This one began as a track meet. Five possessions. Five touchdowns. The middle of the game turned into a trudging chess match. Then, the Bills took off again, and the Dolphins got left coughing in the dust. For all the talk and pontification for Miami and their supposed high-scoring offense, the Bills won the game on both sides of the ball and held the advantage in the special teams department as well. Here are five takeaways from a Statement Stampede of ‘one of the best’ teams by the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
Takeaways From the Bills Massive Win over the Dolphins
Who Had the Unstoppable Offense?
There was a high-powered offense on display in Buffalo. Just not the one everyone was talking about. The 48 points scored by the Bills Sunday was their highest output of the year, against what was supposed to be the best offensive and defensive team they had faced yet this year. With that in mind, Consider this stat: Josh Allen had four incomplete passes. He threw four touchdowns and ran for another.
Stefon Diggs is eating high on the hog and the Bills are relishing his surging confidence. He may well be the best receiver in the league, no disrespect to the other stars. Allen has complete trust in Diggs, and Diggs has been on a tear, and together they are a huge problem for the rest of the league. I don’t want to compare the Allen-to-Diggs connection with the great Kelly-to-Reed connection (yet), but it sure is starting to feel the same.
The Blemish on the Bright Spot
The defense was awesome against what was supposed to be an unstoppable machine. Instead, the Bills defense executed with machine-like efficiency, especially in the second half. It was encouraging to see them perform at a high level, but the attrition crept in in the second half as the defense began losing guys left and right. The cost seems great -Benford went down, Taron Johnson was nicked up, Micah Hyde had issues, and Poyer didn’t even play.
And then there was Tre’Davious White. Hearts of Western New York sunk in unison as White, in frustration, tossed his helmet over his head as he sat on the turf, knowing that he had a serious injury. He had worked so long and seemed to be back to his old dominating self Sunday, only to have it unravel quickly on a non-contact play away from the action. Sure, all teams go through tough injuries and it is an unexpected and unfortunate part of the game, but it still puts a damper on a great win.
In all of this, one has to wonder, where is Kaiir Elam? The Bills have been mum on why Elam has been inactive so far this year. Every Bills fan is praying “Von Miller, please come back soon!” One last note from the defense is that Milano should seriously be considered for DPOY. He’s all over the field and is as disruptive as any defensive player right now. With players going down, Milano is the heart and soul that needs to keep on ticking.
How Quickly Those Tables Turn
How far away does that bludgeoning of Denver seem now? When you go from the one doing the embarrassing to one getting embarrassed, there’s not much you can do but hope the 24-hour news cycle rolls quickly and everyone forgets. A humbling butt-whooping is only a week away, as Miami found out.
In the same manner, that week one overtime loss to the Jets seems a distant memory for the Bills. Tony Romo commented that the loss to New Jersy might have been the best thing to happen to the Bills. For Miami, the same could hold true as the season progresses.
This Game Had the HUH? Moment of the Year
Dolphins going for two was just…strange. They did what they needed to do by taking the second-half kickoff, driving down the field, and scoring. All of a sudden, it seemed like the game was going to tighten up again and be a banger. Then, Miami trots out the offense to go for two. No one was able to come up with a good reason why, as the numbers, the metrics, and common sense all said “Don’t do it!” The Dolphins did and didn’t get the two points. After that, it seemed like Miami played with a little stupor in their step.
Dorsey called a great game
When the offense had to be at their best and fire on all cylinders, the engine was up to the task. Dorsey mixed runs, short passes, mid-range shots, and deep balls very effectively. Even the Josh Allen run for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to essentially ice the game looked smooth and purposeful.
I haven’t been the biggest fan of Dorsey this year, but he kept the Miami defense at odds and at wits end all afternoon. The harmony of Allen and Diggs under the direction of Dorsey is starting to make some sweet music. The running game continues to be solid and something defenses at least have to respect.
Parting Thoughts
All the talk this past week was about the Dolphins. The Bills talked with touchdowns on Sunday afternoon. I’d love to ask Tyreek Hill “How was the crowd?” The rematch in Miami isn’t for another three months (January 7th, 2024), but everyone has already circled the game on their calendars. It may decide the division; at the least, it will bolster or break the playoff plans of both teams. That’s why the NFL is great.
