Thursday Night Football Statistical Review: Bills handle Dolphins in dominant fashion

2Y37TP3 Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) yells and reacts as he celebrates running back James Cook (not shown) scoring a touchdown during an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Doug Murray)

• Bills QB Josh Allen wasn't forced to do too much: Allen was efficient on a slow sample, most notably finding running back Ty Johnson against Jalen Ramsey on a scramble drill to set up a touchdown that opened up the game in the second quarter.

• The Bills shut down a lethal Dolphins running game: Buffalo didn't have to deploy too many men in the box, either. That’s easier said than done for most teams, but it's probably the blueprint to beat the Miami Dolphins offense.

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Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes


The Buffalo Bills dominated the Miami Dolphins on Thursday Night Football in Week 2, winning 31-10. Here's our initial statistical breakdown of the game.


Game summary

According to PFF's new noise-canceled score metric, the game was naturally a bit closer. The Bills had two touchdown drives starting in Dolphins territory and a pick-six, so their actual offensive output wouldn’t equate to 31 points on most nights. That doesn’t take away from their dominance, though — especially defensively.


Passing summary

Josh Allen didn’t have to do much and was efficient on a slow sample, most notably finding running back Ty Johnson against Jalen Ramsey on a scramble drill to set up a touchdown that opened up the game in the second quarter.


Receiving summary

The Bills' defense, led by Sean McDermott, has a history of slowing down the Dolphins' receivers better than most. And this game was no different, as Devon Achane turned out to be Miami's most productive pass-catcher.

Maybe the one blemish on the Bills' almost perfect night is that rookie receiver Keon Coleman couldn’t haul in a single reception, even though no player on the Bills ran more routes than him. However, given that Buffalo didn’t drop back to pass a lot, this is not too worrisome yet.


Rushing summary

The Dolphins had one of the most efficient rushing attacks last season, especially early on. The Bills were able to shut them down completely without deploying too many men in the box. That’s easier said than done for most teams, but it's probably the blueprint to beat the Miami Dolphins offense.

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