Josh Allen signed himself deeper into Bills’ lore with his 200th regular-season touchdown pass, but it was linebacker Terrel Bernard’s game-clinching interception that closed the door on the Miami Dolphins in a 31–21 victory Thursday night, extending Buffalo’s dominance in this AFC East series.
Before a rowdy crowd of 70,641 at Highmark Stadium — many of whom were wearing red, white and blue despite the crisp fall air — the Dolphins came at them hard, taking a fleeting 14–10 advantage on Tua Tagovailoa’s laser-like passes. But Buffalo’s defense, tough and opportunistic, flexed but refused to buckle, delivering the one takeaway that powered a second-half surge and gave the Bills a 3–0 start to the season.
Allen, unruffled under fire as ever, went 22 of 28 for 213 yards and three scores. His milestone throw was a 15-yard strike to Khalil Shakir in the third quarter. Dalton Kincaid and Jackson Hawes also caught touchdowns. Running back James Cook added 108 yards on 19 carries, including a 2-yard dash for a fourth-quarter score that put Buffalo ahead 24–21. Bernard’s interception of Tagovailoa — snatched near the Buffalo 21 with just over three minutes left and returned 24 yards to the 41 — produced the biggest thunder, setting up Matt Prater’s 48-yard clinching field goal with 22 seconds remaining.
For the Dolphins, who dropped to 0–3, the night stung. Tagovailoa threw for 146 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Tyreek Hill finished with five catches for 49 yards, and Miami ran for 130 yards, but penalties at key moments proved costly — six flags for 57 yards, including a roughing-the-kicker that extended the Bills’ go-ahead drive and an earlier late hit on Allen after a sack.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, pacing the sideline like a man wringing a tempest, wasn’t diplomatic afterward. “We took our shots, but those own-goal blows killed us,” he murmured, rubbing his temples. “Buffalo’s a tough out up there, and give ’em credit — they did it. We gotta clean this up in a hurry, or this season’s gonna slip away from us.”
On money downs, Miami converted 10 of 15 third-down chances and still came up short at the end. Buffalo finished 6 of 11 on third down and outgained Miami overall, 360–276, finding just enough rhythm late to close it out.
This was the Bills’ seventh consecutive win over the Dolphins, a streak dating to 2021 and feeling like destiny in the wild AFC East. For hard-core Dolphins fans, it’s a stinging reminder of what could’ve been; for the Bills faithful, it’s fuel for another deep run into the playoffs.
Next up: the Bills host the New Orleans Saints, while the Dolphins welcome the New York Jets.
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