Bills vs Dolphins: The Good and The Bad

The Buffalo Bills have won the AFC East division for the fourth year in a row! The Bills took down the Miami Dolphins 21-14 in the final week of the season to move to the second seed in the AFC. The Bills were struggling to get things going early on but dialed it back to take over the game and beat Miami. The Bills will take on the #7 Pittsburgh Steelers next week on Sunday at 1 P.M. at Buffalo in the Wild Card round. 

The Good 

Joe Brady 

Bills interim offensive coordinator has been fantastic in the Bills 6 game stretch since filling in for the fired Ken Dorsey. Brady seemed to know what to call and when to call all night, the offense didn’t always execute the game plan how it should have but got it done on the road nonetheless. 

Sean McDermott 

Bills head coach and defensive coordinator Sean McDermott called an incredible game for the Bills against the Dolphins high flying offense. McDermott’s defense was faced with multiple injuries throughout the game but like McDermott says, “It’s next man up,” and the defense was surely up for the task. 

McDermott’s defense finished with 48 total tackles, 1 sack, 4 tackles for loss, 5 passes defended, and 3 quarterback hits. McDermott’s defense kept the Bills alive all night long and are a big reason the Bills are sitting at the #2 seed in the AFC. 

Josh Allen 

Josh Allen played a good enough football game to help the Bills achieve the AFC East title for the fourth year in a row. Allen was 30/38 on the night for 359 yards passing and 2 passing touchdowns. Allen finished the game with a 72.1 QBR. 

On the ground Josh Allen took the ball when he needed to and flipped the game around. Allen was the lead back with 15 carries for 67 total yards, Allen made very crucial first downs with his legs and his large 6’ 5”, 237 lb frame. 

Khalil Shakir 

Khalil Shakir was the lead receiver for the Bills on Sunday night with 6 receptions on 6 targets for 105 yards. 

Stefon Diggs 

Stefon Diggs was not as big of a component in the Bills win as he could’ve been if Allen hit him in stride for what would’ve been a touchdown, but nonetheless helped the Bills move the ball. Diggs finished with 7 receptions for 87 yards. 

Dalton Kincaid

Rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid was once again a good help in the Bills win. Kincaid was a sure target besides a bad drop but still had a good day finishing with 7 receptions for 84 yards. 

Trent Sherfield 

Trent Sherfield filled in for the injured Gabe Davis who left early on in the contest. Sherfield had only 3 receptions but from those receptions had 24 yards and a great heads up touchdown grab in the back of the endzone. 

Dawson Knox 

Dawson Knox finished the game with 2 receptions for 22 yards and a touchdown reception. 

Deonte Harty 

Deonte Harty completely changed the game for the Buffalo Bills. Harty returned a punt for 96-yards and a touchdown to tie the game up 14-14. Harty set a Bills all-time record for longest punt return touchdown. 

Christian Benford

Christian Benford played well all night long including getting the Bills defense started off right with an interception intended for receiver Tyreek Hill. 

Taylor Rapp 

Taylor Rapp helped the Bills close out the game with an interception off Tua Tagovailoa late in the game to seal it. 

The Bad 

Turnovers 

Turnovers were a big problem for the Bills on Sunday night as they had a total of 3 turnovers all of which came from Josh Allen. Allen threw 2 interceptions early on and had a strip fumble and defensive recovery by Christian Wilkins. 

Injuries  

Injuries were a frequent occurrence for the Bills on Sunday night. Receiver Gabe Davis went out of the game early with a knee injury and didn’t return, cornerback Rasul Douglas went out with a knee injury and didn’t return, running back Ty Johnson took a shot at the end of the first half and went out with a concussion, left tackle Dion Dawkins went out with a left hand injury, and linebacker Tyrel Dodson went out of the game with a left shoulder injury. 

Inconsistent Drives

The Bills offense looked very inconsistent in the first half and couldn’t seem to finish drives out with points. The Bills finally got it going in the second half after Harty’s punt return touchdown.