The Best of One Bills Drive: Jan. 15, 2023

(Greg D. Tranter and Budd Bailey have written a book about the history of the football stadium in Orchard Park called "One Bills Drive." It has been published by Reedy Press (https://reedypress.com/shop/one-bills-drive-the-buffalo-bills-greatest-home-games/). The books covers the top 50 games played in the stadium's history from 1973 until January 2025. However, there are several other games that qualified as thrilling - but they couldn't crack the top 50. Those contests deserve to be remembered too, so we'll offer them in this space a couple of times per week during the season.)

Attendance: 70,651

Score by Quarters:

                                    1       2       3       4       Final

Miami (L)                         0       17      7        7        31

Buffalo (W)                      14     6       14      0        34

Scoring Summary:

Quarter – Team – Play

1 – Bills – Allen 6-yard pass to Knox (Bass kick)

1 – Bills – Cook 12-yard run (Bass kick)

2 – Bills – Bass 33-yard field goal

2 – Dolphins – Sanders 40-yard field goal

2 – Dolphins – Sanders 48-yard field goal

2 – Dolphins – Sanders 37-yard field goal

2 – Dolphins – Thompson 7-yard pass to Gesicki (Thompson pass to Hill)

2 – Bills – Bass 39-yard field goal

3 – Dolphins – Sieler 5-yard fumble return (Sanders kick)

3 – Bills – Allen 6-yard pass to Beasley (Bass kick)

3 – Bills – Allen 23-yard pass to Davis (Bass kick)

4 – Dolphins – Wilson 1-yard run (Sanders kick)

Recap:

The Bills had gone through quite a ride during the 2022 season, and the playoffs hadn’t even started yet.

They had started the season 6-1, but lost back-to-back games to the Jets and Vikings in mid-November. While the team still was in good position in the divisional race, a return to form was needed if the Bills had any hopes of getting a high seed in the postseason. That’s exactly what they did, running off seven straight wins to finish 13-3. (One of the games was cancelled due to the life-threatening injury to defensive back Damar Hamlin.)

That earned the Bills a home date with the Miami Dolphins, who had been through a great deal as well in that season. The Dolphins started 8-3 but lost five games in a row, and they needed a close win over the Jets to reach the playoffs for the first time in six years. To make matters worse, Miami quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater were sidelined with injuries. That left third-stringer Skylar Thompson – a rookie taken in the seventh round who had two career NFL starts - in charge of the Dolphins’ offense. Absolutely no one knew what he could do under the circumstances. Despite those circumstances, one Bills veteran sounded something of a pregame warning.

“This is a very dangerous team coming in here, both sides of the football, and it really doesn’t matter who’s at the helm at quarterback for them,” center Mitch Morse said. “They have playmakers on the defense that can really carry this team, and it’ll be just a really competitive match come Sunday at one.”

Morse’s analysis turned out to be on target. The Bills had their hands full with the Dolphins, even if the game’s start forecasted an easy Buffalo win. Josh Allen threw a touchdown pass to Dawson Knox, James Cook scampered to the end zone on a 12-yard run, and Tyler Bass added a field goal. The Bills had a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter.

However, the Dolphins woke up at that point, with two interceptions serving as the catalysts.

“The turnovers, they hurt us,” Allen said. “Really let them back in the game. Up 17-0 with chances and I give them the ball two times and give them a touchdown, it’s just things you can’t do.”

Jason Sanders kicked three field goals in a little more than six minutes, and Thompson hit Mike Gesicki with a touchdown pass. Throw in a two-point conversion, and Miami had tied the game before halftime. Bass’s field goal with four seconds left put Buffalo back in the lead at the half, but the Bills really did have their hands full.

It got worse. About a minute into the second half, Miami’s Zach Sieler scooped up a Bills’ fumble by Allen and ran five yards for a touchdown. The Dolphins had a 24-20 lead, but it lasted less than nine minutes. The game’s momentum changed when defensive back Kaiir Elam intercepted one of Thompson’s passes. “That’s somebody who has been studying his film and knew what was going on,” Bills’ defensive end Shaq Lawson said about his teammate.

Allen threw touchdown passes to Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis late in the third quarter, and the 10-point margin seemed secure.

Yet the Dolphins weren’t done yet. Jeff Wilson scored on a short run with about 11 minutes left, and Miami only trailed 34-31. The Dolphins had plenty of time to tie or win the game.

But it never happened. The Dolphins couldn’t complete one last big play in their final two possessions, and the Bills did just enough on offense to finish the job. In the end, Buffalo did just enough to escape with a victory.

In the locker room after the game, Morse took a long, deep breath. “I think it was more relief,” he said about his exhale. “That’s a tough team we played against, and we didn’t play our best.”

Thompson graciously took the blame for the loss, although no one could have expected him to do much more. He was 18 of 45 for 220 yards with two interceptions – not bad under difficult circumstances.

“Man, our defense played so good today,” he said. “That’s tough. Because those guys gave us every chance to win. Feel like that’s a game we definitely had the opportunity to win. I will take (responsibility) for the loss and shoulder that and move forward.”

“That was the hand that was dealt, and that was part of the story that we were willing to complete,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said about the quarterback situation. “I’m heartbroken for the guys because they didn’t want their season to end and they did everything they could.”

The win extended the Bills’ season by a week, which ultimately was the important part of the story. Even so, the team did not resemble a squad that was peaking at the most crucial time of the season.

“Every week is going to get harder,” running back Devon Singletary said. “We’re going to learn from this. We have to learn from this.”

Noteworthy: The Bills had a 25-16 edge in first downs. … Allen had good numbers: 23 of 39 for 252 yards and three touchdowns, although some mistakes were costly at times. … There were a combined five turnovers in the game, three by Buffalo. … Miami was four of 16 in third-down conversions. … Stefon Diggs had 96 yards receiving in the first quarter, and finished with seven receptions for 114 yards. … Hamlin turned up at the stadium for the first time since his injury – his first time on a field since the incident. He was warmly greeted by all of his teammates, and then went home to watch the game on television. “Every guy on the team just was so happy to see him,” safety Dean Marlowe said.

Legacy: The Bills advanced to the next round of the playoffs, but had nothing in the tank after a difficult season. They were steamrolled by the Cincinnati Bengals to exit from the playoffs.

Tagovailoa returned from his concussion injury to play all 17 games in 2023, leading the Dolphins to an 11-6 record. Thompson played one more game as a member of the Dolphins – a 24-3 loss to Seattle in 2024. He signed as a free agent with Pittsburgh early in the 2025 offseason.