Bills 21, Dolphins 14: Final score, stats, highlights as Buffalo wins AFC East title

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. - Th Buffalo Bills won their fourth straight AFC East title and earned the No. 2 seed in the AFC bracket by beating the Miami Dolphins Sunday night.

That means the Bills will open the playoffs at home. And, if they win that, they will host a divisional round game. If they were to win that, it would be on to the AFC Championship Game.

Realistically, the AFC title game would most likely be at top-seeded Baltimore, but hey, stranger things have happened and if the Ravens were to stumble, the Bills would host that game, too.

Here are the highlights of the Bills dramatic victory:

Buffalo Bills will host Pittsburgh Steelers in playoffs

The playoff schedule is set and No. 2 Buffalo will host No. 7 Pittsburgh at 1 p.m. Sunday on CBS.

Final score: Buffalo Bills 21, Miami Dolphins 14

The Buffalo Bills are AFC East champions for the fourth straight year. Buffalo has won its last five regular season games to surge from outside of the playoff picture to the No. 2 seed.

The Bills overcame three turnovers by Josh Allen, who finished 30 of 38 for 359 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions and led the team with 67 yards on 15 carries. Khalil Shakir had six catches for 105 yards for the Bills. Tua Tagovailoa completed 17 of 27 passes for 173 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions for the Dolphins.

Taylor Rapp seals game with interception on Tua Tagovailoa - 1:13 4th quarter

The Bills defense opened the game and closed the game with an interception. Miami had a final shot with less than two minutes left after forcing Buffalo to turn the ball over on downs. On second-and-10, Tua Tagovailoa went deep for Chase Claypool. Safety Taylor Rapp stepped in front of the pass for the interception at the Bills' 22 to clinch the game and AFC East title.

Bills stopped on fourth-and-1 to give Dolphins another chance - 1:53 4th quarter

The Bills were 1 yard from locking up the AFC East division title. On fourth-and-1 from the Dolphins' 37 coming out of the two-minute warning, Josh Allen took a quarterback sneak and tried to go over the pile. He was stopped for no gain.

Josh Allen scrambled for 15 yards on third-and-13: 3:04 4th quarter

Welcome to the Josh Allen experience. Allen took off scrambling on third-and-13 and ran for 15 yards and a first down.

Bills convert fourth-and-1

Buffalo went for it on fourth-and-1 from its 37-yard line. On third down, Josh Allen was stopped on a quarterback sneak. On fourth down, Allen leaped over the line of scrimmage for 2 yards and a first down.

Dolphins go three-and-out - 6:22 4th quarter

Tyreek Hill couldn't come up with a pass on third-and-7 and the Dolphins were forced to punt. Jake Bailey punted 46 yards to the Bills' 26. Miami only has one first down in the second half.

Bills 21, Dolphins 14: Josh Allen throws touchdown to Dawson Knox

Buffalo has the lead. The Bills went 74 yards in eight plays and Josh Allen capped the drive with a 5-yard touchdown to Dawson Knox. Buffalo has 14 points in the fourth quarter.

Dolphins 14, Bills 14: Deonte Harty returns punt 96 yards for touchdown

Deonte Harty tied the game. Harty returned a punt 96 yards for a touchdown.

Josh Allen loses fumble - :12 3rd quarter

The Bills had the ball again deep in Miami territory and didn't come up with any points. On third-and-13 from the Dolphins' 21, Christian Wilkins got a strip sack on Josh Allen and recovered the fumble at the Dolphins' 27.

Dolphins go three-and-out - 7:42 2nd quarter

Miami went three-and-out. On third-and-3 from the Dolphins' 24, Tua Tagovailoa completed a short pass to Braxton Berrios but cornerback Dane Jackson made a big open field tackle to keep Berrios short of the first down. Jake Bailey punted 52 yards to the Bills' 24.

Bills open second half with punt - 9:56 3rd quarter

Buffalo earned two first downs to start the second half but Josh Allen was sacked by Melvin Ingram on third-and-5. Sam Martin punted 41 yards to the Dolphins' 15.

Halftime score: Miami Dolphins 14, Buffalo Bills 7

The Bills ran out of time in the second quarter and left points on the board. Buffalo drove 73 yards less than two minutes and had first-and-10 from the Dolphins' 11 with 11 seconds left and no timeouts. Josh Allen completed over the middle to Ty Johnson, who was brought down by Eli Apple and Jerome Baker at the 2-yard line. Buffalo could not get another play off as the clock expired.

Josh Allen has completed 16 of 23 passes for 218 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions and Stefon Diggs has five catches for 75 yards. Tua Tagovailoa is 9 of 13 for 123 yards with a touchdown and interception and Tyreek Hill has five receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown.

Dolphins 14, Bills 7: Tua Tagovailoa throws touchdown to Tyreek Hill

The Dolphins are back up 14-7 thanks to a nine-play, 75-yard drive during which the Buffalo defense was non competitive. The Dolphins are doing whatever they want on their last two possessions and the Bills have been helpless to stop them.

The touchdown came on a three-yard pass from Tua Tagovailoa to Tyreek Hill who ran a quick out against Christian Benford who had no chance.

The Bills are currently without CB Rasul Douglas and LB Tyrel Dodson and that’s not a good development against an offense like this.

Bills cornerback Rasul Douglas injured

Wide receiver Gabe Davis (knee) and linebacker Tyrel Dodson (shoulder) were already questionable to return and Rasul Douglas stayed down after a play late in the second quarter. Douglas was looked at by trainers but was able to walk off the field and up and down the sideline.

Dolphins 7, Bills 7: Josh Allen touchdown to Trent Sherfield off deflection ties game for Buffalo

Sometimes you need to have a little luck and the Bills sure had some as they answered Miami’s touchdown with one of their own.

After Stefon Diggs made a great catch for a 36-yard gain to the Dolphins six, Josh Allen tried to hit Trent Sherfield over the middle in the end zone. The ball ricocheted off someone’s helmet, popped into the air, and Sherfield was able to corral at in the back of the end zone, barely getting both feet in bound to complete the play.

That had to be sweet for Sherfield who played for Miami last year.

That was a much-needed drive for the Bills to get the game back even.

Dolphins 7, Bills 0: De’Von Achane scores on 25-yard touchdown run

In a game the Bills should have been leading at least 10-0 after their first two possessions, they are now trailing 7-0.

To say it has been a horrible start is an understatement, and after two failed offensive drives that ended in Josh Allen  interceptions, the Bills defense got into the act with a terrible series of plays.

Miami converted a third-and-14 on a pass to Tyreek Hill, a guy you would think the Bills should have been covering. The Dolphins then turned to the ground game and ran through and around the Bills until Da’Von Achane broke a 25-yard touchdown run.

The Bills look awful. If things don’t change in a hurry, this could get ugly.

Josh Allen intercepted by DeShon Elliott - :10 1st quarter

Josh Allen was intercepted again. Buffalo went for it on fourth-and-2 from the Dolphins' 35. Allen left the pocked and launched a pass into the end zone that was picked off by DeShon Elliott. It was Allen's second interception of the quarter.

The Bills began the drive at their 11-yard line. Allen overthrow a wide open Stefon Diggs on a deep ball that would've been a touchdown. On the next play, Khalil Shakir took a short pass 46 yards to the Dolphins' 43.

Dolphins punt - 2:29 1st quarter

Miami picked up two first downs and crossed midfield but punted. Tua Tagovailoa completed to River Cracraft for 18 yards and connected with Tyreek Hill for 19 yards. De’Von Achane took a carry 11 yards to the Bills' 48. The Dolphins only gained 2 more yards after that and Tagovailoa threw incomplete for Hill on third down. Jake Bailey punted 35 yards to the Bills' 11.

Josh Allen throws interception to Eli Apple - 5:58 1st quarter

The teams have traded turnovers to start the game. On third-and-goal, Josh Allen was pressured and there was miscommunication with Gabe Davis as Allen was intercepted by Eli Apple. Apple dove for the interception in the end zone but instead of staying down, he got to his feet, stumbled and brought it out of the end zone to the Dolphins' 3-yard line.

Tua Tagovailoa picked off by Christian Benford - 12:43 1st quarter

Miami turned the ball over on the game's opening possession. On third-and-7, Tua Tagovailoa heaved a pass into double coverage for Tyreek Hill and it was picked off by cornerback Christian Benford.

Mike Tirico: 'Bills Mafia has taken over south Florida'

NBC play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico said that 'Bills Mafia has taken over south Florida' before the opening play from scrimmage. Tirico added that the roar you hear from the crowd at Hard Rock Stadium is from Bills fans. There was buzz before the game that Bills fans could outnumber Dolphins fans at the game.

Latavius Murray inactive, Von Miller is playing

As expected the 33-year-old Murray is not going to play in the season finale, but in what certainly feels like an unexpected move, the 34-year-old Miller is active.

Miller did not play last week against the Patriots and the reason was clear: He has been unable to make an impact since he returned from his knee surgery in Week 5 against the Jaguars. It’s been somewhat stunning, really, how little he has given the Buffalo defense and Sean McDermott finally realized last week that giving more reps to Greg Rousseau, Leonard Floyd, A.J. Epenesa, Shaq Lawson and even Kingsley Jonathan was the prudent path.

However, it seems that McDermott isn’t comfortable with Jonathan in a game of this magnitude, so he’s giving a jersey to Miller.

As for Murray, once the Bills elevated Leonard Fournette from the practice squad Saturday, it was clear that Murray would be out. He has done very little in the last few weeks and against the Patriots, he had a particularly poor game.

Fournette is four years younger, obviously fresh having played just one game, and he can not only help as a short yardage runner but as a pass catcher should the Bills decide to use him in that role.

The other inactives are cornerback Kaiir Elam, offensive lineman Alec Anderson, defensive tackle Linval Joseph, and safety Damar Hamlin, none of which are surprises.

For the Dolphins, they will be without star receiver Jaylen Waddle and star running back Raheem Mostert, two huge substractions from the No. 1 offense in the NFL. Also, cornerback Xavien Howard is out, joining edge rushers Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips who are on season-ending injured reserve.

Bills injury situation couldn’t be much better

This is Week 18 of the NFL season, and the Bills have a remarkably clean injury report. Obviously, they don’t have Matt Milano and Tre’Davious White, but they haven’t had those two for three months.

The only player who had a designation on Friday’s final report was center Mitch Morse, and he was listed as questionable only because of an illness. On Saturday, the Bills updated his status and he’s good to go. Everyone else is available to play.

Meanwhile, the Dolphins will not have cornerback Xavien Howard and edge rushers Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips. Questionable are wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, linebacker Jerome Baker, running back Raheem Mostert and safety Jevon Holland who was just downgraded to that status on Saturday.

Chances are those four questionable players will play, but it’s uncertain how much, or how effective they will be.

Leonard Fournette elevated for second time

The running back was brought up from the practice squad and though we won’t know until the inactives are announced, it’s very possible that he will take the spot of Latavius Murray.

The 33-year-old Murray had a poor game against the Patriots and has been largely ineffective in the second half of the season. Fournette may give the Bills a better, healthier option in short yardage situations, and he has typically been a good pass catcher out of the backfield.

In the only game he played this season for Buffalo, Fournette played 10 snaps and rushed five times for 20 yards but was not targeted as a receiver.

Two Bills have bonus money on the line

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Sunday that two Bills are within reach of some handsome bonus incentives.

Safety Micah Hyde needs one interception which would give him three this season and if he gets it, he will see $250,000 appear in his bank account.

And if edge rusher Leonard Floyd gets 1.5 sacks to get to 12, he will receive a $1 million bonus. He already banked $1 million a couple weeks ago when he got to 10 sacks.

Bills vs. Dolphins prediction

Sal Maiorana: Bills 27, Dolphins 24

The Dolphins should not be overlooked or counted out no matter how one-sided the rivalry has been. It’s a banged up team that coach Mike McDaniel will send out, but there are still plenty of players the Bills need to be concerned about on both sides of the ball, especially in a game with so much on the line. And sometimes, teams dealing with adversity can be even more dangerous.

There’s been some talk that just because Miami already has a playoff spot secured, it might not go full throttle. That’s a load of crap; the division title and the No. 2 AFC seed is on the line so Miami will be pushing hard to get the victory. The Dolphins have been great at home, 7-1 this season, and the last time they hosted the Bills in September 2022 they won.

Buffalo is going to need to play much better on offense than it has the last two weeks when it barely did enough to beat the Chargers and Patriots. Ultimately, I think it’s going to be a tight, tense and uncomfortable night but the Bills will find a way to win.

What time is the Bills vs Dolphins game?

● Date: Sunday, Jan. 7

● Time: 8:20 p.m.

● Place: Hard Rock Stadium

Who is favored to win Bills vs. Dolphins game

● Tipico betting line: Bills -3

● Over-under: 49.5

● Money line as of Thursday: Bills minus-155 (bet $155 to win $100) and Dolphins plus-135 (bet $100 to win $135).

How to watch Buffalo Bills vs Miami Dolphins game on TV, streaming

● Cable/Network TV: NBC. The game will be available locally via the following stations: WHEC (Channel 10, Rochester), WGRZ (Buffalo area), WSTM (Syracuse area), WKTV (Utica area), WETM (Elmira area), WNYT (Albany area), and WBGH (Binghamton area).

● Online streaming services: You can watch games on NFL.com and the NFL mobile app, and you can subscribe to NFL+, the league’s own streaming service, though you can’t cast the games to your TV - you must watch on your phone or tablet.

● TV streaming: You can also stream if you have subscriptions to Spectrum, DirecTV, fuboTV, Sling, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, and Peacock.

Who is announcing the Bills vs. Dolphins game

● Play-by-play: Mike Tirico

● Analyst: Cris Collinsworth

● Sideline reporter: Melissa Stark

On the radio: How to listen to the Bills vs Dolphins game

You can listen on SiriusXM satellite radio on Sirius channel 81 and XM channel 226 (Bills feed) and Sirius channel 85 and XM channel 225 (Dolphins feed), and on traditional radio, the Bills Radio Network has stations all across the state. Chris Brown has the play-by-play, Eric Wood is the analyst, and Sal Capaccio is the sideline reporter. The network includes:

• Rochester (WCMF 96.5 and WROC 950 AM)

• Buffalo (WGR550, 550 AM)

• Syracuse (WTKW 99.5/WTKV 105.5)

• Binghamton (WDRE 100.5FM)

• Ithaca (WIII 99.9/100.3 FM)

• Bath (WVIN 98.3 FM)

• Newark (WACK 1420 AM)

• Dansville (WDNY 93.9 FM)

• Elmira (WNGZ 1490 AM)

• Auburn (WAUB 98.1 FM/1590 AM)

• Geneva (WGVA 95.9 FM, 1240 AM)

Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana. To subscribe to Sal's newsletter, Bills Blast, which comes out twice a week during the season, please follow this link: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills 21, Dolphins 14: Final score, stats as Buffalo wins AFC East