The Dolphins beat the Bills just once in their last 12 matchups.
Buffalo extended that to mark one in 13 on Thursday Night Football with a commanding 31-10 rout in Miami to kickstart Week 2.
After an even first quarter knotted at 7-7, Buffalo took control in the second with 17 points, primarily thanks to mistakes from Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Josh Allen and Co. basically had the game wrapped up well before Tagovailoa’s concussion late in the third quarter, which saw Skylar Thompson enter.
Let’s analyze the game further with five winners and losers:
WINNER: Josh Allen on Thursdays
Allen came into the game with a 6-0 record when playing on Thursdays. That is also now extended to a robust 7-0 mark, even though the 28-year-old didn’t need to do as much this time around. Allen threw for just 139 yards on 13 of 19 completions for a touchdown and no picks. Allen will now get extra rest for when Buffalo meets the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3 for Monday Night Football.
LOSER: Tua Tagovailoa’s woes persist
Tagovailoa had been struggling mightily prior to his concussion, throwing for just 145 yards on 17 of 25 completions for one touchdown and three interceptions. One of the picks was deflected, while another was an attempt to throw the ball out of bounds but didn’t travel far enough; it ended up as a pick six. The other was a pure overthrow.
Miami’s offense can’t click if Tagovailoa isn’t able to consistently move the ball downfield against tough opponents, which was also the case last season.
It’s not yet known how much time Tagovailoa will miss after signing a four-year extension worth $212 million over the summer. Skylar Thompson is Miami’s QB2.
WINNER: James Cook, Bills
Buffalo’s game ball should easily go to Cook, who dominated with three first-half touchdowns to ease the burden on Allen.
Cook ran for 78 yards on 11 carries for two touchdowns and had a 17-yard receiving score, his lone catch of the night. One of the rushing touchdowns was a 49-yard carry right off the heels of a Miami turnover. The 24-year-old has been an underrated running back in the league and continues to produce for Buffalo.
LOSER: Dolphins in big games
The biggest red flag for Miami all of last season was its inability to win — or outright perform — in big games. The Dolphins had no problem dispatching inferior opponents, but flip the script and they would be outmatched.
It’s concerning already that that may be the case this year, too. Performances lacked on both sides of the ball against a Buffalo team that is expected to compete for the Lombardi Trophy this season even if it lacks firepower in its receiving room.
Miami, with similar high expectations, has the stars but not the big-game personalities. Tyreek Hill mustered just 24 receiving yards on three catches while Jaylen Waddle had 41 on four receptions. De’Von Achane looked solid with 96 rushing yards on 22 carries, but with Tagovailoa’s poor outings and Thompson not being enough, things are not looking so great for Mike McDaniel’s side.
WINNER: AFC East’s competitiveness
Last season, Buffalo stormed back to claim the AFC East crown despite Miami occupying it for most of the year. The New York Jets faltered due to Aaron Rodgers’ Achilles injury while the New England Patriots were in a rough patch all season.
But this year, the landscape of the division feels a bit more competitive, more than it has in a long, long time. Buffalo should be the favorite to win, but a Rodgers’ resurgence could see the Jets making a massive comeback up the standings. Miami should still stay within wild-card distance, while the Patriots are looking improved under Jerod Mayo, though the sample size is too small to be certain
Regardless, this division needed more parity after New England’s lengthy control and this could be the best season in a while for that.
