MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Josh Allen didn’t make any excuses after Sunday’s flat performance against the Miami Dolphins.
In order for the Buffalo Bills to reach the heights they expected to earlier this season, the reigning league MVP knows he has to play better.
“It starts with me,” Allen said after the Bills were routed 30-13 by the Dolphins. “So I’ve got to be better. It starts with a better week of practice. Watch this one, learn from it, get on to next week.”
Allen threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 31 yards and kept plays alive by scrambling around the pocket.
But Allen’s interception to start the third quarter and his fumble after a 15-yard run that ended a drive at the Miami 38 with Buffalo trailing 16-6 midway through the fourth quarter proved costly.
Two plays after the fumble, the Dolphins padded their lead on De’Von Achane’s 59-yard run. Achane sealed the win with another long scoring run from 35 yards with 3:17 remaining.
“I have to be better in the protection game and pass game, run game all of it,” said Allen, who entered Sunday with a 14-2 record against Miami. “Any time you turn it over three times and two in the red zone, it’s a recipe for disaster.”
The Bills appeared to cut into a 16-0 halftime deficit, when they opened the second half with a drive to the Dolphins 5. But Miami safety Ifeatu Melifonwu intercepted Allen’s pass intended for Dawson Knox in the end zone.
“I really didn’t allow myself to step into the throw,” Allen said.
The Dolphins (3-7) built their halftime lead on Tua Tagovailoa’s touchdown passes Jaylen Waddle and Malik Washington and Riley Patterson’s 46-yard field goal.
“We didn’t play well enough today,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “We didn’t play a complementary game. Lots to work on. Lots to improve.”
It was the Dolphins’ first double-digit victory over the Bills (6-3) since a 22-9 win on Nov. 13, 2014. The win also snapped a seven-game skid against their AFC East rivals.
“Records don’t really show everything about a team,” Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins said. “Like I always say, our division opponents play us extremely hard. No matter what the record is. We got the best version of them today. Congrats to the ’Fins.”
With both teams heading in different directions, Sunday’s game featured a noticeable presence of Bills fans who made the trip from upstate New York. Before the game a plane with a “Go Bills” sign flew over Hard Rock Stadium.
“It feels good winning this game because of where we’ve been with this team that past couple of seasons,” said Dolphins edge rusher Bradley Chubb. “Ever since I’ve been here, we haven’t had much success against them. … They can do all the flying of banners and stuff, they’ve won here multiple times. So if they had that confidence going into it, that’s fine. But it’s about how we responded to it.”
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The Associated Press
