The Miami Dolphins dropped their first divisional matchup of the season, losing 31-10 to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night at Hard Rock Stadium.
Buffalo's strong defensive effort was on display from the very first possession of the game, as Bills cornerback Ja'Marcus Ingram picked off quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on a pass intended for wide receiver Grant DuBose and returned the turnover to Miami's 37-yard line. The Bills took advantage of the favorable field position, engineering a six-play, 37-yard drive that ended on a 17-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Josh Allen to running back James Cook that gave the Bills an early 7-0 lead with 9:49 left in the first quarter.
The Bills' early lead was short-lived, as Miami responded with a touchdown of its own to tie the game at seven apiece. This scoring possession was headed by Tagovailoa, who led the Dolphins 70 yards downfield on 10 plays. A third-down pass to wide receiver Jaylen Waddle set Miami up with the ball inside Buffalo's 10-yard line, and a second-and-goal, six-yard swing pass to running back De'Von Achane capped off the drive with 3:21 to go in the first.
The Bills' defense continued to make impactful plays as the first quarter continued. On a first-down pass intended for Robbie Chosen, cornerback Christian Benford picked off Tagovailoa and returned the interception to the Dolphins' 44-yard line. Like it did after Miami's first turnover, Buffalo capitalized off the error, going on a seven-play, 19-yard drive that ended in a 43-yard field goal by kicker Tyler Bass to give the Bills a 10-7 lead.
With Allen and running back James Cook commanding the charge, Buffalo continued to extend its lead, adding two touchdowns in the second quarter. The first touchdown drive took eight plays – the most important of which was a third-down strike from Allen to wide receiver Ty Johnson that set up Cook's one-yard touchdown run up the middle. The following scoring drive took only one play, as Cook took a first down carry 48 yards to Miami's end zone, his third touchdown of the half. This also marked the first three-touchdown game of his career.
To close out the half and halt Buffalo's 17-point run, kicker Jason Sanders sent a 34-yard kick through the uprights to make it a two-score game, 24-10, at the break.
The game-cementing play came with 9:27 left in the third quarter, as Ingram picked off Tagovailoa for a second time near the right sideline and returned the takeaway 31 yards to give the Bills a 31-10 advantage for the remainder of the game.
Tagovailoa completed 17-of-25 passes for 145 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions and ran the ball twice for 17 yards before leaving the game in the third quarter after he was ruled out with a concussion. Quarterback Skylar Thompson entered the game in place of Tagovailoa and completed 8-of-14 passes for 80 yards.
Achane's performance was a silver lining for the Dolphins, as he was productive despite the loss. He ran the ball a career-high 22 times for 96 yards and caught a game-high seven passes for 69 yards and a score. Through two games this season, Achane has caught 14 passes for 145 yards.
Tight end Jonnu Smith was another bright spot for Miami. He totaled six receptions for 53 yards in what was just his second game with the Dolphins. Running back Jaylen Wright, the 2024 fourth-round pick, also made his NFL debut, running the ball five times for four yards.
Despite the loss, Miami outgained Buffalo 351-247 in total yards. Allen completed 13-of-19 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown, and Cook rushed the ball 11 times and caught it once for 95 total yards to go along with his trio of touchdowns. Wideout Khalil Shakir led all receivers with five receptions for 54 yards.
The Dolphins will play their first road game of the season next Sunday, Sept. 22, against the Seattle Seahawks. Kickoff is set for 4:05 p.m. ET on CBS.
