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REWATCH: Dolphins-Bills on NFL+

Eric Edholm’s takeaways:

1. Bass kicked Bills to a big win. Tyler Bass drilled a career-long 61-yard field goal in the waning seconds of the game to deliver the Bills a massive victory and the Dolphins a crushing loss. The kick – which had plenty of leg – finished off a run of seven straight scores prior to the Dolphins being unable to score in the final seconds of the game. For Bass, the moment was huge. The Bills had worked out other kickers and signed competition to the practice squad after Bass had missed a pair of extra points, and he missed one Sunday and also had a kick clang in off the upright against Miami. Bass’ wide-right miss from the divisional-round loss last January also was fresh in fans’ minds. But his game-winner was the first big, clutch kick Bass had made this season and only his second make (and attempt) of 50 or more yards. The Bills looked to be in Hail Mary mode when Josh Allen‘s third-and-10 pass fell incomplete and the Bills sitting at the Miami 43-yard line. A miss would have given Tua Tagovailoa a slim shot at winning the game in regulation, but Bills coach Sean McDermott displayed confidence in sending Bass out there – and he was rewarded with a win that makes the Bills massive favorites to win the division again, having swept Miami in the season series.
2. Dolphins’ critical errors cost them a much-needed win. After tying the game at 27 with 1:38 left, the Dolphins appeared to be in great shape, putting the Bills in a third-and-14 situation with less than a minute left, at their own 26-yard line with only one timeout remaining. Had they stopped the Bills, the Dolphins could have gotten the ball back and possibly won the game in regulation. But Chop Robinson (who had a big sack the play before) jumped in the neutral zone, and that was followed by a massive unnecessary roughness penalty by ex-Bills safety Jordan Poyer in his first game back in Buffalo. That gave the Bills new life, and they gained just enough yards to set up Bass’ game-winning kick. The Dolphins had a similarly damaging play early in the third quarter when Raheem Mostert had the ball poked out after a run in Buffalo territory. The Dolphins were threatening to increase their 10-6 halftime lead, but the Bills recovered and immediately went down and scored to take back control of the game. Tua Tagovailoa has played well in both games since returning to the lineup, yet the Dolphins still haven’t won since Week 5 over the Patriots, with each of their past three losses coming by one score.
3. Allen should move up in MVP race. Despite not having Amari Cooper, the Bills had a big offensive showing – especially in the second half – to finish off their division rivals. Allen was being limited all game by the Dolphins’ two-high coverages, forcing him to check down and find underneath options. He also was nicely hemmed in as a scrambler, outside of one 14-yard run late in the second quarter. But even with an interception, he played a smart game and hit enough big plays to deliver another big win. Allen’s INT was off the hands of rookie Keon Coleman as the Bills were about to go in for a score, and they had a touchdown called back by penalty (a shaky one at that). Yet there was Allen gunning to the tune of 156 passing yards and three TDs in the second half, including a pretty fourth-and-goal pass to Mack Hollins and an improvisational gem to Quintin Morris for a go-ahead score in the fourth quarter. Allen certainly was among the favorites for MVP prior to Sunday, but his effort against the Dolphins deserves a bump to his stock.

Next Gen Stats Insight for Dolphins-Bills (via NFL Pro): Josh Allen was efficient against the blitz in Week 9, completing 7 of 9 pass attempts for 97 yards and three touchdowns. Allen recorded an 8.9% completion percentage over expected against the blitz, his fourth-highest mark in a game this season (two of his top four performances have come against the Dolphins). Allen also recorded a career-low 3.7 air yards per attempt, leading to his highest percentage of yards coming after the catch (81.7%).

NFL Research: The Bills have won six straight and 13 of the past 14 against the Dolphins, including the playoffs. Sean McDermott is now 15-2 versus Miami since becoming Bills head coach.