Bills vs. Dolphins: Good and bad from the Week 3 win

The Buffalo Bills took on the Miami Dolphins at home in Week 3 and came out on top, winning 31-21.

The Bills defense started off slow, allowing the Dolphins to strike first with a touchdown. Buffalo answered back with a touchdown of their own on their first offensive drive. Shortly after, the Bills defense forced a three-and-out, allowing Josh Allen and the offense to take care of the Dolphins defense.

The defense struggled against a lackluster Miami offense, yet captain Terrel Bernard was able to seal the game with an interception late in the fourth quarter. The Bills are now 3-0 on the season and sitting atop of the AFC East. They now look to take on the New Orleans Saints next week in Buffalo. 

The good 

James Cook 

Bills running back James Cook was able to continue his domination on the ground. Cook once again got into the endzone this week, tying the Bills’ all-time record for consecutive regular season rushing touchdowns with seven. Cook was able to feed behind his offensive line all night and turned seemingly short runs into runs of ten or more yards. Cook finished the game with 19 total carries for 108 yards and a TD. Cook continues to show the Bills fans and the organization why it was a good idea to pay him. 

Josh Allen 

Josh Allen came out of the tunnel with a visor on, the first time he’s worn a visor in a game since his college days back in Wyoming. Allen suffered a nose injury in Week 2 against the New York Jets which is why he wore the visor. Visor Allen and the Bills offense came out firing on their first offensive possession, going for 85 yards in under five minutes on seven plays. 

Allen and the Bills’ passing attack looked better this week then they did last week against the Jets. Allen finished 22/28 for 213 yards and three passing touchdowns, along with zero turnovers, helping the Bills win the turnover battle for the 25th-straight game which is the longest streak in NFL history.  

Dalton Kincaid 

Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid had a great game Thursday night against the Dolphins. Kincaid was able to haul in five of his six targets from Allen and finished with 66 receiving yards, along with getting into the end zone. Kincaid was a reliable target all night, only missing on one catch, and helped the Bills secure the victory over Miami. Kincaid will look to have a similar performance next week against the Saints in Buffalo. 

Terrel Bernard 

Bills captain and linebacker Terrel Bernard was a bright spot for Buffalo’s defense Thursday night and helped in sealing the game with an interception on Tua Tagovailoa late in the fourth quarter. Bernard was without Matt Milano by his side as he is out with a pectoral injury, meaning Dorian Williams and Shaq Thompson were forced to step up in his place. Bernard finished the game with seven total tackles, five solo tackles, one tackle for loss, one pass defended, and of course the late-game interception. 

The bad

Third-down defense 

The Bills were bad on third down defensively. They allowed the Dolphins to convert on 10 of their 15 third-down attempts. Buffalo had Miami backed up to third and long many times, yet it seemed they could not stop them from reaching the line to gain.

Secondary 

Buffalo’s secondary seemed to blink multiple times against the speedy Miami offense. Bills’ cornerbacks Tre White and Christian Benford both started Thursday night and both allowed TDs through the air. Miami’s speedy offensive scheme was a problem for Buffalo’s secondary seemingly all game but the defense was able to rally in the fourth quarter and force a turnover. 

Prater missed field goal 

Bills kicker Matt Prater has found a place in Buffalo with Tyler Bass on injured reserve. Prater has been perfect up until Thursday. He wasn’t bad, yet he missed a 39-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter that would have put the Bills up by 10. The miss kept the score 14-7, allowing the Dolphins to drive down the field and tie the game at 14 before halftime.