It was a gorgeous day in Western New York as the Buffalo Bills welcomed the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon, October 1st. And the fact that the squad in blue sent the fish back to the Florida swamps with a sound reminder of who controls the AFC East was the ideal icing on the cake. The Bills had none of the Dolphins hype that dominated national headlines all week. In completely dismantling the high-flying Phins, the Bills scorched their opposition with a final score of 48-20.
Buffalo Bills Studs Shine in All Three Phases
Bills DE Leonard Floyd (56) – Matt Durisko/AP Photo
Before getting into the nuts and bolts of the players and coaches, we must show Bills Mafia the love they deserve. The die-hard Bills fanbase did not take kindly to Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill’s comments when he expressed his nonchalance toward the passion of the mafia. The receiver said he doesn’t believe that Bills fans are anything special and noted his disdain by shrugging off the crowd at Highmark, calling them average. Well, the mafia didn’t appreciate that.
Head Coach and DC Sean McDermott said after the game that the decibel level inside the stadium was unlike anything he had ever heard. Comparing the noise level to “jet engines,” McDermott joked about how it was challenging to speak with green dot player MLB Terrell Bernard to get the plays in on defense.
Of course, relying on hand signals to get 40% of your defensive calls in because your fanbase is shattering eardrums is an excellent problem to have, and despite what Hill said, anything but average. Praise be saved for Bills Mafia in this one.
Quarterback Joshua Allen!
Bills QB Josh Allen (17) – Adrian Kraus/AP Photo
Emerging as an early front-runner for MVP, QB Josh Allen shut down the doubters once again. Racking up 21 of 25 completions, four passing TDs, a rushing TD, 320 yards, and a perfect passer rating of 158.3, Allen became the second QB in NFL history ever to do this in one game. He played methodically within the plan and perfectly off-script when needed. The man is an alien, and he deserves all the praise in the world for leading his squad to a four-possession spread.
Stefon “I’m Him” Diggs
Bills WR Stefon Diggs (14) – Getty Images
WR Stefon Diggs showed precisely why the Allen-Diggs connection is one of the greatest QB-WR tandems in the league. The dude absolutely balled out, securing six receptions for 120 yards and three scores. That’s a hat trick, people, and it’s further evidence that Diggs is one of the premier route runners and catchers in all of football.
Big D!
Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa took just one sack and five hits through the season’s first three games. It was a whole different story in Orchard Park. The QB was sacked four times and hit on nine plays. The Bills defense also secured an interception (S Micah Hyde’s second in as many straight games), forced two fumbles, recovered one, and held Hill and number two speedster WR Jaylen Waddle to non-factors.
The crew needs to clean up a few things with their run defense, but this was a prime example of why they say, “Defense wins championships.” Granted, it’s only week four, but if the Bills’ defense continues to play at this level, they will undoubtedly secure a plethora of postseason wins.
Kudos to the Coaches
Bills HC/DC Sean McDermott – Getty Images
McDermott’s defense stuck to fundamental football and took away everything Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel does so well. Stymieing this fast-paced, high-powered offense was a question all week, and many wondered what tricks McDermott had in his bag. The head coach and defensive coordinator gets his flowers for having this group dialed in on every down.
They forced the Dolphins to play one-dimensionally, and Tagovailoa was under duress the entire second half. He was forced to move off his first read, and that is in no small part the result of stellar coaching.
Offensive Coordinator Ken Dorsey deserves immense praise for his plan of attack on Sunday. The coach has undergone scrutiny during his first two years as OC but has been showing the ability to draw up a balanced game. His performance against the Dolphins is his finest yet. Dorsey might need to continue proving his talents for the season, but he was an absolute stud on Sunday.
Duds?
Apologies. No duds for this week. Even special teams balled out, with K Tyler Bass knocking through a crucial 53-yarder to prevent the Dolphins chance to double-dip on either side of the half. P Sam Martin gave the Dolphins the boot on his only two punts. This was a complete team win and the very definition of complimentary football. Go Bills!
