Game Recap

In snowy finish, Bills rally to beat Dolphins 32-29 on Tyler Bass' game-winning FG | Game recap, stats and highlights

Dec 18, 2022 at 01:22 AM

Alec White

Content Coordinator

What a game and what a finish for the Buffalo Bills.

In a snow-covered fourth quarter, the Bills erased a 29-21 deficit and came back to beat the Miami Dolphins on the final play of regulation as Tyler Bass drilled a 25-yard field goal to lift the Bills to a 32-29 win.

As soon as Bass saw the ball go through the uprights, he turned and slid across the turf, gliding through the snow to celebrate the Bills' 5th consecutive win. The victory assured the Bills (11-3) of a playoff spot and the team can clinch the AFC East with a win next week in Chicago; it marks Buffalo's 4th straight trip to the postseason.

With the game tilting in Miami's favor in the second half, Josh Allen came to the rescue, leading the Bills on a 7-play, 75-yard drive to tie the game at 29-29 midway through the fourth quarter. Allen made magic happen, particularly on a 44-yard scramble to get to the Miami 13-yard line.

A late hit out of bounds on the next play on an Allen scramble put the Bills inside the 5-yard line and Allen was able to hit TE Dawson Knox for the score to make it 29-27. Knox had a season-high 98 receiving yards and was a focal point of the offense all night.

Allen took it in himself for the 2-point conversion, diving over a pile of defenders and reaching across the goal line to tie the game. At first, the play was ruled a fumble as the QB lost control of the ball but replay determined Allen crossed the line for a successful conversion before the fumble. A sigh of relief, followed by elated cheers erupted throughout Highmark Stadium.

As snow continued to come down, the Bills defense bent but didn't break as the Dolphins got into Buffalo territory, though the drive stalled and Miami punted with 6 minutes to play.

From there, Allen and the Bills went on another impressive drive with the game hanging in the balance. The Bills moved the ball across midfield and then WR Isaiah McKenzie drew a pass interference call that resulted in a 21-yard penalty and put the ball at the Dolphins 13-yard line with :45 to play. Devin Singletary followed suit by moving the ball closer and closer for Bass on three straight runs.

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Buffalo called timeout with :02 left and sent in Bass for the game-winner. Described as "tough as nails" by his teammates, Bass drilled his third go-ahead field goal with :10 or fewer left in regulation this season.

A game that looked in doubt throughout much of the second half, the Bills rallied and notched their 11th win of the season. Allen ended the night with nearly 400 yards of offense (304 passing, 77 rushing) and four passing TDs.

In the first half, the Bills got contributions from several unlikely names with touchdowns from TE Quintin Morris (first career TD), RB Nyheim Hines (first TD as a Bill) and RB James Cook (first career receiving TD).

Cook's TD at the end of the first half was particularly memorable as Allen rolled to his right with time winding down and firing across his body to find the rookie in the end zone on a jaw-dropping sequence. The Bills went into halftime up 21-13.

Miami was able to rally in the second half, getting key scores from WRs Jaylen Waddle (67 yard TD) and Tyreek Hill (20 yard TD) to go up 26-21. The Dolphins added a field goal to lead 29-21 with 11:56 to play before Buffalo mounted a comeback.

The Bills play back-to-back Saturday games and will be on the road next weekend against the Bears on Christmas Eve.