The Buffalo Bills had a dominant showing over the Miami Dolphins in a 35-0 victory on Sunday. They looked very strong defensively and in the run game. The Dolphins, on the other hand, played atrociously. Starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a rib injury and had to be carted off the field.
While Tagovailoa's injury was a tough blow for the Dolphins, they should have played better. The defense and offense were not prepared to keep up with the Bills. With that said, here are three takeaways from Bills' annihilation of the Dolphins.
3. The Dolphins are in trouble
The Dolphins had a horrendous performance against the Bills. They not only gave up 35 points but couldn't even get on the scoreboard themselves. The rushing game was horrible, which led to a difficult day for Jacoby Brissett. Brissett took over for Tagovailoa after his injury, and he couldn't get them a score.
He threw for 169 yards and an interception. The inability to run the ball led to Brissett having to throw 40 passes. With Tagovailoa hurt, the Dolphins need to work on a game plan fast. The first step needs to be establishing a run game to help Brissett and improve defensively.
If the Dolphins accomplish those two things, they could still make a run at the playoffs.
2. The Bills need to run the ball
The Bills had a stellar performance, and a big part of it was their run game. Star quarterback Josh Allen struggled to find a rhythm during the game, but the run game picked up his slack.
Devin Singletary led the Bills running backs with 13 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown. Zack Moss was the other main contributor with eight carries for 26 yards and two touchdowns. This Bills pass-heavy offense needs to lean on the run game more moving forward. They have the talent to be successful rushing and will need games like this during the playoffs.
1. The Bills are still a contender
After a disappointing week one loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, some questioned whether the Bills were contenders. They came out strong this week to show that they are still one of the best teams in the NFL. Even when Allen struggles in the passing game, the Bills can blow out a team.
This was an emphatic victory that could carry the Bills moving forward in the season. If Allen can get back to the level he was playing at last season; the Bills will be tough for any team to beat. Last season, Allen was the runner-up for MVP as he threw for 4,544 yards and 37 touchdowns.
He was the reason the Bills made it so far last season, but the team is more balanced this season. The defense has been elite through the first two weeks holding the Steelers to 23 and the Dolphins to zero. If the defense can play at this level and Allen can get back to playing at the level he can, Buffalo will be Super Bowl contenders.
The Bills' biggest threat to making it to the Super Bowl is the Kansas City Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs eliminated the Bills in the AFC Championship game last season. The Chiefs are the team to beat in the AFC, and Buffalo will likely have to go through them.
Look for Buffalo to be contenders again this season after a great Week 2 performance.
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