The final score was closer than some of the Dolphins’ past games with the Bills, but the result was still the same.
Bills kicker Tyler Bass’s 61-yard field goal at the buzzer gave Buffalo a 30-27 home win that moved them to 6-1 against their divisional foes since Mike McDaniel was hired as the head coach in Miami. The Dolphins had battled back to tie the game twice in the second half before Bass hit the game-winning kick and McDaniel tried to focus on the positives that can come out of the effort.
“There’s no moral victories,” McDaniel said, via a transcript from the team. “We lost as a team, and you want all three phases to look at it like they could have been the reason that we won. But there is growth and you do make sure you emphasize that, because you want that to continue. You don’t want it to take a step back. . . . This will hurt, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad thing in the big picture. It just depends on what you do with it. I think the guys are motivated.”
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said, via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, that he thought the game showed “we are taking a step in the right direction,” but slow progress isn’t going to get it done at this point. The Dolphins are 2-6, which leaves them with a lot of ground to make up and no margin for error as they embark on the back half of their schedule.
In Buffalo on Sunday, redemption is spelled B-A-S-S.
Bills kicker Tyler Bass has struggled in 2024, missing another extra point in Sunday’s game and doinking an extra point off the left upright that still ended up going through.
But none of that mattered at the end of the game, as Bass nailed a career-long 61-yard field goal with just five seconds left in regulation to give the Bills a 30-27 victory over the Dolphins.
Entering Sunday’s game, Bass had missed two extra points and was just 3-of-6 on field goals of at least 40 yards this season. But the Bills still elected to give him the opportunity to win the game from that distance instead of going for a Hail Mary.
That decision by head coach Sean McDermott paid off.
The Bills and Dolphins had gone back and forth throughout the contest, with the teams trading blows throughout the second half.
Miami tied the game at 20-20 early in the fourth quarter with running back De’Von Achane’s 8-yard touchdown run. But Josh Allen put Buffalo back ahead with an impressive 2-yard touchdown pass to Quintin Morris. Allen had to evade the rush before flipping the ball to Morris just as he was getting hit.
In response, the Dolphins went down the field and got a 7-yard touchdown from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to Jaylen Waddle. The receiver had just had an injury scare when he took a cleat to the back of his leg, but shook it off to get back in the game in time to score.
On Buffalo’s ensuing drive, former Bills safety Jordan Poyer was flagged for an unnecessary roughness penalty on third down to keep the drive alive on third-and-9. But once the Bills reached Miami’s 43-yard line, they couldn’t get any more yards.
That was no matter for Bass, whose previous long on a field goal was 58 yards.
Allen finished the game 25-of-39 for 235 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Jalen Ramsey picked off Allen for his first INT of the season. Allen has thrown only two so far this year. Mack Hollins also had a touchdown reception in the game, as did running back Ray Davis — who took a swing pass 63 yards in the third quarter.
Tagovailoa was 25-of-28 for 231 yards with two touchdowns. Tyreek Hill caught four passes for 80 yards. Achane rushed for 63 yards and caught eight passes for 58 yards. Waddle finished with the bizarre stat line of two catches for -4 yards with one TD. Odell Beckham Jr. caught three passes for 15 yards.
With the win, the Bills keep firm control of the AFC East at 7-2. They will be on the road in Week 10 to face the Colts.
The Dolphins have now fallen to 2-6. They will be on the road to face the Rams next Monday night.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen has made another impressive play to put Buffalo ahead of Miami in the fourth quarter.
On second-and-goal, Allen evaded the rush and as he was getting hit somehow flipped the ball to tight end Quintin Morris for a 2-yard touchdown.
That gave Buffalo a 27-20 lead midway through the final period.
That score capped a 10-play, 70-yard drive for Buffalo — one that was extended by a defensive holding penalty on third-and-6 from the Miami 7.
While Tyler Bass made his extra point, it went off the left upright. He missed an extra point earlier in the contest wide left.
The Bills have gained a 12-10 lead over the Dolphins in the second quarter, taking advantage of a Miami turnover.
The Dolphins started the second half on the move, advancing into Buffalo territory with just two plays. But then Raheem Mostert fumbled, as Taron Johnson knocked the ball out and Kaiir Elam recovered it for a takeaway.
It was Mostert’s second fumble of the year.
The Bills took 11 plays to go 64 yards, but eventually scored with a 1-yard touchdown from Josh Allen to Mack Hollins. Buffalo elected to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the 1, with Allen finding Hollins in the back of the end zone for the go-ahead score.
But Tyler Bass missed the extra point, keeping Buffalo’s lead at just two points.
That was Bass’ third missed extra point of the season. He had never missed more than two PATs in one year. He’s also missed three field goals in 2024.
The Dolphins took advantage of a Josh Allen interception to go up by a touchdown in the second quarter and still have a 10-6 lead over the Bills at halftime.
Buffalo and Miami traded field goals in the first quarter and it looked like the Bills were going to take the lead in the second quarter. But defensive back Jalen Ramsey stopped that drive in the red zone, picking off an Allen pass that went off Keon Coleman’s hands to give the Dolphins an extra possession.
Miami took advantage of it, driving 97 yards for a touchdown. De’Von Achane scored on a 14-yard pass from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to give Miami a 10-3 lead.
The Bills have largely been moving the ball, but haven’t scored a touchdown in three red zone trips. Toward the end of the half, Buffalo should have had a 21-yard touchdown by Allen but a severely questionable holding call on guard O’Cyrus Torrence took that off the board.
The Bills ended up having to settle for a 49-yard field goal by Tyler Bass, making the score 10-6.
Allen is 12-of-19 passing for 79 yards with an interception. With Amari Cooper inactive due to a wrist injury, Khalil Shakir leads with four catches for 24 yards.
On the other side, Tua Tagovailoa is 10-of-11 for 82 yards with a touchdown. Raheem Mostert has 35 yards on seven carries with Achane taking six carries for 34 yards. Achane leads with three catches for 28 yards with his TD.
The Dolphins will receive the second-half kickoff.
