Buffalo Bills surge late, claim confident win vs. Miami Dolphins in Week 9

The Dolphins had the Bills there in the first half…

It wasn’t always pretty, but the Buffalo Bills persevered against an AFC East foe that was hell-bent on making noise at their expense. Now, the Bills are 7-2, having dropped the Miami Dolphins to 2-6 — and leaving them firmly in the rearview mirror on the road to AFC East supremacy.

After a slow start that saw Buffalo trailing 10-6 at halftime, the Bills adapted a methodical second-half game plan that leveraged big plays in key moments to steal hope from Miami. Yet the Dolphins never flinched, keeping the outcome in doubt with just seconds left in regulation. In the end, the Bills found the resolve to withstand all the Dolphins threw at them, while countering with a few knockout blows of their own.

Here are a few of my thoughts on a game that proved to be far more challenging than anyone expected, yet successful thanks to a few franchise record-setting performances.

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Tyler Bass sets new Buffalo Bills franchise record with 61-yard field goal

In the closing seconds of a 27-27 tie between the Bills and Dolphins, head coach Sean McDermott called upon kicker Tyler Bass to bring home a challenging win for Bills Mafia. The ask: make a 61-yard field goal up against enough seconds on the clock for things to go poorly if missed.

For Bass there was no choice but to hit it as solidly as he could right down the middle of those uprights. Before the football made it through the goal posts, Bills Mafia were jumping out of their shoes in celebration of what Bass had just accomplished — setting a new franchise-long field goal of 61 yards.

There’s been no shortage of drama surrounding Tyler Bass since the Bills walked off its home field playoff losers once again to the Kansas City Chiefs. There’s no benefit to further belaboring how that game ended, nor how Bass’ offseason, training camp, or even the three missed field goals and extra points in nine games this season. That’s because the past is the past, and Bass is still really damn good.

I’ve said all along that once Bass begins to cost the Bills games on a consistent basis, concern will carry merit. No missed kick by Bass this season has played any role in defeat. That could have changed in Week 9, when he added another missed extra point against that same end zone that seems to give him trouble.

Then suddenly, seeing Bass warm up for what most believed was an impossibly long field goal try, here he was ready to do the very thing his 12-year-old self knew he was great doing: kicking Ws for his team and his fans. Incredibly, head coach Mike McDaniel had two timeouts but chose not to use one to ice Bass.

It’s pretty clear that Tyler Bass thrives off confidence, and support seems to fit him like a glove. That may sound like someone else on Buffalo’s roster, right? Quarterback Josh Allen is often his best when the cards are stacked against him, when the game requires him playing like the best to ever walk on the field. And in those moments, there’s no one else Bills Mafia would rather have on their side.

Today, Bass reminded people why he’s their ride or die. CBS’ coverage noted that Bass may never have a bigger kick this season, but isn’t it also possible that he’s just getting started? Hopefully there’s plenty of kicking highlights to come for Bass in the second half of this year’s campaign.

Josh Allen proves once again that he’s always been HIM

Most people will tell you that games that pit Josh Allen against the Dolphins don’t end well for Miami. Yet on Sunday, Allen had put together an underwhelming performance that relied on quick passes for little yards.

Had the Dolphins finally slayed their divisional dragon? It wasn’t to be, as once again Allen came up huge in the biggest moments, finishing the afternoon a tidy 25-of-39 for 235 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. No moment was more significant than his incredible touchdown heave while under pressure to reserve tight end Quintin Morris in the second half.

There’s chemistry and then there’s this:

Allen improved to 12-2 against the Dolphins, with 37 total touchdowns and eight interceptions — and a passer rating of 108.1.

No quarterback fits the Bills better than Josh Allen, and Bills Mafia would do well to savor every moment and snap of his career.

Offensive reserves played key role in Buffalo Bills’ win

The Bills were forced to adapt once again on offense after wide receiver Amari Cooper was ruled out with a wrist injury. That opened the door once again for players further down the roster to contribute. Wide receiver Mack Hollins stepped up to the challenge in a big way, catching all five passes thrown his way for 30 yards and a touchdown.

Hollins isn’t afford the same level of interest or respect by some fans who see him as a detriment to the team’s success. All the guy does is everything that’s asked of him and more. On one key red zone play featuring running back James Cook, Hollins was a willing and aggressive bit of turbo lag ready to usher Cook further toward pay dirt. In other moments, Hollins displayed elite hustle in getting the ball back to the line of scrimmage so the refs could quickly get things set for the next play. That type of effort saves key seconds for a team looking to punch the ball in when time is short.

While many people call for Hollins to be featured less, I contend the offense should see more of his work.

Rookie running back Ray Davis had another huge day as a receiver out of the backfield. In all, Davis caught both of his targets for 70 yards and a tone-setting touchdown in the second half. What’s more, Davis’ 63-yard score gave Allen 182 regular-season passing touchdowns, moving him into second place behind Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly’s franchise-record 237 regular-season touchdown passes.

Of course, though he was mentioned above, Morris’ contributions off the bench cannot be understated — especially in a game where things between Allen and tight end Dalton Kincaid weren’t clicking. I even exclaimed during the game that all Quintin Morris does is catch touchdown passes.

Buffalo Bills have a first-half problem to address

In a game that found my attention too-often divided, what stood out most to me was how again the Bills struggled to surge out of the gate. It seems as though week after week, I’m writing a second-half thread looking for something far different. The great news is that most weeks Buffalo’s second-half play is nearly impossible to beat.

In the playoffs, trailing at halftime is not a favorable situation to be in. Furthermore, being smothered by an opponent’s run game has proven damaging in the postseason, and it takes precious time off the clock for the offense to score.

There are moments when I worry about how things would pan out in bigger games, such as this team’s continued lack of a kill-shot play following an unexpected turnover. It reared its head in the second half against the Dolphins, when the go-to play off turnover resulted in a four-yard gain on first down. Yards are great, but kill shots breed greatness. It feels to me like a reflection of the apparent first-half woes that plague this year’s team. Starting slowly, looking disinterested, and unable to match the intensity demanded in the moment.

Yes, things all worked out well Sunday afternoon, but why hasn’t offensive coordinator Joe Brady found reason to go for it all in a moment when the defense is likely to be caught off-guard?

Where has the Buffalo Bills’ defensive line wandered off to?

There’s no need to go on and on an on… and on about how terrible Buffalo’s defense played the run, but there’s plenty of reason to wonder what in the world’s up with their hand-selected defensive line. The Dolphins’ final rush total doesn’t even accurately paint the gutted picture on display Sunday afternoon: 10 rushing first downs and 149 total rushing yards.

Even worse was the line’s inability to fluster quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Miami found 14 first downs via the pass and Tagovailoa finished an impressive 25-of-28 for 231 yards and two touchdowns. If what’s going on up front continues, it will not benefit the Bills later this season.

Giving credit where’s it due, defensive end Greg Rousseau made sure to end the game on his terms during a last-gasp effort by wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to extend action with a trick play. Plays like that are the reason edge rusher Von Miller was brought to One Bills Drive. Thankfully, they also appear to be part of Rousseau’s toolbox.

Jordan Poyer’s return to Highmark Stadium memorable for all the wrong reasons

Bills fans love safety Jordan Poyer, but late in action his play made a huge statement about his ability at this point in his career. On a long pass from Josh Allen to rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman, Poyer was incredibly late providing support. He led with his helmet into Coleman’s, and dangerously contacted the receiver’s lower portion of the face/head. Poyer’s actions directly resulted in Coleman exiting the game with what’s believed to be a right wrist injury. Coleman will be lucky if he avoided a concussion.

The intent here isn’t to bash Poyer, but rather to suggest that it may be time for him to hang up the cleats. Plays like those from former All-Pros are usually borne out of frustration and diminishing skills.

The Buffalo Bills are 7-2, so why worry?

Maybe too many of us get lost in the weeds of each game. All that really matters is the final score, yet there’s plenty of doors to worrying about how peformance x, y, or z would play out against the best teams in the NFL. This season, the Dolphins aren’t in that group, but it’s fair to say that they played that way on Sunday.

So just I discussed with Tyler Bass above, it may be best to worry about the errors when they present actual concerns. Up next for the Buffalo Bills, a trip to the midwest to play the Indianapolis Colts in Week 10. They’ll face a tough team that’s turned the reigns over fulltime to Super Bowl-winning veteran quarterback Joe Flacco.

Will the Bills improve to 8-2 by this time next week?