News

9/25/22

3 min read

Dolphins Survive Bills 21-19, Become AFC's Final Undefeated Team

Tyreek Hill Dolphins vs. Bills
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel greets Tyreek hill during warm-ups before the game against the Buffalo Bills at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Sept. 25, 2022.

Only six teams in the NFL entered Week 3 with a 2-0 record. Two of them reside in the AFC East, and with both coming off of a strong first two weeks, that set up the Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins as a battle for potentially the AFC's best team. In a competitive game that was never separated by more than a single possession, Buffalo held a lead in each of the first three quarters, but not the final one. Miami took its first lead with 10 minutes to play and withstood a pair of late Buffalo pushes to hang on to a 21-19 win.

Much of the focus coming into the game was on Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who tied a franchise record with six touchdown passes in a comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2. The third-year QB didn't quite match his prior showing, but did keep Miami even with Buffalo in the first half with a touchdown pass to River Cracraft.

Tagovailoa will remain a focus coming out of the win, not just for the touchdown pass, but for an injury that took him out of the game late in the first half. Tagovailoa took a hit from Matt Milano and was stumbling as he got up, before going to the locker room, missing the final two minutes of the first half. He returned to play the entirety of the second half, however.

The game-winning touchdown came not from the Dolphins' passing game, however, but from running back Chase Edmonds, his second of the game. Despite the win, the Dolphins were out-matched in both the ground game and through the air. Buffalo more than doubled Miami's totals in each area, finishing with 497 total yards compared to the Dolphins' 212.

The Bills took early leads on a pair of Josh Allen touchdown passes, which were answered each time by Miami, first off a strip-sack of Allen inside the Bills' 20, and then by an 83-yard drive led by Tagovailoa. The Bills led off their second half with a field goal, but would not score again until the final two minutes.

After Tagovailoa led a 72-yard touchdown drive to take a 21-17 lead in the fourth, finished off by Edmonds' second touchdown, Buffalo mounted a 17-play, 73-yard drive all the way to the Miami goal line. But the Dolphins' defense held, stopping runs by Devin Singletary and Allen, then forcing a pair of incompletions.

Buffalo got one final chance when a Miami punt went off a Dolphin and out of the end zone for a safety, lowering the score to 21-17. The Bills drove it all the way to the Miami 43 in a bid for a game-winning field goal, but a holding penalty took them out of range, and the clock ran out on the next play.

With an upset loss to Indianapolis by Kansas City, Miami becomes the lone undefeated team remaining in the AFC.


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