MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Josh Allen threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Dawson Knox midway through the fourth quarter and the Buffalo Bills defeated the Miami Dolphins 21-14 on Sunday night for the fourth straight season. Won the AFC East title. .
Allen made things difficult for the Bills by committing three turnovers in the Miami area, but he came through in the end and helped Buffalo earn the No. 2 seed in the conference. The Bills, who didn’t qualify for the playoffs until Tennessee beat Jacksonville earlier Sunday, will host seventh-seeded Pittsburgh in Sunday’s wild-card round.
As of mid-November, Buffalo was 5-5 and faced long odds to make the playoffs, but they entered the game on a roll, winning five straight and six of seven games.
Miami, which advanced to the postseason with a win over Dallas in Week 16, drops to the No. 6 seed and will face AFC West champion Kansas City on Saturday night.
The Bills dominated the period of possession, outscoring Miami by nearly 200 yards, but Buffalo trailed 14-7 when Deonte Harty returned a punt 96 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
Buffalo forced a three-and-out, and Allen directed an eight-play, 74-yard drive that culminated with a 5-yard toss to Knox with 7:16 left.
Miami had one last chance, but Taylor Rapp intercepted Tua Tagovailoa on a pass intended for Chase Claypool with 1:13 left.
Allen completed 30 of 38 for 359 yards and two TDs. He was intercepted on consecutive drives to lead off the game and wasted another scoring chance when he completed a pass. Ty Johnson allowed time to expire in front of the goal line at the end of the first half.
Buffalo’s promising drive in the third quarter ended with Allen being strip-sacked by Christian Wilkins.
Tagovailoa went 17 of 27 for 173 yards with two interceptions. He completed a 3-yard touchdown throw to Tyreek Hill in the second quarter and finished with an NFL-high 4,624 passing yards. In the second quarter, rookie running back Devon Ashen ran for an incredible 25-yard score to give Miami a 7-0 lead.
Hill had seven catches for 82 yards, giving him a league-leading 1,799 total yards. Four days after firefighters extinguished a blaze at his South Florida home, he celebrated his 13th touchdown of the season with a backflip in the end zone.
This high-stakes matchup had a rough start for both teams.
Buffalo safety Christian Benford undercut Tagovailoa’s pass to Hill, stopping Miami’s first drive. Dolphins cornerback Eli Apple then intercepted Allen in the end zone on Buffalo’s first possession, ending a 12-play, 79-yard drive.
Allen entered the game as one of the league’s highest turnover quarterbacks, with 14 interceptions. He made another one on Buffalo’s second drive with a fourth-down heave across his body. Dolphins safety DeShon Elliott caused this problem.
But the momentum Miami had built with two first-half touchdowns waned when Buffalo forced the Dolphins to punt four times and commit a late turnover. The Dolphins ended the season with two straight losses and will face a Chiefs team that won 21-14 in Germany in Week 9.
injury
Bills: WR Gabe Davis left the game in the second quarter with what appeared to be a non-contact left knee injury and did not return. … LB Tyrell Dodson is out with a shoulder injury. …CB Rasul Douglas (knee) left in the second quarter. …RB Ty Johnson did not return after halftime due to a concussion.
Dolphins: Elliott pulled his calf during pregame warmups but came through. … LB Andrew Van Ginkel left the game in the third quarter with a foot injury and did not return. … Backup linebacker Cameron Good was taken off the field with a foot injury early in the fourth quarter.
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