WATCH: Week 9 mini movie of Bills win over Dolphins
The Buffalo Bills held off a desperate Miami Dolphins team in Week 9, winning 30-27 on a game-winning field goal from Tyler Bass.
The 61-yard kick (a new franchise record) was the exclamation point on an entertaining, back-and-forth contest between AFC East rivals.
The record-breaking field goal wasn’t the only excitement in the win. Josh Allen threw touchdowns to three different players (Mack Hollins, Ray Davis, Quintin Morris), and Taron Johnson forced a game-altering turnover.
The Bills improved to 7-2 with the win and continue to build on a dominant lead in the AFC East.
Relive the nail-biting divisional win with a ten-minute mini-movie from the Bills’ official YouTube channel:
What we learned from the Bills’ Week 9 win vs. Dolphins
The Buffalo Bills continued their 2024 schedule with a Week 9 win over the Miami Dolphins, 30-27.
The Bills (7-2) needed a full-team effort to fend off a hungry Dolphins team (2-6) trying to turn their season around. Ultimately, it took a long field goal with just seconds on the clock for the Bills to get it done at home.
After two-straight blowout victories, Buffalo certainly were tested by their division rival. As the season unfolds, we are learning more and more about this year’s Bills team.
Here are five things we learned from Week 9’s win over the Dolphins:
Tyler Bass’ morale at an all-time high
Imagn Images
Kicker Tyler Bass played the role of hero for the Bills in Week 9. His 61-yarder with 5 seconds left proved to be the game-winner. It was not only a career-long for Bass, but it broke a Bills franchise record previously held by Steve Christie (59-yarder in 1993).
Given the inconsistency from Bass recently, the kick proved huge for his morale and the team as a whole. After receiving the game ball post-game, Bass got emotional when talking about his teammates having his back through the ups and downs.
Defense was gashed
Getty Images
The Bills defense had a rough outing. Through the air, Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was 25-of-28 and only took one sack. And on the ground, running backs De’Von Achane and Raheem Mostert averaged more than five yards per carry.
If it wasn’t for a couple of red zone stops and a crucial forced fumble from Buffalo cornerback Taron Johnson, we could have a different conversation this week regarding both the Bills and Dolphins.
After all, this was a desperate Dolphins team that has always had the potential to explode on offense. Expect Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott and defensive coordinator Bobby Babich to right the ship on defense going forward.
Ray Davis continues to flash
Getty Images
Running back Ray Davis continues to make the most of his opportunities in his rookie year. On the ground in Week 9, Davis averaged five yards a pop on his four carries. But, his real impact was through the air.
He took two passes for 70 yards, one being a 63-yard catch and run for a touchdown. That’s 90 yards from scrimmage on just six touches.
His long touchdown gave the Bills a seven-point lead late in the third quarter:
Bills quarterback Josh Allen took a couple of big hits and missed a few throws, but ultimately controlled the game throughout. He was 25-of-39 passing for 235 yards and posted three passing touchdowns and one interception.
If it wasn’t for a drop by receiver Keon Coleman deep in the red zone that resulted in an interception, he would have had four touchdowns and zero picks.
He didn’t have to put the cape on and be Superman much, but he did when the offense needed it. He slipped away to scramble for 14 yards on a 3rd and 12 at the end of the first half, and he also made a remarkable touchdown throw to tight end Quintin Morris as he was being tackled by two defenders:
This wasn’t an easy day for the Bills by any means. The Dolphins had their backs against the wall while preparing for it, albeit was just Week 9. It was nearly a must-win game for them, and they played like it.
They had more first downs than the Bills (26-24), more total yards (373-325), more yards per play (6.2-5.5), more time of possession (31:53-28:07), and they converted better in the red zone (3/4-2/5).
Buffalo has grown accustomed to overpowering teams on offense and defense. In this one, they won differently. They only had four penalties, forced a crucial turnover when they needed it, and special teams came through in a big way.
Morris was a pending free agent but was expected to be back because he was an Exclusive Rights Free Agent. In that case, the Bills only need to offer him a league-minimum salary for a year and then the player either can sign it or sit out. Morris would have gained nothing from sitting out, so he’s back.
Morris appeared in 15 games for Buffalo last season, serving as a backup to top tight ends Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid. He had two catches for the Bills last season, one of which was a touchdown.
Bills Wire will continue to bring roster updates throughout the 2024 offseason.
As another season of Buffalo Bills football has come to an end, so have another series of contracts that have been signed.
Whether it be grizzled veterans or players seeing the end of their rookie contracts, there are plenty of faces who will not long be under contract in Buffalo in March when free agency opens.
The Bills have plenty of time until then to sign players to extensions, but it’s never so cut-and-dry. According to Over The Cap, Buffalo is estimated to be $49 million over the 2024 NFL salary cap.
PFF: 5 worst-graded #Bills players on offense in Week 17 vs. the #Patriots:
The Buffalo Bills won a tight 27-21 final in their Week 17 matchup against the New England Patriots.
The Bills (10-6) had a few players that stood out above the rest in this one. On offense, the Bills were led by tight end Dalton Kincaid.
But not everyone played as well as him. Buffalo will hope some efforts improve throughout the rest of the 2023 season as they aim to secure a postseason spot.
According to Pro Football Focus, they’ll need these players to start playing at a high level.
Here are the five worst-graded Bills players on offense against the Patriots (4-12) in Week 17:
PFF: 5 lowest-graded #Bills players on offense in Week 12 vs. the #Eagles
The Buffalo Bills narrowly lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in overtime, 37-34, in their Week 12 matchup on Sunday afternoon.
The Bills (6-6) had more than a handful of players on offense that stood out above the rest against a fantastic Philadelphia Eagles team that has only lost one game all season. Leading the offense was quarterback Josh Allen along with interim offensive coordinator Joe Brady in his second game.
Even though the Bills went toe-to-toe with the high scoring Eagles offense, the win eluded them as they failed to score the winning touchdown in overtime. As the rest of the 2023 season unfolds, the Buffalo offense will hope to get a better tune out of these players that did not perform well, according to Pro Football Focus.
Here are the five lowest-graded Bills players on offense against the Eagles (10-1) according to PFF’s metrics:
The Buffalo Bills defeated the New York Jets, 32-6, in their Week 11 matchup on Sunday afternoon.
The Bills (6-5) had a few players that stood out above the rest in this one. On offense, the Bills were lead by quarterback Josh Allen who led a new-look offense with Joe Brady now calling the shots as offensive coordinator.
But not everyone had a game to remember.
To get more wins, Buffalo will hope such efforts will reverse throughout the rest of the 2023 season as the push toward the postseason unfolds… particularly, they’ll need better efforts from these players, according to Pro Football Focus.
Here are the five lowest-graded Bills players on offense against the Jets (4-6) according to PFF’s metrics:
#Bills snap counts: Depth chart breakdown vs. #Broncos:
The Buffalo Bills got after it against the Denver Broncos and ended up losing 24-22 on Monday Night Football in Week 10.
But who exactly were the ones on the field for the Bills (5-5) doing all the dirty work against the Broncos (3-5)?
More often than not, taking a look in between the lines at snap count totals for Buffalo’s players can give us some insight as to what went down in between the lines on the gridiron. There is always plenty to discover when looking at these finer details.
The Buffalo Bills will be without Ed Oliver against the New England Patriots in Week 7.
According to head coach Sean McDermott during an appearance on the team’s radio partner WGR-550, Oliver will not suit up. Oliver has been listed on the injury report this week with a toe injury which he sustained against the New York Giants last week.
In that 14-9 win over the Giants, Oliver played a career-high total number of snaps: 87 percent. It was the second-straight game Oliver set a new career-high.
Speaking of career-highs, Oliver is on pace to set his single-season high for sacks. His rookie year he had five and through six games, Oliver already has recorded four.
Without Oliver, Jordan Phillips and Tim Settle could see extended snaps against the Patriots (1-5).
In addition to Oliver, the Bills (4-2) have ruled out tight end Quintin Morris (ankle) and running back Damien Harris (concussion).
Both sustained their injuries against the Giants as well. Harris was taken off the field in an ambulance but was released from the hospital on Monday.
Later on Friday Buffalo and New England will both release their full injury reports and designations for players ahead of Sunday’s game. Bills Wire will bring that information once it’s made available.
