Tag: Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins

Bills put together pass-rush fest among best ever recorded by NFL Next Gen Stats

Bills put together pass-rush fest among best ever recorded by NFL Next Gen Stats:

Yes, the Buffalo Bills defense was that good.

After the Bills’ blowout win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday, it was clear to see the pass rush has been legit in 2023.

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, when Howell dropped back 39 times during the game, the Bills pressured him 27 times. That is the 2nd-highest pressure rate in a game in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2018):

After last week when the Bills defense put pressure on the Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo but failed to sack him. This is more of what we have come to expect of the Bills pass-rush and it’s going to be tough to keep it going moving forward.

Buffalo hosts the Miami Dolphins in Week 4. Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has only been sacked once through three games thanks to his quickness in getting the ball out.

The Bills have their work cut out for them.

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Bills’ Josh Allen, Dolphins’ Christian Wilkins exchange praise: ‘That’s my guy, I love Josh’

#Bills’ Josh Allen, #Dolphins’ Christian Wilkins exchange praise: ‘That’s my guy. I love Josh’

The Bills square off in NFL Week 4 against a familiar foe, the Miami Dolphins.

Mike McDaniel’s squad comes to Orchard Park fresh off a near-record 70-point performance against the Broncos.

Unlike the Broncos, Buffalo has one of the top defenses in the league.

And on the other side of the ball, QB Josh Allen and company will face the challenge of Miami’s defense.

“We understand that their their defense is playing at a high level as well too, so we got to put in the work this week have a great week of uh preparation and go out there and try to execute on Sunday,” Allen said ahead of the matchup.

The Bills offense will square off against another familiar foe in defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who they faced previously when he was in Denver.

“I think that he’s going to force us to be methodical,” Allen added of Fangio. “The shots down the field aren’t always there so again taking what’s given and then a big emphasis is the red zone, you know he’s always been very good in the league when he gets inside the 20 of making sure his defense is locked down kind of a ‘bend don’t break’ mentality.”

Buffalo is 9-2 against Miami including the postseason during Allen’s time under center and Buffalo has not lost to them at home during that time. The QB has averaged 37.4 total points in those games.

They’ll need that productivity on offense, as Miami is averaging a league-best 43.3 points per contest, and has the most hards (1,651) with the second-most points (130) to start a season in NFL history. Their 8.4 yards-per-play average is the most through three games in the Super Bowl era.

One of Allen’s opponents in the game, with whom he’s shared some in-game competitive moments, is Dolphins DT Christian Wilkens.

On Monday Wilkins made some headlines with high praise for Allen.

“[anyclip-media thumbnail=”undefined” playlistId=”undefined” content=”dW5kZWZpbmVk”][/anyclip-media],” Wilkins said to the media. “We’re cool, we’re tight. But no, he’s a heck of a competitor. I love playing against him. He definitely brings the best out of you as a defense, as an individual.”

While the 6’4 310 lb defensive tackle might have surprised with the comments, he didn’t stop there.

“His resume speaks for itself. But definitely a heck of a player and we’re going to have to be on it this week as a defense and as a team because they’re a really good team and they play tough and we know them, they know us. There’s no secrets. Just have to go out there and ball, compete, and may the best man win.”

Allen responded to his opponent’s comments during a press session Wednesday.

“I do love playing against him,” Allen said. “In terms of tightness, we don’t really talk all that much. But I do respect his game… We do get a little chippy, but that’s a part of the game… When you’re playing against guys you can chirp with and then show respect after the game, that’s what football is all about. To go against individual rivals and have that type of vibe with some of the guys, it makes you want to get out of your seat but at the same time, stay as level as possible and focus what I need to focus on.”

In the Bills 34-31 home win over Miami in the wild-card round of last year’s playoffs saw the two players got into it after Allen threw an interception downfield, and Bills center Mitch Morse ran over to not only break it up, but he put Wilkins on the ground.

The Dolphins will be facing a revamped Bills offensive line this time around, one that is making headlines for its success in warding off defenders.

If Allen can continue to execute and not turn the ball over, the Buffalo offense might get the best of the Dolphins’ defense on Sunday.

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Bills’ phenomenal defense vs. Commanders set a new team record

A new team record for the #Bills (via @TejasVemparala):

The Buffalo Bills defense dominated on Sunday versus the Washington Commanders, with the Bills’ pass rushers combining to sack Commanders’ quarterback Sam Howell nine times.

The pass rush helped force five turnovers in the 37-3 win. Howell was constantly under pressure when throwing and the Bills’ pass rushers had a field day against a weak offensive line.

Turns out, the pass rushers set a record in Buffalo team history. Sunday was the first time that the Bills defense had four defenders with one or more sack ever:

Bills Wire Week 3 Player of the Game linebacker Terrel Bernard led the pass-rushing pressure along with defensive end Leonard Floyd. They had two sacks each.

Defensive tackle Ed Oliver and defensive tackle DaQuan Jones also joined Bernard and Floyd in the multi-sack stat column with 1.5 sacks each, respectively.

The nine-sack performance is a big departure from last week’s win against the Las Vegas Raiders where Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo was not sacked at all.

The Bills defense has never had four players with multiple sacks, but have had nine sacks against an opponent before.

On Jan, 9, 2022, the Bills registered nine against the New York Jets, with Mario Addison, Jordan Poyer, and Ed Oliver registering multiple sacks. The dominating performance by the defense is incredibly impressive.

The Bills defensive line will need a repeat performance this Sunday when they play the undefeated division rival Miami Dolphins against an electric offense that scored 70 points last weekend. We hope to see multiple sacks against Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

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PFF: Bills’ Tre’Davious White impresses vs. Commanders

Tre White’s PFF metrics vs. the Commanders were impressive (via @TejasVemparala):

Buffalo Bills’ cornerback Tre’Davious White impressed many as part of the fantastic defensive outing against the Washington Commanders on Sunday.

The defender has been part of the Bills’ organization since 2017, but tore his ACL in 2021. He started last season on the physically unable to perform list.

In Week 3, the talented defender picked off Commanders’ QB Sam Howell in the end zone to prevent a touchdown:

The cornerback, who has received plaudits in the past, was tasked with pass coverage of Washington’s strong receivers–Namely Terry McLaurin–and excelled. While and Bufffalo’s secondary allowed the pass rush time to pressure Howell into multiple bad throws.

According to Pro Football Focus metrics, the cornerback was excellent. In the 32 coverage snaps he played in, he was targeted six times and only allowed three receptions for 19 yards in addition to the interception he corralled.

When Commanders QB Howell targeted the Washington receiver that White was covering, he had a 17.4 passer rating. For context, an average passer rating is 66.7.

That’s a great day at the office for the veteran cornerback. We are looking forward to seeing more of him when he is tasked with coverage of the talented Miami Dolphins wide receivers.

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NFL Next Gen Stats: Bills’ pass-rush vs. Commanders among best since 2018

NFL Next Gen Stats: #Bills’ pass-rush vs. #Commanders among best since 2018 (via @TejasVemparala):

The Buffalo Bills defense, if you don’t know, is very, very good.

Many have been written highlighting the Bills’ domination on the defensive side of the ball against the Washington Commanders on Sunday. And now, NFL’s Next Gen Stats is also supporting that with a look at the pass rush generated by Buffalo’s defense on Washington quarterback Sam Howell.

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, when Howell dropped back 39 times during the game, the Bills pressured him 27 times. That is the 2nd-highest pressure rate in a game in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2018):

The Bills defensive line was phenomenal, generating pressure on Howell to not only sack him but have him throw four interceptions during the game as well.

Defensive tackle Ed Oliver, who NFL Next Gen Stats has showcased before as an excellent pass rusher, led Buffalo defenders with seven QB pressures, with edge rusher Shaq Lawson right behind with six.

Multiple edge rushers including A.J. Epenesa, who had a pick six against the Commanders, Leonard Floyd who converted the pressures to multiple sacks, Greg Rousseau, and Daquan Jones all had five QB pressures.

In total, seven Bills defenders had four or more QB pressures against a Commanders offensive line that was not expected to be good.

Nevertheless, the quarterback pressure Howell faced would suffocate any quarterback. The Bills front four will look to continue to generate pressure against the division leading Miami Dolphins’ offensive line in Week 4.

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Bills Wire Week 3 Player of the Game: Terrel Bernard

Bills Wire Week 3 Player of the Game: Terrel Bernard (via @TejasVemparala):

The Buffalo Bills’ third game of the 2023 NFL season extended the Bills’ win streak with a blowout win against the Washington Commanders.

Buffalo won 37-3 in a game which they were the superior team on every side of the ball: offense, defense, and special teams.

Many players on offense and defense were in the running for this week’s player of the game, and all of them would certainly be there on merit. We are awarding the Player of the Game Award in Week 3 to linebacker Terrel Bernard, who had seven tackles, two sacks, a fumble recovery, and an interception:

The Bills defense, overall, was phenomenal, pressuring Washington quarterback Sam Howell on 27 of 39 dropbacks to generate four interceptions and 9 sacks. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, that is the second-highest pressure rate in a game since 2014.

Bernard was a presence across both quarterback pressure and backfield coverage. He is quickly becoming another name on the Bills defense for teams around the NFL to fear. Week 2 Player of the Game Josh Allen celebrated with Bernard, probably happier that they are teammates instead of opponents.

Buffalo return home to play against the division-leading Miami Dolphins next week on Sunday at 1 p.m.

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Bills’ Josh Allen on Morse defending him: ‘I love him’

#Bills’ Josh Allen on Morse defending him: ‘I love him’

The Bills topped the Dolphins 34-31 in Orchard Park during the NFL’s wild-card playoff weekend.

While there was plenty of scoring that incited Highmark Stadium fireworks in the sky above, there were some explosive moments on the field as well.

Including a skirmish between the Bills offense and Dolphins defense.

With around 6 minutes left in the first half. Allen threw a deep pass to the end zone for which wide receiver John Brown was the target. The ball was intercepted by Miami corner Xavien Howard who would run the takeaway back 49 yards.

During the run back, Dolphins defensive lineman Christian Wilkins had a late hit when he shoved Allen and then tried to block him from making any defensive play on the return. Allen didn’t back down, pushing back then going at him again in a shoving match until Bills center Mitch Morse came over to protect his QB.

Yellow flags were thrown after a scrum pile of Bills and Dolphins players converged around them, and Wilkins and Morse were each given penalties that offset one another.

“That’s your guy, that’s your quarterback,” Morse said. “You just want to be there for him.”

Morse’s fervor in defending his QB was such that it even got some good humor from his Wife.

The way the fired-up Morse came to his defense touched his quarterback’s heart as well, and he voiced his appreciation when he was asked if he ever sees Morse that heated.

“No I don’t, you don’t really see that,” Allen said after the game to the media. “But I love him, I really do.”

When he was also asked by the media if he’d ever been that heated before he said “No,” but also demonstrated veteran leadership and spoke about Wilkins and an interaction they shared after the game while putting the matter to rest.

“Let’s not make it anything bigger than it was,” Morse said. “We talked afterwards actually. I have a lot of respect for the way he plays. He is a competitive guy. Tempers flare in this game. You know, we had our moment, it was mitigated and we were able to continue playing. In the moment, you lose consciousness for a little bit. I mean, that’s your guy. That’s your quarterback. You just want to be there for him. It escalated like you saw, but I’m not going to make it too big of a thing.”

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Bills’ Sean McDermott, Josh Allen speak on turnovers: ‘You got to move on’

#Bills’ Sean McDermott, Josh Allen speak on turnovers: ‘You got to move on’

While the Buffalo Bills did win their opening-round matchup with the Miami Dolphins, 34-31, at Highmark Stadium, it was not smooth sailing for most of the day. 

Rather, a turnover issue we’ve seen throughout 2022 made an appearance. 

Bills quarterback Josh Allen went 23/39 with 352 yards and three touchdowns passing on the day. It was his third career playoff game with at least three passing touchdowns and 300+ yards, which was good for a Bills franchise record.

Yet another type of history was made as well.

Allen threw two interceptions in the second quarter and lost a fumble, however, which the Dolphins collectively converted into 18 total points. The turnover scores all happened during a window between the sixth minute of the second quarter and the first minute of the third quarter.

It was the first time any Bills team in the history of the franchise won a postseason contest despite having more turnovers (3-2) than their opponent. In the past when Buffalo had more turnovers, those games would end in a loss (0-13.)

Buffalo was up 17-0 on Miami at the start of the second quarter, when the Dolphins would score on four possessions before Buffalo put more points on the board. That scoring would continue, resulting in a close finish to a game in which Buffalo had previously built a sizeable lead.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott spoke after the game about the impact those turnovers had.

“I just think overall we’ve got to do a better job at that point, you know, up 17, I think it was 17-zip, and we turned the ball over, so at the end of the day, you turn the ball over, you die, normally, a pretty quick death,” McDermott said during his media session. “I think we had three turnovers, one for a score and then we had the big punt return mixed in there as well, so not very good complementary football.”

Allen led the league in turnovers (19) during the regular season, including a three-turnover game against Minnesota, but his prior numbers in the postseason going into the game included only one interception and one lost fumble.

“The turnovers, they hurt us,” Allen said during the postgame press conference. “Really let them back in the game. Up 17-0 with chances and I give them the ball two times and give them a touchdown, it’s just things you can’t do.”

Whether the turnover plays were a lingering focus or not the rest of the way was another matter, however.

“You can’t focus on that,” Allen added. “The play happened. You gotta move on. I think having the leadership in that offense, whether it be Stef or Mitch or Dion or Rodger, just coming up to me and saying, ‘Forget it, we gotta go.’ And just understanding you can’t let your last play dictate your next play. So, again, gotta be better in those situations, but we were able to find a way.”

The Dolphins made defensive adjustments coming out of the half, but the Bills also adjusted and put up 31 points. Still, Allen sees an opportunity to clean up their play.

“I thought we had some good answers, some really good plays, and, again, some not-so-great ones that we gotta clean up, and that’s on my shoulders.”

The Bills win moves them forward and they’ll next host the Cincinnati Bengals at home for the division-round matchup. For the Bills, winning and moving forward is the focus.

“All that matters is surviving and advancing,” Allen continued. “Doesn’t matter how we win, it’s if we win, and I’m proud of our guys for playing the way they did.”

Bills center and team captain Mitch Morse spoke to both the need to improve while recognizing the Bills accountability.

“I think the biggest thing … is this next week, yes, we did end up with the win and in this league that’s hard, especially in the playoffs,” Morse said. “But we know we need to mitigate those mistakes as much as possible. I thought this team did a very good job not pointing fingers.”

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Bills vs. Dolphins: 3 key matchups in Wild Card round

#Bills vs. #Dolphins: 3 key matchups in Wild Card round:

The Buffalo Bills and their fans will welcome back the Miami Dolphins to Orchard Park in this Sunday’s NFL Wild Card round.

Just as Bills QB Josh Allen predicted after Buffalo bested Miami 32-29 at home in Week 15, the two teams will meet in the playoffs. It will be the third matchup between the clubs this year, and the first without Tua Tagovailoa.

The Dolphins floundered into the postseason like a fish out of water, losing five of their last six games and their QB1 to injury along the way.

Here are three key matchups to watch out for during round three between the Bills and Dolphins on Sunday:

Bills’ Sean McDermott on Dolphins win: ‘It took everything we had’

#Bills’ Sean McDermott on Dolphins win: ‘It took everything we had’

The Buffalo Bills defeated the Miami Dolphins in a tough 32-29 contest on a cold and snowy Sunday at home in Orchard Park in Week 15. 

It avenged a road loss earlier this season that they deemed a “learning experience.”

The win marks the Bills’ third straight against an AFC East rival, strengthening their position atop their division and hold on the No. 1 seed in the conference overall. It also clinched a playoff spot.

But it didn’t come easily. After Buffalo went into the half with a good offensive rhythm and a 21-13 lead, Miami would find a rhythm of their own and take an eight-point lead while limiting quarterback Josh Allen and company from any scoring.

Until late in the fourth quarter, that is.

Right as snow began to fall from the sky, it was the Bills who brought the rain, fighting back on both sides of the ball to gut out a win on a Tyler Bass field goal.

Head coach Sean McDermott knew both what went into a game like this one, as well as the value it carried for the team and their fans.

“It took everything we had to pull this one out tonight,” McDermott said after the game. “It just makes it special. … You know, like I said, humbling. Really, that’s how I feel about it. Humbled to be a part of it in this great town that doesn’t get as much credit as it deserves, honestly. And the fans, I mean, this place is unique. So, just awesome. Awesome.”

The Bills now sit atop the AFC at 11-3 with road games against the Bears and Bengals and a season finale at home against the Patriots ahead of them.

And with a playoff spot secured, the team is turning their focus to their final regular season goal, as they prepare for a run at the postseason and a championship.

“That’s the No. 1 thing Coach McDermott preaches, is playoff-caliber; can’t win the Super Bowl unless you make the playoffs,” Allen added. “So that’s goal No. 1 down. Goal No. 2 now is to clinch the division. That’s how we’ll take it. We’ll take it one game at a time. Be ready for next week.”

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