Bills Clinch AFC East and Second Seed After Upsetting the Dolphins
For both the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills this Week 18 matchup in Miami was super important, as whoever won the game would clinch the second seed in the AFC and win the AFC East Division. It would turn out that Buffalo would take this deciding game 21-14 on the road and win the AFC East for the fourth consecutive year. Now, the Bills will host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday afternoon, while the Dolphins will go to Kansas City to face the Chiefs on Saturday night during the NFL Wild Card Round. Let’s check out how the Bills won this decisive and huge Week 18 game against the Dolphins.
Both teams' quarterbacks would throw an interception on their team’s first drive of the game. Miami would punt on their second drive, while Bills quarterback Josh Allen threw his second interception of the game. On the Dolphins' third drive, in 11 plays and six minutes and 19 seconds, Miami would score the first points of the game on a 25-yard touchdown from running back De’Von Achane. Dolphins’ kicker Jason Sanders knocked down the extra point to make it a 7-0 ballgame. Buffalo would immediately strike back and tie this game up as Josh Allen threw a six-yard touchdown to wide receiver Trent Sherfield. Bills kicker Tyler Bass would kick in the extra point to tie this game up at seven. Miami would march down the field once again on their next possession. In nine plays within nearly three minutes, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw a three-yard touchdown to receiver Tyreek Hill, and with Sanders hitting the extra point, Miami had a 14-7 lead going into halftime.
With 14 minutes remaining in the game, Miami kicked the ball off to Buffalo. Bills wide receiver and punt returner Deonte Harty ran 96 yards on the play to score a touchdown, with Bass hitting the extra point to tie this game up once again. Nearly six minutes later, Josh Allen threw a five-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dawson Knox. Tyler Bass hit the extra point to give the Bills a 21-14 lead. Miami would punt the ball on their next possession, which gave the Bills enough time to move down the field and waste some time on the clock. The Dolphins would get the ball back with two minutes remaining when the Bills turned the ball over on downs. In four plays, Tua Tagovailoa would be intercepted for the second time on the night by Bills safety Taylor Rapp. Buffalo would go on to win the game 21-14, the AFC East Division, and bring this wild regular season to an uplifting end. It’s crazy the Bills were at one point 6-6 with many counting them out, now they're the second seed within the AFC and will have home-field advantage in this Wild Card matchup against the Steelers. For Miami, who were the favorites to win the division, failed to get the job done. The Dolphins drop to the sixth seed within the AFC’s playoff picture and go on the road to play the Kansas City Chiefs.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen went 30 for 38 heaving 359 passing yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Allen also led the team in rushing as in 15 carries he ran for 67 yards. Buffalo’s wide receiver Khalil Shakir had six catches for 105 yards. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa went 17 for 27 tossing 173 passing yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Miami’s running back De’Von Achane had ten carries for 56 yards and a touchdown. Dolphins’ wide receiver Tyreek Hill had seven catches for 82 yards and a touchdown in the loss.
