Bills beat Dolphins, NFL world reacts to instant classic

If you tuned into Saturday night’s Week 15 game between the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills hoping for an instant classic, congratulations. That’s exactly what you got. The game was filled with memorable moments that only got more memorable as the game grew longer. And while the expected lake-effect snow took longer than expected to fall at Highmark Stadium, it was a big part of the game.

The night was already shaping up to be epic when play was briefly halted in the second quarter. What caused the delay? Fans throwing snowballs onto the field. The referees asked them to stop and threatened that the Bills would be saddled with a 15-yard penalty if it happened again. Snowballs did appear a few more times, though only sparingly. And no flags were thrown.

With Buffalo leading 14-13 and driving at the end of the first half, Josh Allen took a risk. With nothing immediately developing, he could have thrown the ball away. But Allen didn’t want to settle for a field goal. So, he scrambled right, letting the play develop a little more. It paid off when he connected with James Cook with no time remaining.

That set the stage for an awesome second half. Miami’s team speed was on display in the third quarter, when Tua Tagovailoa connected on touchdown passes to Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill to put the Dolphins ahead.

Then, after a late hit on Allen triggered a dustup on the sidelines, the Bills tied the game in the fourth quarter on a touchdown pass from Allen to Dawson Knox and a two-point scramble from Allen that was eventually ruled good.

The Bills forced a punt to get the ball back. Buffalo then drove down the field to set Tyler Bass up for a game-winning 25-yard field goal attempt. There was more drama than normal on a kick of that distance, given that conditions were anything but favorable.

Bass, though, came through. His kick went through the uprights and with that, the Bills became the fourth team in the NFL and first in the AFC to clinch a playoff spot.

Football fans everywhere loved what they saw from the AFC East rivals on Saturday.

While the Bills clinched a playoff spot, the situation is more precarious for the Dolphins. They presently occupy the No. 6 seed. But, should the New England Patriots, Los Angeles Chargers and New York Jets all win on Sunday, there would be a four-way tie for the AFC’s final two Wild Card spots.

Miami and Buffalo, though, have played in two of the season’s best games, with the Dolphins taking the first game in September. If Miami does make the playoff and earns another matchup with the Bills in January, you probably won’t hear too many NFL fans complaining.