Top takeaways from the Bills' rout of the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night
The Bills are 2-0. Takeaways, what we noticed and game balls from the win over Miami.
The Buffalo Bills are in control of the AFC East. Still. Again.
The Bills flexed their collective muscles Thursday night in a divisional showdown against the Miami Dolphins, never trailing in a 31-10 win at a Hard Rock Stadium that was nearly equal parts stunned (Dolphins fans) and euphoric (Bills fans).
The Bills are 2-0 for the fourth time in coach Sean McDermott’s eight seasons (2019, 2020, 2022 and this year).
Here are some takeaways from the win:
- The Bills’ first touchdown – quarterback Josh Allen to running back James Cook for 17 yards – on fourth-and-3 was brilliantly designed by offensive coordinator Joe Brady. Wide receiver Curtis Samuel ran an orbit motion behind Allen and darted right at the snap, and Cook ran left to the flat. Dolphins linebacker David Long had all kinds of problems. He had bad leverage (away from Cook, no doubt thinking he would run to the right flat). He reacted slowly (possibly thinking he should take Samuel). And he got caught up in traffic (thanks to a pick by receiver Mack Hollins).
- Dolphins safety Jordan Poyer looked like the Bills made the correct decision in releasing him. In the first half, he gave the Bills 15 free yards with a helmet-to-helmet hit on receiver Khalil Shakir after a 21-yard catch. Just reckless football, and Poyer’s second personal foul in two games this season. And on Cook’s 49-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, Poyer took a poor angle and was unable to track down Cook.
- Miami showed no urgency at the end of the first half, settling for a field goal and making sure the Bills didn’t get another drive. The Dolphins ran plays with 57, 33, 21, 16 and 12 seconds remaining. Coach Mike McDaniel had 8 seconds left (but no timeouts) but opted to send Jason Sanders out for a 34-yard field goal instead of taking a shot to the end zone.
- Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw three interceptions and was injured late in the third quarter on a fourth-and-4 scramble when he was hit by safety Damar Hamlin. Tagovailoa already had the first down yardage so he should have simply slid to give himself up. He was quickly ruled out with a concussion, a concern considering his history.
Did you notice?
- Tagovailoa had two first-quarter interceptions for the first time in his career. He was picked off by cornerbacks Ja’Marcus Ingram and Cam Lewis to set up 10 Bills points.
- Linebacker and defensive captain Terrel Bernard was injured on a second-down play in the first quarter. Bernard torqued his upper body awkwardly while tackling running back Jeff Wilson and stayed in for one more play. After Bernard emerged from the medical tent, he was grabbing his left pectoral and walked to the locker room. He did not return and was replaced by Baylon Spector.
- Allen played with a glove on his left (non-throwing) hand and his middle and ring fingers were taped together, as they were during Tuesday’s practice. The only play that may have been impacted was a dropped shotgun snap late in the first quarter. Allen picked up the football and his pass was batted down on third-and-1.
- Defensive tackle Ed Oliver had an impactful second quarter. He drew a holding penalty on left tackle Terron Armstead to turn a second-and-6 into a second-and-17; the Dolphins punted. And on a fourth-and-2 play, Oliver dusted left guard Robert Jones with a power move for the sack in 2.26 seconds. The Bills made it 24-7 on the next play with Cook’s 49-yard touchdown run.
- Not that it mattered, but the Dolphins had to burn a timeout early in the third quarter when their 12th man was late getting off the field.
Game balls
RB James Cook. He entered Thursday night with nine touchdowns in 34 career games; he had three in the first half with a 17-yard catch and rushes of 1 and 49 yards.CB Ja’Marcus Ingram. In his first full game as the full-time dime defender, Ingram intercepted a broken-up pass to end Miami’s first possession, and his 31-yard interception touchdown pushed the Bills’ lead to 31-10 in the third quarter.
CB Cam Lewis. In his first full game as the Bills’ nickel corner, Lewis had his first career interception (in his 44th game).
WR Khalil Shakir. Whew, he took a lickin’ and kept on tickin.’ Working the middle of the field, he absorbed two big hits (one legal, one not) to make first-half receptions.