Bills vs. Dolphins: Halftime Thoughts as Snow - and Josh Allen TD Throws - Fill the Buffalo Air

The Buffalo Bills are dashing through the (projectile) snow in the early going against the Miami Dolphins, jumping out to an early lead thanks to some expected faces.

Geoff Maggliocchetti | Dec 17, 2022

Behind touchdown receptions for Quintin Morris, Nyheim Hines, and James Cook all coming from the arm of Josh Allen, the Buffalo Bills have jumped out to a 21-13 halftime lead over the Miami Dolphins at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park. The last red zone score to Cook came with no time remaining in the half as Buffalo established a convincing lead.

What can we gather from a Buffalo perspective?

The Mostert Mash

As Tua Tagovailoa struggles to regain his confidence, Raheem Mostert's making a late holiday MVP case for the Dolphins, as he's earned 128 of the Dolphins' first 217 yards over the first half-hour. Mostert is used to taking on big burdens: the football world quickly forgets how its not even three years removed from a 220-yard outburst during the NFC title game. Tagovailoa started to find something of a rhythm toward the end of the half, but there's no doubt that Mostert has kept Miami alive. Whether Tagovailoa's late momentum proves lasting remains to be seen. But Mostert undoubtedly bought his quarterback some time.

Crush the Rush

The Bills are emulating one of their teams from the early 1990s tonight ... alas it's the one that was completely dominated in the time-of-possession battle by the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXV. Granted, tonight's clock war is hard as one-sided and the Buffalo offense is making great use of its rare time with the ball. But the Dolphins are more or less masking Tagovailoa's struggles, as the deficit was reduced to a mere point on an 11-yard rush to glory by Salvon Ahmed. Buffalo gets the ball to start the second half: creating a two-possession lead via a lengthy drive would be the perfect way to break the pesky Dolphins' will. The potential medical loss of Miami's Jevon Holland (who was already stepping in for Eric Rowe) presents an interesting opportunity for Allen and his compatriots.

Depth Stars

Buffalo's usual offensive suspects have come to play tonight: Gave Davis, Stefon Diggs, and Dawson Knox each have multiple receptions in the early going. But the Bills are showcasing just how deep their roster goes through some unusual scorers: Quintin Morris earned the first touchdown of his career to set up shop on the scoreboard before Nyheim Hines earned his first in a Buffalo uniform. Even Cole Beasley, who was nowhere near the Bills' roster this time last week, has gotten in on the fun with a nine-yard reception. As injuries eat away at postseason roster, the Bills' proud depth could prove to be the ultimate difference as they try to get over the AFC title game hump.