It was a hot day in Miami and a hot start for the Buffalo Bills offense. Buffalo opened with back-to-back touchdown drives in the first half, but the unit struggled for the remainder of the first half.
Much like last week, Buffalo entered halftime with a double-digit lead. This time, however, they did not open the door for their opponent to comeback.
Josh Allen and the offense marched down the field to take a 21-0 lead on a Dawson Knox touchdown reception and later added two more scores in the fourth quarter. Despite the offense scoring 35 points, the defense was the dominant unit in the AFC East matchup.
Buffalo’s pass rush made life miserable for the Dolphins’ quarterbacks. The team recorded six sacks, multiple pressures and 11 hits on Tua Tagovailoa and Jacoby Brissett to frustrate the Dolphins QBs. The end result was Buffalo’s first shutout since 2016.
Following their 35-0 blowout over Miami, here are 11 reasons to be encouraged and one reason to worry.
ENCOURAGED
Greg Rousseau & A.J. Epenesa
Buffalo’s young pass rushers did not make many memorable plays in Week 1, but they were all over the field in Week 2.
A.J. Epenesa knocked Tua Tagovailoa out of the game with a perfectly timed blitz on a fourth down play in the first half, but that was just the start of his day. He added two quarterback hits in the win and multiple pressures which led to sacks for other players on the Bills defense.
Greg Rousseau, Buffalo’s first round pick in 2021, was just as good. In his return to Miami where he stood out for the Hurricanes, Rousseau recorded his first two NFL sacks and recorded five total tackles.
With Mario Addison and Jerry Hughes in the final year of their respective deals, it’s good to see the future of the pass-rush standing out.
Jon Feliciano
Jon Feliciano knew he was outplayed in Week 1 as Cam Heyward had his way with the guard. He vowed to rebound and did so in Week 2. Feliciano deserves credit for springing Devin Singletary on his long touchdown run and providing a crucial block on Zack Moss’ first TD.
Feliciano has plenty to be happy about following his Week 2 performance.
Taron Johnson & Matt Milano
On a day where just about everyone shined on the Bills’ defense, Taron Johnson and Matt Milano may have been the Bills’ MVPs on defense. Taron Johnson recorded two passes defensed and a sack on the opening play to set the tone of the game. Johnson also had what would have been a 4th down stop on a short pass had the receiver hauled in the pass.
Milano made several plays for the defense as well on Sunday. The playmaker recorded one sack, two quarterback hits and two tackles for loss.
Run defense
For the second straight week, Buffalo’s run defense did not give opposing offenses much to work with. Myles Gaskin and company were limited to 71 yards on 20 carries (3.6 YPC).
Devin Singletary & Zack Moss
Devin Singletary scored a 46-yard touchdown on the Bills’ second offensive play of the game. Those were all the points the team would end up needing on Sunday.
Singletary finished with another strong stat line (13-82-1) for the Bills.
Zack Moss’ 2021 debut did not start out well with the Bills back fumbling early in the game and turning it over. Later in the game, he was stopped short on a 3rd and 1 play. It’s not how you start, however. It’s how you finish and Moss finished Sunday’s game running the ball well. He found the end zone twice in the fourth quarter to help put the game away.
There is still some concerns over ball security with Singletary and Moss, but the duo did more positives than negatives on Sunday.
Dawson Knox
Dawson Knox doesn’t have a big role in the Bills offense, but he’s hauled in almost every pass thrown his way this season. The tight end opened the second half with an eight yard touchdown reception. His only target that did not result in a catch saw Knox play a bit of defense to make sure that Josh Allen’s dangerous pass wasn’t intercepted.
4th down defense
The Bills recorded their first shutout since 2016 and a lot of that has to do with the Bills’ 4th down defense. Miami’s offense was 0-for-4 on Sunday on 4th down with the defense stepping up when it mattered most.
Red zone offense
The Bills were perfect in the red zone. Buffalo scored touchdowns on all four of their drives in the red zone against Miami.
WORRIED
Josh Allen
Post-game, Josh Allen admitted that he did not play his best and that the stat sheet did not look great. It was a fair assessment despite the Bills winning the game 35-0.
Allen was off the mark throughout Sunday’s game and has not looked like the quarterback who set multiple single-season franchise records in 2020. It’s still too early to hit any sort of panic button when it comes to Allen, but his play has left a lot to be desired.
The quarterback finished with just one interception on Sunday but could have had at least three on Sunday. Allen finished the day completing just 51.5 percent of his passes for 179 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Needless to say, Allen won’t be in the running for AFC Offensive Player of the Week, an award he had won three times in his career against Miami.
If Allen can get back to his 2020 ways, Buffalo’s team could be special based on how well the defense has played early this season.
READ MORE
Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins: Live game updates from NFL Week 2
Jon Feliciano not spiraling after tough day vs. Cam Heyward: ‘You’re gonna get got sometimes’
Can Bills’ Josh Allen continue dominance of Dolphins? (5 things to watch in Week 2)
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