It was supposed to be a blowout for the Bills, but the Miami Dolphins provided a real challenge as Buffalo claimed a 34-31 Wild Card victory in Orchard Park, N.Y. on Sunday.
The Dolphins were without quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater, leaving 25-year-old rookie pivot Skylar Thompson to take the snaps for the visitors against the high-flying Bills, who entered the game on a seven-game winning streak.
Things seemed to be going according to plan as Buffalo jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the opening 10 minutes and adding a field goal in the opening stages of the second quarter, but Miami didn't seem fazed by the sudden 17-point deficit and in the second quarter they methodically picked away at the lead by hitting a pair of field goals before scoring a touchdown and converting the two-point play to tie things up just before the half.
Even with the Bills immediately regaining the lead with a field goal of their own at the stroke of halftime, the Dolphins were unmoved. Miami opened the second half with a touchdown within one minute of the restart, giving the Dolphins the lead for the first time.
However, that would be the first and only time Miami would lead as Buffalo struck back with two touchdowns in quick succession towards the end of the third quarter, restoring the 10-point advantage. The Dolphins would again find the end zone within the opening five minutes of the final frame to pull to within three points, but that was as close as they could get as the playoff-hardened Bills team, led by 352 passing yards by Josh Allen, put the game away.
DAZN provided live text commentary of the game as it happened on Sunday. Here's how it all went down.