Here are my hot reads from the Buffalo Bills' 56-26 victory against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at Bills Stadium.
Hottest topic
The Bills decided not to play it safe in a regular-season finale that they could have approached as a preseason game.
That would have been understandable. The No. 2 playoff seed, which they earned with the win, wasn't such a huge prize that the Bills had to play Josh Allen or other starters for any length of time.
But that's what coach Sean McDermott did through the first half. And the Bills were their dominant selves.
With a 13-3 finish, the Bills have their most wins since 1991. They closed the season with a six-game winning streak and their third game this season with 40-plus points. It was the most points they've had since producing 54 against Kansas City in 2008, and the second-most against the Dolphins in series history. The previous high was 58 in 1966.
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They also finished undefeated, 6-0, in the division for the first time in team history, and set a franchise record with 501 points.
The Dolphins (10-6), who played their starters the whole way, needed help in the later games Sunday to still make the postseason.
Of course, if any reminder was needed that the atmosphere wasn't quite as ultra-competitive as usual, it came when a CBS camera caught Stefon Diggs flossing his teeth while sitting on the bench during a Dolphins possession in the second quarter.
Well done
• In the first half, Josh Allen completed 18 of 25 passes for 224 yards and three touchdowns, with an interception on his first series. He shattered Drew Bledsoe's franchise record for passing yards in a season with 4,544 to Bledsoe's 4,359 set in 2002. Allen also extended his club records for touchdown passes in a season with 37 and completions in a season with 396.
Allen also extended his single-season record for total yards to 4,987, including 12 receiving. That puts him in ninth place for a single season in NFL history.
After a slow start against a defense that entered the game allowing the fewest points in the NFL, the starting offense got in gear. Allen led a 50-yard drive – during which he broke Bledsoe's record for passing yards – that ended with his 7-yard scoring throw to Isaiah McKenzie.
Allen is the first player in NFL history with at least 4,500 passing yards, 35 touchdown passes and five rushing touchdowns in a single season.
• McKenzie scored three touchdowns, two on pass receptions of seven and 14 yards and a third on an 84-yard punt return. It was the Bills' first punt return for a TD since 2014.
• The Bills' starting defense played a strong first half in holding the Dolphins to a pair of field goals. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds was exceptional in pass coverage and near the line of scrimmage.
The unit continued to play strong in the second half, with Josh Norman returning a Tua Tagovailoa interception 16 yards for a touchdown to make it 35-13 in the third quarter. Dean Marlowe intercepted Tagovailoa twice in the second half.
• How about Antonio Williams? Activated from the practice squad Saturday, he ran 12 times in the second half for 63 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught a 20-yard pass to help set up for his second TD.
• John Brown caught four passes for 72 yards and a touchdown of 32 yards in his return after missing four games on injured reserve and one on the Covid-19 list.
• Corey Bojorquez placed a 54-yard punt inside the Miami 1-yard line late in the first quarter.
Ice cold
Nothing to put in this category as the Bills closed their schedule in the best way possible.
Setting the table
The regular season is over. The Bills accomplished what was necessary in winning their first AFC East crown since 1995. Now, it's time to make the only achievement that matters: a deep postseason run. They take the first step in a wild-card game next weekend against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday at 1:05 p.m.
