Buffalo Bills Survive Big Mistakes, Outlast Miami Dolphins

Wildcard Weekend's surest bet turned into a nail-biter. Despite entering the game as massive 14-point favorites, the Buffalo Bills played to the wire against the Miami Dolphins before eventually securing a 34-31 win.

*exhales*

Wild Card Win.#BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/HDeCgLXiP7
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 15, 2023

The Bills mostly have themselves to blame for their tense day. They outgained the Dolphins 423 yards to 231, but three Josh Allen turnovers set up the Dolphins with 17 easy points. That the Bills survived Allen's two interceptions and three fumbles speaks to the overwhelming talent advantage they had on the day. Allen hit several eye-popping throws, and the defense was positively suffocating, allowing 189 net passing yards on 49 dropbacks while also holding Dolphins' runners to 42 yards on 20 attempts. The Bills dominated, but the turnovers kept it close.

Dolphins fans will have to comfort themselves in the long offseason with a moral victory: if they got better play at the quarterback position, they could have won today. Rookie third-string passer Skylar Thompson was in over his head; he averaged 3.86 net passing yards per attempt, threw two interceptions, and converted only four of 16 third downs. If Tua Tagovailoa (or even Teddy Bridgewater) were available, the Dolphins could be in the Divisional Round next week. For another year at least, the Dolphins' hopes will rest with the play and health of Tagovailoa.

The Bills will host either the Cincinnati Bengals or Jacksonville Jaguars in the Divisional Round.