How the Bills defeated the Dolphins to clinch the AFC East ...
The Bills ousted the Dolphins on 'Sunday Night Football' to nab the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs.
Tim Graham, Joe Buscaglia, Zak Keefer and The Athletic NFL Staff
January 8, 2024 at 7:30 AM EST
Rich Storry / Getty Images
(Photo: The Athletic)
The Bills clinched their fourth straight AFC East title with Sunday's win over the Dolphins.
The four straight division crowns match the longest streak in franchise history:
1963-66 while in the AFL (including AFL title-winning seasons in 1965-66)1988-91 (including Super Bowl appearances in 1990-91)MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The way this game symbolized the Buffalo Bills’ season is almost poetic.
Unknowingly, they embarked on a screenplay come to life that would get the approval of some Hollywood scriptwriters.
Sunday night’s 21-14 victory over the Miami Dolphins not only secures the AFC East division and the conference’s No. 2 seed, but also puts an exclamation point on a five-game journey the Bills started in early December.
It just didn’t go how anyone expected it to. If the Bills’ 2023 season had a boldface, all-caps headline, that would be it.
Continue reading.
GO FURTHER
How Bills’ win over Dolphins serves as microcosm for midseason turnaround
The Buffalo Bills stormed back to defeat the Miami Dolphins, claim the AFC East and secure the AFC No. 2 seed with their 21-14 victory Sunday night.
Buffalo entered the final quarter trailing 14-7 when a 96-yard punt return touchdown by Deonte Harty turned the game around for the Bills. The touchdown marked the longest punt return in franchise history and evened the score after the Bills’ offense had endured a long night.
After two first-quarter interceptions, Bills QB Josh Allen handed the Dolphins another turnover when he fumbled on a sack at the Dolphins’ 27-yard line.
But after Harty’s electrifying punt return, the tone of the entire game changed.
Read more on the Bills' comeback victory.
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Bills come back to top Dolphins, win AFC East behind electrifying fourth quarter
The Bills intercept Tua Tagovailoa to end the Dolphins’ comeback attempt and Buffalo is going to escape with a 21-14 win.
With the victory, the Bills clinch the AFC East title and No. 2 seed and will host the Steelers in the wild-card round next Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
Miami will be the No. 6 seed and travel to Kansas City to face the Chiefs on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.
Taylor Rapp picks off Tua Tagovailoa to allow the Bills to kneel the game out.
Online sportsbooks have weighed in with their estimations on how the Bills-Dolphins game is going to end, as Buffalo is now listed at -1400 in the moneyline odds for this contest. That equates to a slightly higher than 93 percent win rate that would give the Bills the AFC East title.
The Bills have a chance to put away the Dolphins, claim the AFC East, the No. 2 seed and a Sunday afternoon home game against the Steelers next weekend with a good drive to end the game here.
And just like that, the Bills are in the driver's seat up 21-14. What a complete reversal.
They look like a different team since the Deonte Harty return for a TD.
Dolphins LB Andrew Van Ginkel was ruled out with a left foot injury.
Deonte Harty's 96-yard punt return TD is now the longest in Bills history, surpassing Keith Moody's 91-yard return in 1977.
Deonte Harty, who has spent one game as a healthy scratch this season, may have just saved the Bills' hopes of winning the AFC East. After the Bills offense looked flat in the second half, a 96-yard punt return for a touchdown by Harty has tied the game. A big turn of events, and we're set up for a thrilling finish down the stretch.
It's 14-14 in the fourth quarter.
The Bills have now committed three turnovers tonight and all three have come inside the Dolphins’ 40-yard line.
Buffalo had two such turnovers in its first 16 games this season combined, tied for second fewest in the NFL entering Week 18.
No Rasul Douglas on the field to begin the second half on defense. No Tyrel Dodson on the field to begin the second half on defense.
The Bills are getting crushed by injuries this evening.
Gabe Davis was ruled out with a knee injury.
Ty Johnson is being evaluated for a head injury and is questionable to return.
The Bills, as long as the game against the Dolphins tonight doesn't end in a tie, will play their wild-card game on Sunday, Jan. 14 at 1:00 pm. It'll either be Bills vs. Steelers, or Bills at Dolphins next weekend.
Should tonight's game end up in a tie, the Bills will take on the Chiefs on Saturday night, Jan. 13.
With points on the line, the Bills completed a pass that looked like a possible touchdown, and instead a huge hit by Eli Apple keeps Bills running back Ty Johnson out of the end zone as time expired to end the half.
The Bills head into halftime down 14-7, with numerous missed opportunities for points in the first half. They are getting the ball to begin the second half, however.
(Photo: Perry Knotts / Getty Images)
Buffalo’s journey into the postseason might be shorthanded if this keeps up. Three starters have left the game: second-leading receiver Gabriel Davis (knee), surging linebacker Tyrel Dodson (shoulder) and splashy cornerback Rasul Douglas. All have been declared questionable to return although their dejected mannerisms strike a different tone.
Davis, who left with a non-contact injury, looked angry while a trainer looked at him on the sideline. He entered Sunday with 45 catches for 746 yards and seven TDs.
Johnson walked slowly to the locker room with a towel over his head. He has the game’s lone sack so far.
Douglas sat helmetless with injured defensive tackle Jordan Phillips on the bench while Buffalo’s defense was on the field late in the second quarter. Douglas last week intercepted two passes, including a pick six, and deflected another interception to propel the slow-starting Bills past the Patriots.
Tyreek Hill comes up with the 3-yard TD reception.
The game has been unkind to the Bills from an injury perspective so far. Starting wide receiver Gabe Davis and linebacker Tyrel Dodson have each gone to the locker room, and starting cornerback Rasul Douglas missed plays due to an injury.
Davis (knee), Dodson (shoulder) and Douglas (knee) are all questionable to return.
The Bills were fully healthy coming into the contest.
