Recapping five Buffalo Bills to watch against Miami Dolphins

The Buffalo Bills took their talents to South Beach on Sunday, destroying the Miami Dolphins in a 37-20 victory. Poor special teams play on Buffalo’s part was the only reason that the game was as close as it was, as Buffalo dominated on offense and defense.

Our players to watch were outstanding this week, and they all played a big role in the team’s victory. Here’s a rundown.

QB Josh Allen

Buffalo’s second-year quarterback had his best game by far of the 2019 season. Allen was efficient through the air, completing 64% of his passes, and he wasn’t just dinking and dunking down the field, either, as he averaged 7.8 yards per attempt on the afternoon. In all, Allen threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns, two of which went to his favorite target—John Brown. Allen also added 56 yards rushing and a touchdown on the day. While he once again failed to throw for 300 yards, he did manage 312 total yards on the afternoon while also extending his interception-free streak to five games. Allen was decisive, making good checks at the line of scrimmage and following those checks up with strong throws. Sure, it wasn’t perfect—there were a few throws along the sidelines early in the game that I’m sure he would like to have back—but the total picture of the day is a good one. Allen has continued to show great improvement in year two, which is all we could have asked for coming into the season.

RB Devin Singletary

Rejoice! Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll unleashed Buffalo’s rookie runner...or was it our prayer to the Flying Spaghetti Monster that did it? If so, r’amen. Singletary was on the field for 53 of Buffalo’s 72 offensive plays, and he was once again efficient. Singletary carried the ball 15 times for 75 yards, sitting right at five yards per carry for the day; while he was only targeted once in the passing game, he caught it for a four-yard gain. Singletary’s day probably would have been better, but two fumbles due to poor ball security led to a momentary benching for the rookie. He didn’t lose either fumble, but the benching made perfect sense from a teaching standpoint.

DT Ed Oliver

Buffalo’s top draft choice in April’s NFL Draft had himself a day, as he sacked a quarterback for the first time in his career. Oliver combined for three tackles, one for a loss, and a quarterback hit to go with that sack. One of his tackles was made well beyond the line of scrimmage, but it was a great hustle play to tackle DeVante Parker right around the first-down marker. Oliver’s snap-count share increased, as well, playing in over half of Buffalo’s snaps for the first time in three weeks. The entire interior defensive line group was incredibly disruptive, and Oliver was right in the middle of it.

CB Kevin Johnson

With Levi Wallace playing poorly again, Johnson stepped in and played quite well in his most extended time of the season. At one point in the second quarter, Wallace was relegated to the bench while Johnson lined up opposite Tre’Davious White, and the former first-round pick didn’t disappoint. Johnson finished the game having played 36 defensive snaps, more than double his previous season-high. He also made three tackles, including one tackle on special teams. This spot will be worth watching again next weekend.

K Stephen Hauschka

After having a miserable week against the Cleveland Browns, Hauschka was back in a big way on Sunday. The veteran kicker came out in the first quarter and immediately hit a 51-yard kick. He added two more made field goals, one from 34 yards (the same distance of his shank against the Browns) and another from 21 yards to go with three made extra points. While he did technically allow a kickoff return touchdown, it wasn’t his fault that the coverage unit was completely unable to handle Jakiem Grant, as the kick itself was fine. More games like this one would quell plenty of worries Bills fans have going forward.