MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Little seemed to be going right for the Buffalo Bills. Into the fourth quarter, injuries had piled up, red zone issues were prevalent and several opportunities to get ahead of the Miami Dolphins in a battle for the AFC East title were squandered.
This is a team, however, that has experience in close games. All six of the Bills' defeats this season were in one-score games, including the most recent one, an overtime loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 12. After a Week 13 bye, the Bills were 6-6 and had a 21% chance to make the playoffs and just a 4% chance to win the division, per ESPN Analytics.
But the success in those tight contests changed after the bye week, with three of the team's past four wins entering Sunday coming in one-score outings.
So, with the No. 2 seed on the line, the Bills got a spark when they needed it most to take care of a close game yet again and finished out a 21-14 win over the Dolphins after scoring only seven points in the first three quarters. That 4% turned into 100%, as the Bills became AFC East champions for the fourth straight season.
"6-6. We knew what was in front of us, had a lot of internal talks. Trusted the guys in this locker room," quarterback Josh Allen said of when the Bills knew they could still win the division. "At the end of the day, this is fun, this is cool. I'll never say no to winning a division. But the only thing that it solidifies is a home game and one more game. So, doesn't mean anything if we go out there next week and don't do our job."
The Bills are now the 2-seed in the AFC and will host the seventh-seeded Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday.
The game against Miami turned when wide receiver Deonte Harty fielded a punt deep in Bills territory with just under 14 minutes remaining, weaved his way through a sea of players and bounced outside to the left. He was then off to the races and darting his way into the end zone. The 96-yard punt return was the longest in Bills history and the first for a score by Harty since 2019.
"Those are like adrenaline shots that our team is taking in and the other team is throwing up," Buffalo left tackle Dion Dawkins said. "It just shows how one play can be so helpful in the outcome of a game. But he gets the game ball, for sure, 'cause that was the turning point in this game. And I'm thankful for him, like, all year, like, we've been not waiting for it, but he showed up."
That touchdown with the extra point tied the score at 14. Buffalo's defense then forced a three-and-out, and the Bills' offense put together an eight-play, 74-yard drive that culminated with a 5-yard scoring strike from Allen to tight end Dawson Knox with 7:16 left on the clock. The Bills would later have a four-plus-minute drive before turning it back over to the Dolphins with less than two minutes remaining. Buffalo safety Taylor Rapp then picked off Tua Tagovailoa to seal the victory.
"We're talking the whole time. Who's going to close it? Who's going to close it? And whether it's the D-line, the backers, the back end, we take pride in being that guy," Bills safety Micah Hyde said. "We talk about it all the time. And Rapp was that guy, and love to see it, man ... to come up with that pick to seal the AFC East, his first year in it, that's dope, man. I'm happy for him."
The Bills' defense limited the Dolphins to four plays or less on all five second-half possessions, with Miami having the ball for just seven minutes in the final two quarters. The Fins had 57 net yards in the second half, the fewest allowed by the Bills in the second half since Week 18 of the 2021 season.
Tagovailoa was blitzed on only 3.6% of his dropbacks on Sunday (one blitz on 28 dropbacks), the lowest blitz rate he has faced in his career. He completed an NFL-best 70% of his passes against the blitz this season with 10 touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Buffalo cornerback Dane Jackson was one of multiple players who stepped up in the wake of several Bills injuries. He came in for starter Rasul Douglas, who suffered a left knee injury in the second quarter that will be reevaluated Monday.
"I was going to try [to come back]," Douglas said. "[Jackson and I] had a conversation the other day and stuff, but just about like how I've been here and how he viewed me and what he gets from me and what I bring to the table and stuff like that, and he looked me in my eye. He was like, 'Sul, if you're not a hundred ... I promise you, I got you.' And I was like, 'You know what? Go ahead. Do your thing.' It was just one of those -- I got faith in him. I got faith in everybody in our team and the corner room."
Beyond Douglas, Buffalo will have to sort through injuries to wide receiver Gabe Davis (knee), linebacker Tyrel Dodson (shoulder) and running back Ty Johnson (concussion), all of whom left Sunday's game and did not return.
On the offensive side, the late success came despite the Bills failing to take advantage of early red zone opportunities. Buffalo converted five trips in the first three quarters beyond the Dolphins' 35-yard line into just seven points, with three Allen turnovers -- two interceptions and a fumble -- and time expiring in the first half after Johnson got stuffed short of the goal line following a 9-yard reception.
The Bills had three red zone drives end without points, tied for the most by any team in a game this season and matching Buffalo's most in a contest over the past 20 campaigns.
Allen finished 30-of-38 passing for 359 yards and two touchdowns with a pair of interceptions. He rushed for 67 yards on 15 carries. And he extended his own record for most consecutive games with two or more passing touchdowns against a single opponent (13).
For the Bills, "playoff mode" started all the way back around that overtime loss to Philadelphia. Now, they will look to extend a five-game winning streak and advance to the divisional round for a fourth straight season.
"It's great just to see all the smiles on everybody's faces," said Buffalo wide receiver Khalil Shakir, who led the team with six catches for 105 yards on Sunday. "I mean, it's honestly a feeling that's kind of hard to describe, but we know we're not done yet. We know we've got more left to do."