MIAMI, Sept. 12 (UPI) — James Cook repeatedly left trails of defenders in his wake, scoring three first-half touchdowns to lead the Buffalo Bills to a dominant win over the Miami Dolphins on Thursday at Hard Rock Stadium.
The Bills running back also totaled 95 yards from scrimmage in the 31-10 victory in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Dolphins not only lost a vital divisional matchup, but also lost quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who sustained his third documented concussion in the third quarter.
“These guys work hard,” Bills coach Sean McDermott told reporters. “It was a good team win, all three phases. It’s not about one person. All three phases factored in the win. Still a lot of work to do, but we will enjoy this.”
Tagovailoa matched his career-high with three interceptions before his departure. The Bills have now won 12 of their last 13 games against Miami.
Josh Allen completed 13 of 19 passes for 139 yards and a score for the Bills. Cornerback Ja’Marcus Ingram logged two interceptions, including one for a 31-yard touchdown.
He caught a deflected pass for an interception off Tagovailoa on the Dolphins’ first drive of the night. The Bills found the end zone less than three minutes later, with Allen throwing a 17-yard touchdown toss to running back James Cook.
Cookin’ up his THIRD TD of the night #BUFvsMIA on Prime Video
Also streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/hPFdtSTyK8— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2024
Tagovailoa and the Dolphins answered with a 10-play, 70-yard drive, which ended with a 5-yard touchdown toss to De’Von Achane.
Tagovailoa threw another interception in the final seconds of the first quarter, handing the ball back to the Bills. Kicker Tyler Bass made a 43-yard field goal 2:15 into the second for a 10-7 edge.
The Bills pushed their lead to 10 points with an 8-play, 85-yard drive later in the quarter, capped off by a 1-yard touchdown run from Cook.
Cook returned to the end zone less than three minutes later, racing through the line of scrimmage and bursting up the right flank for a 49-yard touchdown.
Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders hit a 34-yard field goal in the final seconds of the first half, making the score 24-10 at the break.
But the Bills continued their dominance, with Ingram intercepting Tagovailoa for a second time and scoring on a 31-yard return for a 21-point advantage.
Tagovailoa sustained his concussion about five minutes later. He was replaced by backup quarterback Skylar Thompson for the remainder of the game.
Thompson completed 8 of 14 passes for 80 yards. Achane totaled 165 yards from scrimmage in the loss.
The Dolphins (1-1) will face the Seattle Seahawks in their third game of the season on Sept. 22 in Seattle. The Bills (2-0) will host the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 23 in Orchard Park, N.Y.
