The match that, on paper, was presented as the most uneven of the Wild Card round ended up being one of the fairest and most exciting. The Buffalo Bills had to roll up their sleeves to get a long-suffering victory against some tough Miami Dolphins by 34-31 in a duel in which the shadow of surprise settled on Highmark Stadium. Some Dolphins led by Skylar Thompson, the third quarterback in the rotation, came to take the lead after coming back from behind 17 points, although the Bills pulled gallons to avoid what would have been a catastrophe.
Those from Buffalo, second in the AFC, faced the first round of the playoffs as a mere formality against some Dolphins who took the last place for the season on the last day. Miami’s year had been a constant roller coaster, coming to link five wins in a row with five consecutive losses. They reached the playoffs without Tua Tagovailoa, out indefinitely after suffering his third concussion so far this season, and with the rookies Skylar Thompson at the controls. In the last game of the regular season, Thompson already showed serious problems directing the Dolphins’ attack, and that is that throughout 2022 he barely added one touchdown pass in 105 attempts. Some Bills at full capacity after little by little forgetting the scare of Damar Hamlin started as clear favorites with quarterback Josh Allen as the clear leader.
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The forecasts were fulfilled at the start of the match: the locals scored touchdowns on two of their first three possessions, while the Dolphins’ attack only added 19 yards in the entire first quarter. Before completing any passes, Thompson had already been intercepted once and a long afternoon was anticipated for Miami as the Bills moved to 17-0. The early connection between Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs was devastating, with the receiver closing out the first quarter with 96 receiving yards (something not seen since 2016). However, in the second quarter the film changed. Allen made unbecoming errors for a player of his stature and threw two interceptions when, to date, he only had one in six playoff games played.
This chain of failures gave life to some Dolphins who scored on four consecutive possessions (three field goals and one touchdown) after a clear improvement from Skylar Thompson, who suddenly got rid of his initial nerves. Those from Miami also responded with 17 unanswered points, and came to equalize the game before leaving at halftime losing 20-17. The game had changed and the visitors showed that they were not in Buffalo for a walk. The Dolphins’ good moment continued around the locker room, when their defense scored a touchdown after provoking a fumble from Josh Allen. Ahead on the scoreboard for the first time all afternoon, those from Florida scared the body of some Bills who couldn’t afford such an elimination. Last year’s loss in the Divisional round to the Chiefs was too hard for them, and losing in this way would cast serious doubts on the project.
Allen and his crew had to put on their work overalls. The defense began to contain the always dangerous Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle again, and two passing touchdowns from Josh Allen gave them a comfortable lead. It was soon reduced thanks to a new Miami touchdown after a sequence of plays worthy of a very serious team. Oddly enough, this score with 10 minutes to go was the last of the game. Miami, which needed three points to even the game, couldn’t convert a key fourth down. Yes, the Bills did it in a controversial arbitration decision, and with the wear and tear of the clock they reached the conclusion of the match. A very suffered triumph of some Buffalo Bills who presented themselves to the playoffs as a serious candidate for the ring, but after the Wild Card round they leave doubts. In a week they will have to dissipate them against the Cincinnati Bengals, who beat the Baltimore Ravens also with suffering, in the Divisional round, a barrier in which they fell last year.