Studs and duds from Bills' nail-biting 30-27 win over Dolphins
Buffalo Bills kicker Tyler Bass rapidly evolved from a dud to a stud after nailing a 61-yard game-winning field goal to give his team a 30-27 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
It wasn’t a necessarily pretty victory after a slow Buffalo start, with Miami finishing the game with more net yards and roughly four more minutes of possession. The only number that ultimately matters in the box score, however, is the… score, and when the clock ran out on Sunday, the Bills were leading in that department, moving to 7-2 on the 2024 season in the process. With that, here are the studs and duds from Buffalo’s Week 9 win.
Studs: DE Greg Rousseau
This is becoming a weekly occurrence, as fourth-year defender Greg Rousseau is steadily stacking stellar games. Rousseau finished the Week 9 win with six tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, and one quarterback hit in the win. He made the most important tackle of the game -- stopping Jaylen Waddle on the final play of the game to seal the win for Buffalo.
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Duds: Bills' Front Seven
Much can be said about the Bills' defense; they made the stops when needed but struggled significantly to defend the Dolphins' running backs. Miami ran for 149 yards and one touchdown while De'Von Achane was second in receiving yards with 59 yards on seven catches for one score. The linebackers struggled in pass coverage against the Dolphins' backs and tight ends, and Miami was often able to run through the middle of Buffalo's defensive line; we saw safeties making plays in run support far too often on Sunday.
Studs: QB Josh Allen
Despite the first-half interception for Josh Allen, he bounced back nicely with three second-half touchdown passes and 235 yards in the air. Allen faced a lot of pressure from the Dolphins' defensive line throughout the game, and he was largely able to escape, as he was only sacked once. Sunday's game will only continue the chatter of Allen needing to be in the MVP conversation.
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Duds: WR Keon Coleman
Keon Coleman had been on a hot streak over the last two games, but he struggled to get targets on Sunday. The rookie made only one catch for 21 yards on two (official) targets. His other target saw Jalen Ramsey taking the ball away from him for an interception after Coleman bobbled it. He did draw an unnecessary roughness penalty on the final drive to help get Buffalo in position for Bass' game-winning field goal, but that play would get him injured. Bills fans have to hope he will be okay as he will be needed for the second half of the season.
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