close
close

Buffalo Bills beat Miami Dolphins 30-27

Buffalo Bills beat Miami Dolphins 30-27

The Buffalo Bills defeated another AFC East foe, this time beating the Miami Dolphins with a stunning last-second field goal from Tyler Bass to give the Bills the 30-27 win.

The game started slowly for the Bills as the offense struggled to find the end zone in the first half. Buffalo reached the red zone three times in the first half, but only got away with two Tyler Bass field goals. The Bills made a series of mistakes including penalties, turnovers and poor play calling to help Miami keep the end zone clear.

The second half was a bit of a different story for the Bills offense. Buffalo scored points on all four of its offensive drives. Mack Hollins, Ray Davis and Quintin Morris all received Josh Allen’s touchdown passes.

The game culminated with Tyler Bass’ 61-yard field goal with five seconds left in regulation. Special thanks to Jordan Poyer’s personal foul penalty that helped extend the drive on an incompletion on third down.

The kick saved a rollercoaster afternoon for Buffalo.

Here’s how The Bills Wire rated Buffalo’s performance on Sunday afternoon:

Pass violation: B

November 3, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) runs with the ball against the Miami Dolphins during the second half at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory credits: Gregory Fisher-Imagn images

Josh Allen had a solid afternoon, going 25 of 39 for 235 passing yards and three touchdown passes. As usual, Allen did a good job of extending the plays and giving his receivers enough time to find some space when the plays broke down. The biggest passing play of the game came when Allen threw a swing pass to Ray Davis, who evaded two Dolphins defenders and took the ball to the house for a 63-yard touchdown reception. Allen extended the play to find Mack Hollins and Quintin Morris in the end zone.

Khalil Shakir also had another great game, catching six passes for 50 yards. It is undeniable that Shakir has become the most reliable option in the Bills offense. His ability to gain yards after the catch was quite impressive.

The only blunder occurred when an Allen pass bounced off Keon Coleman’s shoulder pad. A near touchdown turned into a Jalen Ramsey interception.

Emergency Department: C+

November 3, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills running back James Cook (4) runs the ball against the Miami Dolphins in the third quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory credits: Mark Konezny-Imagn images

The running attack that afternoon left a lot to be desired. While the overall numbers looked good (19 carries for 94 yards), a few stretch plays helped keep the overall totals steady. James Cook, who had a breakout game against Miami in the previous meeting, could only muster 44 yards on 10 carries.

Ty Johnson had a nice 17-yard run, while Cook’s longest run was 14 yards. As the game progressed, offensive coordinator Joe Brady leaned on the passing attack.

Pass Defense: C-

November 3, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills cornerback Kaiir Elam (5) makes a tackle on Miami Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert (31) in the second quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory credits: Mark Konezny-Imagn images

Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was efficient in the passing attack. He made several accurate passes that put pressure on Buffalo’s secondary. He finished the day with a strong 25-of-28 passing game for 231 yards and two touchdowns.

In particular, the Bills had trouble passing to Miami’s running backs. Devon Achane caught eight passes for 58 yards and a touchdown. Raheem Mostert added two receptions for 32 receiving yards.

For the most part, the bills limited Miami’s explosive receiving pair of Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill. Hill caught four passes, while Waddle had two on the afternoon.

Rush defense: C-

November 3, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Miami Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert (31) runs with the ball against the Buffalo Bills during the first half at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory credits: Gregory Fisher-Imagn images

Ouch, this was ugly. If Devon Achane could have been a bellcoback, the Dolphins wouldn’t have had to put the ball in anyone else’s hands. Achane carried the ball twelve times for a distance of 63 metres. His speed was a huge problem for the Bills.

Raheem Mostert added 56 yards on 10 carries.

On multiple occasions, Achane and Mostert found themselves yards deep in Buffalo’s defense before a Bill made contact with the running back.

It feels a little worse than it could have been because of Achane’s touches in the passing game. Still, Buffalo’s defensive line seemed a little outmatched by Achane’s speed.

Special teams: A-

November 3, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills place kicker Tyler Bass (2) kicks a 61-yard field goal to take the lead over the Miami Dolphins in the fourth quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory credits: Mark Konezny-Imagn images

There was a lot of fun to be had this time. The obvious moment that threw the game into turmoil was Tyler Bass’ game-winning 61-yard field goal. Bass added two long field goals during the game, from 49 and 40 yards.

Cam Lewis made a great tackle on Sam Martin’s only punt of the match. Brandon Codrington had an impressive 29-yard punt return that he retrieved off a bounce and ran full speed down the sideline into Miami territory.

Bass did miss a PAT, but redeemed himself nicely.

Coaching: B-

ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 3: Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott looks on during the third quarter of the game against the Miami Dolphins at Highmark Stadium on November 3, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)

Buffalo’s offensive struggles in the first half continued in this game. The Bills entered the red zone three times in the first half, but came away with six points. In fact, the field goal attempts followed several plays in which the Bills offense regressed.

The second half was much better for Joe Brady and company. Buffalo moved the ball well through the air. All three of Buffalo’s touchdowns went through the air.

Defensively, there probably could have been more adjustments to contain Achane. However, it was a joint effort to keep Hill and Waddle secret. Still, Tagovailoa was nearly perfect that day and didn’t get much pressure from the Bills defense.

McDermott’s decision to go for it on fourth down led to the Bills’ first touchdown. It was an aggressive and perfect decision to put Buffalo ahead on the scoreboard.