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The Buffalo Bills have reasserted their dominance in the AFC East. Josh Allen and Co. moved to 3-1 on the season and handed the Dolphins their first loss of the year in rather convincing fashion, 48-20.
This game got going in a hurry with both offenses firing on all cylinders early, scoring touchdowns on the first five possession of the afternoon. Neither Allen or Tua Tagovailoa missed a throw during the first quarter of play, but it was Buffalo's defense that started to put the clamps down in the second quarter. The unit was able to force back-to-back three-and-outs followed by a fumble recovery in which the offense was able to pile up 10 points and extend the lead by halftime.
The second half is where Buffalo really started to separate thanks to a key interception by Micah Hyde and back-to-back fourth-down stops that turned the ball back over to the offense. The back-breaking moment came midway through the third quarter when Hyde was able to pick off Tagovailoa on an overthrown ball. After the pick, it took just four plays for the Bills offense to find the end zone as Allen hit Stefon Diggs for what was his third receiving touchdown of the afternoon.
Allen finished 21 of 25 passing for 320 yards and four passing touchdowns. He also rushed for 17 yards and another touchdowns, giving him five total scores on the day. As we noted, Diggs was on the receiving end on the majority of those touchdowns, tallying three in the win to go along with six catches for 120 yards. As for the Dolphins, Tagovailoa completed 25 of his 35 passes for 282 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Tyreek Hill was held to three catches for 58 yards.
On the injury front, Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White was carted off and is reportedly receiving an MRI with a potential Achilles injury. Dolphins left tackle Terron Armstead also left this game early with a knee injury.
For more on how this game unfolded, check out of takeaways below.
Why the Bills won
It was a vintage performance from Allen and Diggs. The duo had their way with the Dolphins secondary and exploited Diggs' matchup with Dolphins cornerback Kader Kohou. Diggs essentially could do whatever he wanted against Kohou and was wide open on a number of plays with him in coverage, which resulted in multiple touchdowns. While they were enjoying themselves on offense, Buffalo's defense was the MVP as they started to lock the Dolphins down after two opening touchdown drives. When the game was close, they were able to force key turnovers that resulted in points and even slammed the door shut in the second half with three straight fourth-down stops (two of which were by the way of sacks). It was arguably the most complete game that the Bills have put together this season
Why the Dolphins lost
Miami started this game off hot with two touchdown drives but things slowed after that. The Dolphins punted three times and fumbled leading into halftime during which the Bills were able to tack on 10 points and jump out to an early lead. Tagovailoa was pressured arguably more than he's been so far this season and was sacked four times on the afternoon. That pressure contributed to a critical interception in the second half that help blow the game open in favor of Buffalo. The Dolphins also couldn't get Tyreek Hill going as he was limited to just three catches in the loss. While they ran the ball well (142 yards on 7.5 yards per carry), the passing game was consistent enough at times to keep drives alive.
Turning point
Buffalo was already up by 14 points at this juncture, but this felt like the dagger moment in any sort of comeback the Dolphins could make. Tagovailoa was attempting to connect with Chosen Anderson over the middle of the field and lofted the ball a bit too far in front and it landed directly into the arms of Hyde. Following that play, it took Buffalo's offense just four plays to find the end zone and go up by 21 points.
Play of the game
We could pick out of a number of Diggs highlights from this game, but his 55-yard touchdown was arguably the most impressive moment of the day. After the defense forced a three-and-out, Allen threw a sideline pass to Diggs on a second-and-6 play from the Buffalo 45-yard line. The wideout then shed two defenders to break free and gallop to the end zone, extending Buffalo's lead to double digits.
What's next
From here, the Bills will head to London for an international showdown with the Jacksonville Jaguars. As for the Dolphins, they'll head back to Miami for a two-game homestand that starts with a matchup against the New York Giants.
