MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Miami Dolphins are down but not out.
The Dolphins have dropped to the 6th seed in the AFC playoff standings following a 21-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football.
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The win gives Buffalo their fourth consecutive AFC East title and the conference’s No. 2 seed.
Game recap
First quarter
The Dolphins started their first drive of the night with an ineligible man downfield penalty but responded with a 16 yard run by running back De’Von Achane.
Miami’s opening possession ended with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa throwing his 12th interception of the year, which was hauled in by Bills cornerback Christian Benford.
The Bills’ first offensive possession of the night ended in similar fashion after quarterback Josh Allen failed to connect with wide receiver Gabe Davis on an endzone pass that ended up in the arms of Dolphins cornerback Eli Apple.
On Miami’s first possession following the Bills’ turnover, Tagovailoa found wide receivers River Cracraft and Tyreek Hill for first down completions of 18 and 20 yards on a drive that ended with the Dolphins’ first punt of the night which set up Buffalo on their own 11 yard line.
Allen came out firing on his second offensive possession by hitting wide receiver Khalil Shakir on a 46 yard pass but stalled Buffalo’s drive after tossing his second turnover on a lob pass that was picked off by Dolphins safety DeShon Elliott in the middle of Miami’s endzone.
Score: Dolphins-0 Bills-0 (End of 1st quarter)
2nd quarter
Tagovailoa opened up his third drive of the night by converting a 3rd and 14 on a 20 yard strike to Hill.
A few plays later, Miami was able to draw first blood after running back De’Von Achane juked safety Jordan Poyer out of his shoes, which sprung him for an untouched 25 yard touchdown run. Dolphins 7 Bills 0
The Dolphins came into Sunday’s game without starting cornerback Xavien Howard and Allen took advantage of a matchup that saw Apple trailing Stefon Diggs, which led to a 36 yard completion that set up first and goal for Buffalo.
The Bills responded after the Dolphins’ defensive miscues, but only after a broken play from Josh Allen that was somehow caught by Trent Sherfield on a drive that ended with his 6 yard toe-tap touchdown. Dolphins 7 Bills 7
Tagovailoa got in rhythm on Miami’s last possession of the first half after finding wide receiver Cedrick Wilson on a perfect over-the-shoulder strike for 26 yards on a 9 play, 75 yard drive that ended with a 3 yard score to Tyreek Hill, his 13th touchdown of the season. Dolphins 14 Bills 7
Allen found Diggs for multiple first down completions on the last drive of the half, but it was one that ended without points after linebacker Jerome Baker and cornerback Nik Needham stopped Bills running back Ty Johnson at the 1 yard line with no time remaining.
Dolphins 14 Bills 7 (Halftime)
3rd quarter
A game-ending left foot injury to Dolphins linebacker Andrew Van Ginkle didn’t stop defensive coordinator Vic Fangio from calling an all-out blitz which allowed Melvin Ingram to pick up his first sack of the season on the elusive Allen.
Despite the injuries to their front seven, the Dolphins continued to create pressure on Buffalo’s final possession of the third quarter as defensive tackle Christian Wilkins forced another Allen turnover after recording a strip sack fumble and recovery.
4th quarter
The Bills took advantage of two costly Miami penalties in a drive that ended in a score without their offense coming on the field.
The turning point of the game happened when Bills wide receiver Deonte Hardy cut and then sprinted his way into the Dolphins endzone after returning a punt 96 yards for a score that tied the game 14-14. His touchdown became the longest punt return in Bills history.
The Dolphins followed up the Bills’ scoring drive with a three and out following a pass breakup to Hill on third down by cornerback Dane Jackson.
The Bills were able to respond and took the lead with a 7 play, 74 yard drive as Allen found Kinkaid for a 27 yard gain followed up by a 5 yard score as the rookie tight end broke a tackle and scampered in for 6. Bills 21 Dolphins 14
The Dolphins were unable to generate any offense following the Bills’ go-ahead score and were forced to a three and out after Hill was unable to come up with a catch on a slant pattern on third and long.
Allen and the Bills offense were able to chew up the game clock after converting on his own first down run on 4th and inches. He also used his legs to convert a third and 14 which gave Miami one final possession after stopping Allen on a 4th down scramble.
With just over 1 minute remaining, Tagovailoa threw a game-sealing interception to Bills Safety Taylor Rapp, which allowed the Bills to kneel the ball and complete the regular season sweep of the Dolphins.
Allen went 30-of-38 for 359 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in the win. He was also the Bills’ leading rusher with 69 yards on 13 carries.
Tagovailoa went 17-of-27 for 173 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, including one that sealed the win for the Bills at the end of the game. Achane was the Dolphins’ leading rusher with 56 yards and a touchdown on the ground, and Hill was the team’s leading receiver after gaining 82 yards on seven catches.
Final: Bills 21 Dolphins 14
Up next
Miami will now travel to Kansas City to face the defending Super Bowl Champion Chiefs on Saturday’s Wildcard weekend. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m.
It will be the second time the teams have met this season after the Chiefs defeated the Dolphins 21-14 in Germany, but the game will be Hill’s first time playing in Arrowhead Stadium as a Miami Dolphin.
The Bills earned a playoff spot before their season finale following the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 28-20 loss to the Tennessee Titans earlier Sunday.
Following their victory on Sunday night, the Bills clinched the AFC East title, No. 2 seed and will host the Steelers in the Wildcard round next Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
The Dolphins came into the game with the top-ranked offense in the NFL but were asked to win the division battle without running back Raheem Mostert and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. Both players are expected to play vs. the Chiefs.