Here's a quarter by quarter look at the Buffalo Bills 56-26 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at Bills Stadium:
First quarter
Theme: Miami gets a takeaway.
Picked: Dolphins cornerback Byron Jones made a nice interception on the sideline while covering Gabriel Davis. It led to a field goal. It was Miami’s 17th INT of the season, second most in the NFL.
Missing: Miami was without starting receiver Jakeem Grant (36 catches). Taking his spot was third-round pick Lynn Bowden.
Matchup watch: The Dolphins played a lot of two-tight end sets, but the Bills didn’t respond with the base defense. Buffalo kept nickel back Taron Johnson on the field because tight end Mike Gesicki is more of a receiver than a blocker.
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Coffin corner: Corey Bojorquez’s second punt, an Aussie end-over-end kick, bounced out at the 1-yard line.
Isaiah McKenzie had a field day against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
Fast starters: For the season, the Bills outscored foes 90-49 in the first quarter. It was the third most in team history behind only 1975 (97 points) and 1964 (95 points). Both of those were in 14-game seasons. Buffalo allowed the fewest points in the first quarter in the NFL.
Young: Miami set a team record by starting 10 different rookies this year. The Dolphins started five rookies Sunday.
Second quarter
Theme: Eat our dust, Dolphins.
En fuego: Josh Allen completed 13 of 16 passes for 187 yards and three TDs in the second quarter. The Bills won the quarter 28-3.
A record: Allen’s 6-yard swing pass to Devin Singletary brought him to 43 yards for the game and 4,362 for the season, breaking the team record set by Drew Bledsoe (4,359) in 2002.
Key play: Isaiah McKenzie’s 84-yard punt return for a touchdown gave the Bills a 21-3 lead. It was the Bills’ first punt return TD since Marcus Thigpen scored on a 75-yard return against Green Bay in 2014.
First half report: The Bills have outscored foes 174-101 in the second quarter. Miami had allowed just 9.7 ppg in the first half, third lowest in the league. It was Miami’s worst half of the season.
Second guess: It was fun. It was impressive. The Bills are on a roll. Bill Belichick would have played all his starters if New England was in the same position, based on his track record. But the Bills’ offense didn’t need to get any sharper after last week’s win. We’d have rather not exposed Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs to any hits.
Don't miss Vic Carucci's hot reads from the Buffalo Bills' 56-26 victory against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at Bills Stadium.
Third quarter
Theme: Fish fry.
Key play: Josh Norman intercepted a slant pass for DeVante Parker and returned it 16 yards for a touchdown to give the Bills a 35-13 lead. Parker stumbled on the play, but the pass from Tua Tagovailoa was a bit high.
Three phases: It was the first time since 2011 the Bills scored on offense, defense and special teams. The last time was a 40-14 win over Tim Tebow and Denver in Orchard Park.
Punchless: The Dolphins were 0 for 11 on third down through three quarters. Tua Tagovailoa was 3 for 10 with an interception and a sack on third down.
Thin ice: Parker is Miami’s top receiver, but he may be out in the team’s overhaul at the position. He will get $8.35 million guaranteed if he’s on the roster in March.
Zebra Report: Miami has been flagged for the third fewest penalties in the NFL, 72, and it had the fourth fewest under coach Brian Flores last year. Each team was flagged for only two fouls the first three quarters.
Getting closer: The Bills scored only 23 points in the third quarter the first nine games. But they finished the year by being outscored only 101-91 in the period.
Fourth quarter
Theme: Exclamation point!
Big picture: The Bills matched their most wins in franchise history by going 13-3. They also went 13-3 in 1990 and 1991.
Five hundred: The Bills obliterated their team single-season scoring record by finishing with 501 points. The old mark was 458 in 1991. The Bills averaged 31.3 ppg. Last year, they averaged 19.6 ppg.
Points producer: With eight extra points, Tyler Bass finished with 141 points, breaking Steve Christie’s season record of 140, set in 1998.
Torched: Gabriel Davis beat Nik Needham for a 56-yard TD pass from Matt Barkley. It was Davis’ third TD against Needham this season. Davis also beat Miami’s top cornerback, Xavien Howard, for a 51-yard deep ball down the sideline. Davis got behind Howard and made a fine, leaping grab.
Coaching ladder: Sean McDermott moved past Chuck Knox and into sole possession of third place in wins by a Bills coach (38). It’s the 20th playoff season for the Bills and the third in four years for McDermott.
Series: The Dolphins lead the series 61-52-1. The Bills have won seven of the last eight. Over the last 34 years since 1987, the Bills lead the series, 45-27.
