Bills avoid disaster and James Cook walks away with much more than a win plus other takeaways from Week 3 win over Dolphins
The Buffalo Bills were victorious in their Week 3 matchup against the Miami Dolphins in a thrilling matchup on a national stage.
The Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins Week 3 matchup came down to the wire, with Buffalo pulling out the victory in an ugly game where Miami hung around for far too long.
In the contest, the Bills avoided disaster as Christian Benford collided with Taylor Rapp and was down on the field in clear agony. The superstar cornerback had the wind knocked out of him but was ultimately able to return to the contest, giving Bills Mafia a sigh of relief.
Reigning MVP Josh Allen surpassed Patrick Mahomes for the fastest player ever to reach 300 career offensive touchdowns, including the postseason. It came on a beautiful shovel pass to rookie tight end Jackson Hawes. Allen finished his day going 22-for-28 with 213 yards and three touchdowns while adding four carries for 25 yards on the ground.
However, it wasn’t only Allen who made history, as James Cook also found the end zone, which tied the Bills’ franchise history with a rushing touchdown in seven straight games, tying O.J. Simpson, Rob Riddick, and Cookie Gilchrist.
Key takeaways from Bills’ Week 3 victory
The run defense was just non-existent throughout the matchup. Their inability to get pressure allowed Tua Tagovailoa time in the pocket to dissect the Bills’ defense. He didn’t put up gaudy numbers, but he consistently picked apart Buffalo’s defense, especially on third downs.
Without the pressure up front, it allowed the routes to develop and for the Dolphins quarterback to connect on some big third-down conversions. Tagovailoa finished his day going 23-for-35 for 161 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.
The absence of Ed Oliver and Matt Milano was felt, and veteran cornerback Tre’Davious White had some miscues in the contest. Getting the team back and healthy will go a long way toward correcting some of the mistakes on the field.
It wasn’t all bad news on the defensive front, as the team came alive when they needed to. Late in the fourth quarter, Terrel Bernard picked off Tagovailoa to give the ball back to Buffalo with three minutes remaining, ultimately turning the tide to the Bills’ favor. It was reminiscent of the Week 1 win over the Baltimore Ravens, when the defense came alive at the right time.
After signing his four-year extension this offseason, Cook has been a superstar on the football field.
Averaging over seven yards a carry, and at one point in the contest had more than nine yards per carry, Cook was effective on the ground.
Cook squeezed in and out of gaps and nearly broke free with a couple of runs throughout the contest. He’s been showing how he’s worth every penny of his new contract.
Lastly, just another shoutout to the entire tight end group for their performance.
Dalton Kincaid’s star is rising after a huge performance against the Dolphins in which he found the end zone once and led the team in yards with 60. While his counterpart, Dawson Knox, didn’t register a catch, he deserves his flowers for what the unit was able to accomplish in allowing Cook to be so successful.
And, of course, it would be impossible not to mention the efforts of Hawes. The rookie was touted as one of the best blocking prospects offensive coordinator Joe Brady has ever seen, and that was on full display. Adding to his impressive resume, Hawes found the end zone for his first NFL touchdown.
Bills Mafia has plenty to be excited about as Buffalo remains undefeated heading into Week 4. A lot to correct, but a divisional win is huge this early on in the season.
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