ingram was covering him.
Up Next:
The Bills will now return to Highmark Stadium as the conference's second seed and take on the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. The Dolphins, however, are now the sixth seed and will play the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday at 8:15 p.m. ET at Arrowhead Stadium.