The Buffalo Bills got back on the right side of the win column with a convincing 37-20 win Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. The Bills allowed Miami to stay within a reasonable distance throughout the afternoon but in reality, the game was in Buffalo’s grasp all day.
It was a solid day for Josh Allen, who just seems to thrive when facing Miami. He accounted for four touchdowns on the day–three through the air and one on the ground.
Each of the aerial scores were impressive plays. John Brown found a space along the sideline against the Dolphins’ cover-two defense and beat the safety for a 40-yard touchdown reception. Dawson Knox displayed his power on a 23-yard touchdown reception, breaking a tackle and rumbling between the center of the field to score on a play where the Dolphins sent an all-out blitz.
To seal the deal, Allen rolled to his right and found Brown for a nine-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to give the Bills a three-score lead in the final frame.
Allen ended the day 21-of-33 for 256 yards through the air. He also added 57 yards on the ground prior to the team’s victory formation.
John Brown was the big winner out wide, as he led the Bills with 137 yards receiving on nine catches. He found space all afternoon in Miami’s secondary, and Allen was decisive in getting the ball in his wideouts hands.
Buffalo’s brass made a concerted effort to get the ball in the hands of Devin Singletary. The rookie shouldered the load throughout the game and helped close out the game in the fourth quarter. Singletary ran 15 times for 75 rushing yards. It’s apparent that he will be the focal point of Buffalo’s ground attack going forward. He did fumble twice, but the Bills recovered both miscues. Still, it’s something that the Florida Atlantic product will need to clean up going forward.
Defensively, Buffalo was in Fitzpatrick’s face all afternoon. The Bills tallied seven sacks. Shaq Lawson, Jordan Phillips, Ed Oliver, Star Lotulelei, Jerry Hughes, and Corey Liuget registered sacks, while Matt Milano and Tremaine Edmunds split a sack.
Outside of a Devante Parker 50-yard reception, the Dolphins did not produce much on offense. Miami put up some numbers in the fourth quarter after the game was in hand, so the 323 yards allowed through the air is a bit deceiving
Parker ended up with a nice stat line, but he, along with Miami, had little to show for it. Parker reeled in seven catches for 135 yards on the day.
The Bills run defense, which was gouged the past few weeks, made progress this week. Buffalo finished with nine tackles for loss on the day, allowing only 23 yards on the ground.
Buffalo benefited from Maimi’s mistakes. The Dolphins were guilty for six accepted penalties, thwarting progress on several occasions. In addition, wide receiver Allen Hurns fumbled a reception on his own, which Jordan Poyer recovered.
The only concern on the day was the special teams unit. Jakeem Grant ran a kickoff back 101 yards at the end of the first half, a play that he outran the entire coverage unit moving from left to right. There were several players on the Bills unit who were merely diving at air. Grant would average 39.6 yards per kick return.
The unit was out-smarted on an onside kick, one in which Miami kicker Jason Sanders recovered a ground kick by himself.
While the coverage units left a little bit to be desired, the Bills had a sign of relief as Stephen Hauschka returned to form, connecting on all three of his field goal attempts in addition to four successful extra-point tries.
This was the type of game that Buffalo needed. They were the superior team on paper, and they showed it on the field. The Bills’ offensive and defensive units played an ideal game. Buffalo looks to build upon this victory next week, as they take on the Denver Broncos Sunday at New Era Field.
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