The Buffalo Bills cruised to a 48-20 victory over the Miami Dolphins in a statement win with the Bills showing out on all three sides of the ball.
Josh Allen finished with a perfect passer rating (for the first time in his career), completing 21 of his 25 passing attempts for 320 yards and 4 touchdowns, adding an 11-yard run for a touchdown. Sunday's win marked the third time Allen has scored five touchdowns in a game and the first time in over two years.
Allen was efficient without sacrificing explosive plays. He took what the defense gave him when the secondary was covered but wasn't afraid to throw deep, completing five passes that went for over 15 yards.
Stefon Diggs also had a standout performance, finishing with three touchdowns on just six receptions for 120 yards. His athleticism and sharp route running ability was on display all game.
His first score came on a short pass from Allen after he had drawn a pass interference call that gained over 40 yards and set the Bills up in the red zone.
Diggs' second touchdown of the day was a result of his most spectacular play all season in which he caught a short pass from Allen, shook two defenders and sprinted 55 yards to the end zone to put the Bills up two scores, a lead they would only widen throughout the game.
His third came in the second half. Allen scrambled around in the pocket before throwing a 13-yard laser to Diggs who was open in the end zone.
The Bills offense started off hot, taking eight plays to reach the end zone on their opening drive. After a deep pass to Stefon Diggs set the Bills up in the red zone, Allen immediately capitalized, finding Gabe Davis wide open in the end zone for the early lead.
Their efficient day continued, with James Cook finding the end zone for the first time this season after a 10-play, 80-yard drive that chewed over 5 minutes of clock. Cook also took a short pass from Allen 48 yards to set up a field goal early in the second half.
Miami, who scored 70 points in last week's win against the Denver Broncos, started the first quarter hot, with running back De'Von Achane running for two touchdowns to keep pace with the Bills effective scoring drives.
However, the Bills defense settled in during the second quarter, forcing a trio of three-and-outs and a fumble in the Dolphins' final four drives of the first half. Linebacker Matt Milano punched the ball out from Raheem Mostert's arms and Terrel Bernard dove on the loose ball for the Bills' first forced turnover of the game.
The Bills capitalized on the turnover as Tyler Bass nailed a 53-yard field goal to bring their first half total to 31 points, tied for the fourth-most first half points in team history.
Miami scored their last touchdown of the game in their first drive of the third quarter, and from there the Bills defense took over. Micah Hyde snagged an interception, and Ed Oliver, Greg Rousseau and DaQuon all had sacks as the Dolphins went 0-for-3 on fourth down conversion attempts in the second half.
The Bills defensive front finished with four sacks and nine quarterback hits on the day. They will travel to London for a "home" game against the Jacksonville Jaguars next Sunday.
Key stats and facts to know:
- It was a career day for Josh Allen, who finished with five total touchdowns and zero turnovers. The Bills are now 23-4 in games in which Allen has zero giveaways and 31-21 when he has one or more.
- Allen is now 9-2 against the Dolphins with 31 passing TDs and 5 rushing TDs. His rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter was the 40th in his career, making him just the fourth quarterback in NFL history with 40 or more career rushing touchdowns.
- Allen surpassed Cam Newton for the third-most combined passing and rushing touchdowns by a player in his first six seasons in NFL history. He also recorded his 26th career game with both a passing and rushing touchdown, the most in the NFL since 2018 and fourth-most in NFL history.
- Josh Allen has now thrown multiple pass touchdowns in 12 straight games against the Dolphins (including playoffs), extending the longest streak by a quarterback against a single opponent in NFL history.
- James Cook, who scored his first touchdown of the season, finished with 77 total yards, marking his sixth consecutive game with over 50 yards from scrimmage.
- Stefon Diggs passed Calvin Johnson for the 50-most career receptions in NFL history. His two touchdowns in the first half marked the third time in his career that he has tallied two receiving touchdowns in a first half. Sunday was the fourth game Diggs has caught three touchdowns.
- Gabe Davis, who scored the first touchdown of the game, has now scored a touchdown in each of the last three games.
- Greg Rousseau finished with three total tackles, two sacks and a pass defensed. He played at the University of Miami from 2018-19 and led the ACC in sacks with 15.5 in the 2019 season.
SCORING PLAYS:
10:41 1Q | BUF 7 MIA 0 | Josh Allen pass deep right to Gabe Davis for 18 yards, TOUCHDOWN
6:30 1Q | BUF 7 MIA 7 | De'Von Achane right guard for 3 yards, TOUCHDOWN
1:10 1Q | BUF 14 MIA 7 | James Cook up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN
12:47 2Q | BUF 14 MIA 14 | De'Von Achane left end for 10 yards, TOUCHDOWN
10:02 2Q | BUF 21 MIA 14 | Josh Allen pass short right to Stefon Diggs for 11 yards, TOUCHDOWN
2:58 2Q | BUF 28 MIA 14 | Josh Allen pass short left to Stefon Diggs for 55 yards, TOUCHDOWN
1:39 2Q | BUF 31 MIA 14 | Tyler Bass 53-yard field goal is GOOD
9:30 3Q | BUF 31 MIA 20 | Tua Tagovailoa pass short right to Braxton Berrios for 11 yards, TOUCHDOWN. two-point conversion attempt is NO GOOD
5:21 3Q | BUF 34 MIA 20 | Tyler Bass 33-yard field goal is GOOD
3:00 3Q | BUF 41 MIA 20 | Josh Allen pass short left to Stefon Diggs for 13 yards, TOUCHDOWN
14:55 4Q | BUF 48 MIA 20 | Josh Allen scramble right guard for 11 yards, TOUCHDOWN
