The Bills won today, but it wasn’t easy.
The 14-point underdog Dolphins proved to be a surprisingly tough opponent in the wild card round, as third-string quarterback Skylar Thompson played well enough to make the game competitive down to the final minutes before Buffalo ultimately won 34-31.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen threw for more than 350 yards and three touchdowns, but he also had two costly interceptions, and wasn’t at his best for much of the game. After a great start got the Bills off to a 17-0 lead, Allen and Buffalo’s offense were surprisingly shaky.
Still, the Bills just had too much for the Dolphins in the end. Miami’s offense failed to convert a big fourth down with just over two minutes remaining, missing the Dolphins’ last, best chance at a comeback win. The Bills (barely) got one first down on their subsequent drive, and won the game.
The Bills will now play at home next weekend in the divisional round, facing either the Jaguars or Bengals. They’ll need to play better to beat Trevor Lawrence or Joe Burrow than they had to play to beat Skylar Thompson.