Plays that defined the 2018 Buffalo Bills: Miami Dolphins

With the 2018 NFL season in the books, we look back at the year and our beloved Buffalo Bills. Every week is a story, and we bring this to you through the lens of key plays that defined each game. Your Week 17 match-up:

Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills would not make the postseason and it was time to say farewell to the 2018 season. A home game against the division rival Miami Dolphins made a fitting back drop for another farewell. Kyle Williams had announced he would retire after the season and fans showed up in droves to send him off the right way. His teammates did the same on the field. After entering halftime tied at 14, the Bills dominated the second half.

Tremaine Edmunds interception (Q1, 8:49)

The Bills scored on their first possession of the day. When the Dolphins got the ball, Buffalo’s defense immediately showed them what kind of day it would be. Tremaine Edmunds tracked Ryan Tannehill’s eyes and used his exceptional reach to reel this ball in. The first of four turnovers showed the Bills wouldn’t be denied.

Zay Jones 18-yard touchdown (Q1, 8:38)

On the very next play, this happened. Zay Jones needs to twist to make the catch but stays on his feet and accelerates toward the end zone. Going airborne to avoid stepping out of bounds Jones extends for the score, putting the Bills up by 14. Josh Allen had arguably his best game of his rookie season, throwing for 215 yards and three touchdowns. With 93 yards and two of those touchdowns, it was arguably Zay Jones’s best game in the NFL as well.

Josh Allen throws pick-six (Q2, 0:48)

The Bills defense would only allow one touchdown to the Dolphins all day, which occurred 15 seconds before this play. Josh Allen’s ill-advised throw gifted the Dolphins a touchdown that tied the game. Allen shows off his competitive nature with an attempt to dislodge the ball and a pretty good tackle. He didn’t prevent the score, but likely earned a lot of buy-in from his teammates.

Shaq Lawson forced fumble (Q3, 8:56)

The Bills had scored early in the third to retake the lead. Up by a single score, the Dolphins weren’t done yet. Shaq Lawson wanted to end it for them however. On the second play of the drive Lawson greets old friend Nick O’Leary. It’s a brief reunion as Lawson flies by O’Leary and knocks the ball away from Tannehill. Former Dolphin Jordan Phillips recovered the ball, the Bills scored off the turnover, and the rout had begun.

Josh Allen 30-yard touchdown run (Q4, 11:23)

The second half belonged to Buffalo. As the Bills took complete control of the game a Josh Allen scamper set them up 35-17. A botched play by the Dolphins just three minutes later led to another turnover. The Bills scored yet again and, at 42-17, the game was out of reach for the Dolphins.

Kyle Williams’s 9-yard catch (Q4, 4:49)

With the game wildly out of hand there was no reason not to call this play. The year before, Kyle Williams had recorded his first carry and touchdown under Sean McDermott. They weren’t about to let him retire without a reception to go with it. Note: this clip and the next were originally used in this article celebrating Williams’s last game.

Honorable mention

It’s an honorable mention only because it’s not technically a “play.” But how can you leave this off of a recap for this game?