Bills Get Big 33-17 Win Over Dolphins Healthier team finally played like was enivsioned all along. by Steve Saslow
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Week 9
Dolphins
17
Bills
33
The Skinny:
The Bills came back from the bye and finally played the game they wanted to all year long as they defeated the Dolphins for the 2nd time this year 33-17 at Ralph Wilson Stadium to stay in the thick of the AFC playoff race. Tyrod Taylor completed 11 of the 12 passes he threw including a 44 yard touchdown pass to Sammy Watkins who had a career game, catching 8 passes for 168 yards. LeSean McCoy and Karlos Williams each went over 100 yards giving the Bills two 100 yard rushers and a 150 yard receiver in the same game. That has never happened in NFL history. Williams scored two touchdowns with an 11 yard run in the 2nd quarter and a 38 yarder to clinch the game in the fourth quarter. McCoy scored the first touchdown of the game on a 48 yard run. The Bills scored on Miami's first offensive play when the snap went out of the end zone for a safety and the Bills never trailed.
The Turning Point:
Hughes Strip Sack: Miami had just pulled within four and had the ball in Bills territory when Hughes got the trifecta. A sack, strip, and fumble recovery. That stemmed the tide of the momentum Miami had and three plays later the Bills were in the end zone. They were never in danger of losing the game after that.
The Big Drive:
2nd Quarter TD: With the Bills leading 12-7 they added to the lead with a beautiful 84 yard drive in four plays. It took just 2:07 to score. Taylor had a seven yard run followed by a three yard run by McCoy. The big play was a 63 yard bomb to Watkins who bobbled it several times before coming up with the ball. Karlos Williams took it the final 11 yards for a score that was dangerously close to a touchback as he dropped the ball just after it crossed the plane.
Stat I Did Like:
Everything Offensively: The two 100 yard rushers, the 100 yard receiver, and the one incompletion.
Stat I Didn't Like:
Penalties: They continue to be out of control giving up 94 yards on 13 penalties.
Scene Setters: - Brian Moorman led the charge before the game. - In part of the NFL's "A Salute To Service" there were Service Men and Women on the field before the game and a huge field length flag for the National Anthem. -Cyrus Kouandjio was ruled out for this game suddenly on Saturday with a knee injury. He practiced all week and was not on the injury report. -Sammy Watkins made his return to the lineup along with Leodis McKelvin who played for the first time in a calendar year.
Key Matchup Results:
The winners of the battles highlighted in our preview article: RB LeSean McCoy vs. S ReShad Jones: Winner: McCoy. Great game by him and his understudy Williams. C Eric Wood vs. DT Ndamukong Suh: Winner: Wood. Huge holes were opened up by the offensive line. DE Mario Williams vs. RT Jason Fox: Winner: Fox. He kept Super Mario at bay but when they moved Hughes to that side it was a much different result as he dominated Fox. LB Preston Brown vs. RB Lamar Miller: Winner: Brown. They held Miller to 3.7 yards per carry.
Keys To The Game Results:
How the keys highlighted in our preview article turned out: 1. Play Disciplined Football: Failure! Way too many penalties again could have cost them mightily. 2. Pressure Tannehill: Success! They started teeing off on him late in the game when they moved Hughes to the other side. 3. Make Proper Halftime Adjustments: Failure! They allowed Miami to go 80 yards in 9 plays for a touchdown right out of the locker room.
My Take:
The Bills were finally healthy and the team they envisioned being offensively finally showed up. The defense remains a work in progress halfway through the year and that wasn't envisoned back in training camp. Nevertheless the Bills got a big team victory that puts them back in thick of an unusual AFC playoff race.
What's Ahead:
The Bills have no time to celebrate as they have another big division game coming up very quickly as they play the Jets in the Meadowlands on Thursday night.
Gameballs
Sammy Watkins - A career high 8 catches on 8 targets for 168 yards and a beautiful TD grab.
LeSean McCoy - He looked healthy until getting banged up late gaining 112 yards on just 16 carries.
Karlos Williams - Had 110 yards on just 9 carries and continued to be a touchdown machine with two more.
Tyrod Taylor - Only threw 12 passes but completed 11 of them. He added 44 yards on the ground and had a near perfect 146.5 QB rating.
Jerry Hughes - Boneheaded peanlty aside, he had two sacks and the biggest play of the game.
Goats
None - Nice team win.
Player Of The Week
Sammy Watkins - He is now back in the fans good gracious.
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