Grading the Buffalo Bills in their 26-11 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at Highmark Stadium …
Running game: C-
What running game? Devin Singletary and Zack Moss combined for a whole bunch of nothing, with Singletary gaining 28 yards on seven carries and Moss gaining 19 yards on eight carries. Singletary had a 13-yard gain. Other than that, they were largely kept in check. We’ll point out here the offensive line did the running backs no favors. Far too frequently, Singletary and Moss were met at or behind the line of scrimmage. A perfect example of the failures of the run game came when Moss was stuffed for a loss of 1-yard on a third-and-1 carry early in the second quarter near midfield. Gaining 1 yard in that situation looked all but impossible. Quarterback Josh Allen was the only bright spot in the running game, gaining 55 yards on eight carries. He had a 34-yard gain in the first quarter, but that came on a scramble after he originally intended to throw.
Passing game: B
The numbers look better on paper than they did in real time. Allen finished 29 of 42 for 249 yards and a pair of touchdowns, good for a quarterback rating of 100.2 He had just 1 passing yard in the first quarter and finished the first half at 10 of 17 for 80 yards, as it took the offense quite a while to get settled. Once it did, Allen targeted Cole Beasley again and again. Beasley’s 13 targets were nearly double anyone else on the team, and his 110 receiving yards were a full 70 yards more than anyone else – Stefon Diggs was next with 40 yards on five catches. Diggs did have a 19-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter. No. 2 receiver Emmanuel Sanders finished without a catch, despite being targeted four times.
Run defense: A-
Let’s get this out of the way first: The Dolphins absolutely stink running the ball. With that qualifier in mind, the Bills took care of business, bouncing back nicely after Derrick Henry had a big game for Tennessee in Week 6. The Bills held Miami to 68 team rushing yards on 23 carries – an average of just 3.0 yards per rush. Of Tremaine Edmunds’ eight tackles, five were made on run plays that went for 3 yards or less, including one for no gain. Star Lotulelei’s only tackle went for a loss. Ed Oliver also had a tackle for loss in the first half. It helps that they’ve played the Dolphins twice, but the Bills currently rank sixth in the NFL heading into the final two games of Week 8, allowing just 86.6 yards per game.
Pass defense: A-
The Bills had a tough time defending Dolphins receiver DeVante Parker early in the game, as he had four catches – all of which produced first downs – for 60 yards in the first quarter. Parker was limited to four catches for 25 yards after that, however, as the pass defense settled down. The Dolphins simply don’t push the ball down the field, as quarterback Tua Tagovailoa went 21 of 39 for 205 yards and one interception. Tagovailoa’s 40-yard completion to tight end Mike Gesicki – which might have included a push-off – was the longest of the quarterback’s career. That’s borderline unbelievable. Safety Jordan Poyer was buzzing, finishing with a team-leading nine tackles and the game-clinching interception in the fourth quarter. Defensive end Mario Addison had his first sack since Week 1, and fellow defensive end Jerry Hughes had a strip sack in the fourth quarter.
“We know they don’t really take shots downfield,” safety Micah Hyde said. “But at the same time, going into the game, we were expecting them to maybe take some shots. You know, they didn’t. So it comes down to having good eyes.”
Plays that shaped the game: Josh Allen eventually burned Miami's blitzes
Special teams: B
Tyler Bass hit a 57-yard field goal in the first quarter and came through in the clutch with a 39-yarder to ice the victory. That was the good. Unfortunately, there was plenty of bad. Isaiah McKenzie made a bad decision trying to return a punt in the third quarter. He muffed it, and the Bills were fortunate receiver Jake Kumerow was able to recover it in the end zone for a touchback.
“Really smart play by Jake,” coach Sean McDermott said. “Really smart play. It’s important you get on that ball, or else, you know, it’s a totally different situation.”
McKenzie actually gained 25 yards on his other two punt returns, which shows what he can do, but a better decision was needed in that situation. File under yuck: Matt Haack’s 19-yard punt.
Coaching: B-
Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll’s game plan didn’t produce much in the first half. Daboll insisted on trying to run the ball on a day it clearly wasn’t working. The frequent use of Kumerow, McKenzie and Gabriel Davis in place of Beasley, Sanders and Diggs was puzzling at best. Credit the coaching staff, however, for making the necessary adjustments in the second half, particularly on offense.
“The margins are tight in this league every week, no matter who you play and that's what we have to expect,” McDermott said. “So the details are important, the discipline that we carry into every game and us improving. We certainly have a lot to improve on, as you guys saw.”
That would include penalties, which again were an issue. Buffalo was flagged nine times for 80 yards.
