Dolphins at Bills final score: Buffalo takes out Miami, wins easily 29-10

AFC East rivals Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills went at it today at Ralph Wilson Stadium in upstate New York with first place in the AFC East up for grabs. In the end, the Bills pulled out the 29-10 victory thanks in large part to a huge day from their special teams and defensive line.

The Bills sacked Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill four times this afternoon and never gave him a chance to get in a rhythm. While the Dolphins offensive line looked strong in Week 1 against the Patriots, they faltered badly today. In the end, Tannehill ended the game throwing for 241 yards on 31 for 49 passing with a touchdown and interception.

As for EJ Manuel, he had a serviceable afternoon as he made all the right plays throwing for 202 yards on 16 for 26 passing and one touchdown. Manuel’s favorite target was Sammy Watkins, who had 8 receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown while clearly playing through injury.

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The Bills also benefited from a great game from CJ Spiller. Besides for his 102 yard kickoff return in the third quarter, Spiller ran for 69 yards on the ground. Although the entire Bills offense played well, they had difficulties scoring in the red zone which can become an issue if not fixed soon.

Both teams started the game with three and outs, but on the Bills second drive their offense began to gel as EJ Manuel began to make plays. The highlight of the drive occurred when Fred Jackson took a short dump pass from Manuel for 28 yards. Unfortunately for the Bills, the 10 play 49 yard drive ended with a field goal as the team could not convert in the red zone.

On the Dolphins ensuing drive, Knowshon Moreno sustained a gruesome elbow injury and was not able to return for the rest of the game. After another three and out from the Dolphins, the Bills blocked Brandon Fields’ punt to give their offense great field position at the Dolphins 31-yard line. Again the Bills could not convert in the red zone as they settled for their second field goal of the game and the 6-0 lead.

After another Dolphins punt, the Bills offense began moving down the field as Watkins and Manuel hooked up on several big plays. Watkins was showing his grit throughout the afternoon as he continued to play through very obvious pain in his ribs. Ultimately, the Dolphins defense held strong again in the red zone and only allowed a field goal as the Bills increased their lead to 9-0.

The Dolphins ended up punting 5 times in the first half and did not make it past the 50 yard line once. Without Knowshon Moreno to make big plays in the running game, the Dolphins offense was getting beat up by the Bills defensive line.

The third quarter started with a nice drive by the Dolphins, but they squandered their opportunity in the red zone and were forced to settle for a field goal to cut the Bills lead to 6. On the ensuing kickoff, CJ Spiller scored on a 102 yard kickoff return for the first touchdown of the game to give the Bills the 16-3 lead.

The Dolphins offense marched back on the field unfazed, and put together an 11 play 64 yard drive en route to a touchdown. Mike Wallace’s sensational one handed touchdown reception cut the Bills lead to only 6 late in the third quarter.

The Bills offense had their first drive of the second half with 3:08 left in the third quarter. EJ Manuel put together a picturesque 6 play 77 yard drive as the Bills answered with their first offensive touchdown of the game.

The Dolphins offense sputtered on the next drive as Lamar Miller dropped a crucial third down pass that would have kept the drive alive. The Bills took over after a punt and were able to add another three points to their lead with yet another field goal from Dan Carpenter.

The Dolphins, down 16, needed a 4th and 1 conversion on their next drive. Ryan Tannehill kept it on an option, but the Bills were ready for it and stopped him behind the line. The Bills took over in Dolphins territory with a comfortable lead in the fourth quarter, but the Dolphins defense shut them down immediately.

On the ensuing punt, Dolphins rookie Jarvis Landry muffed the return, essentially putting the nail in the coffin. The Bills took over inside the Dolphins 20 yard line, but Dan Carpenter missed a 27 yard field goal as the ball ricocheted off the post. In the end, it did not matter as the Dolphins failed to convert a fourth down on the next drive and the Bills were able to put on another field goal to seal their 29-10 victory.

With the win, the Bills moved to 2-0 and the Dolphins regress to 1-1. The Bills host the Chargers next weekend as they look to go 3-0 while the Dolphins head to London in search of their second victory as they play the Oakland Raiders.