Buffalo Bills win tough game vs. Miami Dolphins in Week 3

The Buffalo Bills walked into a testy game of keep-away with the Miami Dolphins, and did just enough to leave the field winners of a 31-21 game. Thursday games are perhaps the biggest regular-season challenge the NFL has, with a severely shortened week of prep handed down to teams fortunate enough to play in the showcase that is Thursday Night Football on Prime Video.

In the days leading up to this clash, most were giving the Dolphins little chance at making this one competitive… which is kind of ridiculous if you know anything about divisional football. This was a winless Miami team that decided Buffalo was going to get their best effort under the stars.

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It was a strange and hard-fought night, where the Bills’ defense found real struggle in getting off the field. Too often, defenders struggled to fluster quarterback Tua Tagovailoa enough to stall drives. Their numbers don’t necessarily reflect a dominant effort, but wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jalen Waddle were explosive in key moments, namely Waddle’s consistent efforts on third down.

Offensively, Buffalo struggled to get the ball deep down the field in the passing game. Quarterback Josh Allen put together an efficient game, going 22-of-28 for 213 yards and three touchdown passes. Were it not for a massive penalty on defensive tackle Zach Sieler who ran into punter Cameron Johnston, the Bills’ offense would have been forced into four three-and-outs. Instead, that roughing-the-kicker penalty gave the reigning NFL MVP a new set of downs, and and an opportunity to add some breathing room on the score board.

Score they did, where Allen hit wide receiver on a short swing pass that let 10 work his magic in space en route to the end zone. The game was far from over, especially considering Buffalo’s difficulties on defense. The Dolphins again marched down the field on a clock-draining path to more points, until linebacker Terrel Bernard stepped in. Bernard leveraged a valuable bit of film study to read Tagovailoa’s intentions, picking off what was his only ill-advised pass of the game.

That’s now two games out of three this season where a struggling Bills defense found resolve to force a turnover, giving Allen and the offense the ball back late in regulation. Though there’s plenty to pick apart defensively, if they continue to play their best when the game’s on the line it could bode well for Buffalo’s chances late in winter.

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Running back James Cook deserves his flowers from those who said the team would be better-served letting him leave town. He’s putting together a fantastic season already, and it feels like the best is yet to come. If anything, Cook may prove the point that he is (still) underpaid.

It wasn’t pretty, and there’s a lot to work on, but a win’s a win and hard to come by in the NFL. But these Buffalo Bills sure are good at winning, right?

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