Tyler Bass hits a 61-yard field goal to lift Bills past the Dolphins and take full control of the AFC East

It's only the first weekend in November, but the Buffalo Bills have all but locked up the AFC East race.

Josh Allen and the Bills defeated the Miami Dolphins 30-27 on Sunday afternoon at Highmark Stadium. Allen led the Bills on one final game-winning drive before Tyler Bass hit a career-long field goal to secure the win.

The Dolphins looked like they were going to force a quick punt after their game-winning touchdown, but a neutral zone violation and then an unnecessary roughing call on Jordan Poyer after a long shot from Allen kept their drive alive. That set up Bass' 61-yard field goal that sealed the three-point victory.

The Bills have now defeated the Dolphins this season and have a chance to officially win their division as early as Week 12. According to ESPN, this has only been accomplished three times in modern history. All three of those other teams – the Eagles in 2004, the Patriots in 2007 and the Colts in 2009 – reached the Super Bowl and lost in their respective seasons. Buffalo also entered Sunday with a 3.5 game lead. The final 10 teams that had a lead of that size or greater in Week 8 won their division.

The Bills had to rally from an early hole to get the win on Sunday. The Dolphins jumped out to a 10-6 halftime lead after Buffalo made just two field goals in the first 30 minutes. Tua Tagovailoa also hit De'Von Achane for a 14-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter. This touchdown came after Jalen Ramsey intercepted Allen at the goal line on the other end of the field.

But in the second half, Allen and the Bills slowly began to recover. Allen capped a long 11-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Mack Hollins out of halftime and then hit Ray Davis for a 63-yard touchdown late in the third quarter. Davis caught a short pass in the flat, deflected two tackles and made it to the end zone.

Even after that score, the Bills converted the two-point attempt, giving them a seven-point lead.

Although the Dolphins tied the game early in the fourth quarter after Achane scored an 8-yard score, Allen and the Bills responded perfectly. They started a 70-yard drive that Allen finished with a 2-yard throw to Quintin Morris.

After a slow start to the season, Jaylen Waddle finally scored his first touchdown of the year. Tagovailoa scrambled through the pocket and found Waddle wide open in the end zone with about 90 seconds left to tie the game.

The score came after a 12-yard reception early in the drive and an apparent ankle injury after taking a cleat right in the leg.

That set up the Bills' final drive and Bass' game-winning field goal. The Bills have now won five straight times against the Dolphins since the 2022 season, and Allen holds a wild 13-2 record against the Dolphins.

Allen completed 25 of 39 for 235 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, securing the victory for the Bills, who are now 7-2 on the year. James Cook led them on the ground with 44 yards on 10 carries, and Davis had 70 receiving yards and a touchdown on just two catches.

Tagovailoa finished 24 of 27 for 255 yards and two touchdowns for the Dolphins. Although they didn't get the win, the game was still a big event for Tagovailoa – who returned to the field last week after being sidelined for five weeks due to his recent concussion. According to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, only six other quarterbacks in NFL history have had at least 24 completions with an 88.9% completion rate in a single game in league history.

Achane had 63 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries for the Dolphins, and Tyreek Hill had 80 yards on four catches. Miami is now 2-6 on the year and has lost three straight games. Their record is far from ideal, but the season is far from over. After all, Tagovailoa came close to leading the Dolphins to victory against one of the best teams in the league. But with the division now almost certainly out of reach, a major turnaround will be needed to make a third straight postseason appearance.