Tyler Bass kicked a 25-yard field goal in snowy conditions as time expired, and the Buffalo Bills clinched an AFC playoff berth with a 32-29 victory over the Miami Dolphins on a frigid Saturday night at Orchard Park, N.Y.
Buffalo players used their hands to wipe snow to the side and clear an open spot for Bass before he calmly knocked the ball through the uprights to cap a dynamic 15-play, 86-yard drive for the Bills (11-3). Buffalo has won five straight games.
Josh Allen completed 25 of 40 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns and also rushed for 77 yards for Buffalo. Dawson Knox had six receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown, while Quintin Morris, Nyheim Hines and James Cook also caught scoring passes.
Tua Tagovailoa was 17-of-30 passing for 234 yards and two touchdowns for Miami (8-6), which has lost eight of the last nine matchups with the Bills. Jaylen Waddle had 114 receiving yards and a touchdown and Tyreek Hill had nine receptions for 69 yards for the Dolphins.
Raheem Mostert rushed for 136 yards and Salvon Ahmed had a scoring run for Miami.
Buffalo took over at its own 7-yard line with 5:56 to play and navigated its way downfield despite deteriorating field conditions. A key play on the drive was a third-down pass interference call on Miami’s Kader Kohou that gave the Bills a first down at the Dolphins 13-yard line.
The expected snowfall during the game didn’t occur until the fourth quarter but there was a brief delay with 8:18 left in the first half due to fans tossing snowballs onto the field.
The Dolphins trailed 21-13 at halftime but moved ahead on two third-quarter touchdown throws by Tagovailoa.
First he connected with Waddle on a 67-yard scoring pass, but an ensuing two-point conversion throw was incomplete. It was Hill’s turn later in the quarter when he caught a 20-yard scoring pass to give Miami a 26-21 lead with 2:30 left.
Early in the fourth quarter, Jaelan Phillips notched a strip-sack of Allen with Dolphins teammate Christian Wilkins recovering at the Buffalo 47. Five plays later, Jason Sanders kicked a 47-yard field to give Miami an eight-point lead with 11:56 left in the game.
Allen threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Knox to pull Buffalo within 29-27 with 9:02 to play. The Bills went for two points and Allen kept the ball and leaped and narrowly stretched the ball over the goal line before losing it. It was initially ruled no good but overturned on a replay review.
Allen threw touchdown passes to Morris, Hines and Cook in the first half. The 4-yard throw to Cook came as time expired in the second quarter.
–Field Level Media
