Buffalo Bills claim 4th straight AFC East in comeback win over Dolphins (Observations)

Miami Gardens, Fla. — The Buffalo Bills’ path to the AFC East regular season title was a lofty goal back in November when they were down three games to the division-leading Miami Dolphins.

But the Bills closed out their season with five straight wins. The last one came on Sunday night in a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback to beat the Miami Dolphins, 21-14. The Bills are the AFC East champs for the fourth straight season.

Here are some immediate takeaways from the game. Josh Allen gave the full roller coaster experience inside Hard Rock Stadium.

Careless Josh Allen shows up early, heroic QB closes the show

The Bills offense was humming for most of the first half, totaling 286 yards of offense in the first 30 minutes. The big problem was that Josh Allen was playing crazy ball. Bills fans have seen it over and over for years. It’s an experience with the elite quarterback who can make all the throws and sometimes forgets the situation may not call for some of them.

Allen threw interceptions on the first two Bills drives. The first one cost Buffalo points because it was a third-down miscommunication with Gabe Davis. The Dolphins blitzed and all Allen had to do was either throw it away or take the sack. Instead, he threw up a 50/50 ball and Davis went the wrong way, leaving an open path to the ball for cornerback Eli Apple. The second interception was on a 4th and 2 play where Allen evaded the rush and simply heaved it to the end zone so he wasn’t sacked.

Allen set up the Bills for a score before halftime when they got the ball back - down by a touchdown - with just under two minutes left in the first half. With :11 left on the clock, Allen threw it over the middle and Ty Johnson caught it and was stopped before the goal line as time expired. It’s important to note that the play to Johnson wouldn’t have been necessary if James Cook caught a perfect ball from Allen in the end zone a few plays earlier.

Bills coach Sean McDermott said on CBS at halftime that the throw to Johnson shouldn’t have been made. And he was right. The biggest issue with Allen’s play in the first half - and then on a fumble in the third quarter - was that he cost the Bills points. They could have had a field goal at the end of the half, on the interception on the opening drive, and the fumble when Christian Wilkins broke through and beat O’Cyrus Torrence.

But as the story usually goes, Allen turned it around and led the most important drive of the Bills’ season in the fourth quarter. He went over 300 yards in the game and had three receivers with more than 80 yards in the game. He found Dawson Knox for the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter for his second of the season. Allen finished with 430 yards of total offense in the game and was clutch on the final drive, rushing for a first down when it seemed like he was going to get tackled.

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Deonte Harty brings the Bills back

Down a score early in the fourth quarter, Deonte Harty took a punt from the 4-yard line and took it to the house for a touchdown. The Bills offense was 1-for-4 in the red zone and needed a spark. The offense got the spark from their special teams unit.

Harty tied the game and the Bills defense made a huge stop on the next drive, setting up the Bills’ scoring drive on the next series. Harty has had a disappointing season as a receiver. When he signed as a free agent, many predicted that he’d have a defined role in the offense. That never materialized and he was benched in the middle of the season for a game when Andy Isabella was called up off the practice squad. Harty stepped up in a big spot and Gabe Davis left the game with a knee injury. That could mean Harty gets more work in the playoffs.

Dalton Kincaid breaks Bills record

Kincaid was as steady as ever, hauling in seven receptions for 87 yards. He broke the Bills’ single-season record for receptions in a season by a tight end and finished with 73 on the year. Kincaid was a regular outlet for Allen in the short area and middle of the field. His best play of the game came on a sideline throw that forced him to jump backward and bring in a nice pass from Allen on the sideline while falling to his back.

Dane Jackson steps up

Rasul Douglas was injured in the first half and Dane Jackson was forced into the game. On his first series, he made a monster tackle on 3rd and short on a short pass to Braxton Berrios. Later in the game on another third down, Jackson was able to get in front of a Tua Tagovailoa pass and break it up to force a punt.

Bills linebacker Tyrel Dodson was also injured in the game when he went down with a shoulder injury in the first half. Second-year linebacker Baylon Spector came into the game for Dodson and performed well. McDermott went in over rookie Dorian Williams.

Trent Sherfield hauls in catch of the game

Sherfield played with the Miami Dolphins last season and he returned to Miami and made a huge play against his former team. Allen’s pass glanced high into the air off of a helmet in the first half and Sherfield made a sensational grab in the back of the end zone, keeping his toes in bounds. Khalil Shakir led all Bills receivers with 105 yards and Stefon Diggs had a huge game with 87 yards of his own. It could have been bigger if Allen hadn’t underthrown him on a deep ball early in the game.

Next up

The Bills are the no. 2 seed in the AFC and will host the Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 7) next Sunday at 1 p.m.

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