NFL highlights on Jan. 7: Bills beat Dolphins for AFC East title

The Buffalo Bills defeated the Miami Dolphins 21-14 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Sunday, winning the American Football Conference (AFC) East title and reaching the National Football League (NFL) playoffs as the AFC No. 2 seed.

Both teams had clinched playoff qualification before the kick-off as the Jacksonville Jaguars lost to the Tennessee Titans 28-20 earlier on the day. However, in order to begin the postseason at home and not to face the AFC champions, the Baltimore Ravens, in the second game, both the Bills and the Dolphins had every reason to want a win on Sunday night.

As the quarterbacks (QBs) of the two sides, Josh Allen and Tua Tagovailoa have been well-known for both their explosive deep passing abilities and occasional poor reading of defense. That's why it was not surprising at all when the Bills and the Dolphins exchanged two interceptions within their first drives in the game.

Tagovailoa found his pace of the game first by completing two straight scoring drives of 11 plays, 80 yards and nine plays, 75 yards respectively in the second quarter. Both ended with touchdowns for the Dolphins, which led 14-7 after the first half.

By contrast, Allen seemed disoriented in the first two quarters. The Bills second drive also ended with an interception he threw. He had some highlights including connecting with wide receiver Stefon Diggs from 36 yards to move to the red zone. The team scored a touchdown in that drive.

However, during most of the time, Allen didn't give full play to his talents. They missed a good chance to tie the score before the end of the first half. Their first drive in the third quarter lasted over five minutes but only took the Bills 19 yards forward before ending with a punt. Then in the next drive, Allen was sacked and had a fumble. At that moment, both he and the Bills looked very close to collapsing.

Wide receiver Deonte Harty saved the Bulls and their QB by scoring a 96-yard return touchdown after the Dolphins punted. Not only did that play tie the score for his side, it set the rest of the team free from pressure. They limited the Dolphins to three plays and one yard in the following drive. Then Allen completed all five of his passes and found tight end Dawson Knox with a five-yard short pass to score a touchdown that placed the Bills on lead 21-14.

By contrast, the Dolphins fell into a slump offensively in the second half. Three of their drives ended with punts and none of them generated more than nine yards. In their desperate attempt in the final two minutes, Tagovailoa's pass toward wide receiver Tyreek Hill was intercepted by safety Taylor Rapp, costing the Dolphins both the game and the division title.

Other games on Sunday (away teams come first):

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-0 Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns 14-31 Cincinnati Bengals

Minnesota Vikings 20-30 Detroit Lions

New York Jets 17-3 New England Patriots

Atlanta Falcons 17-48 New Orleans Saints

Seattle Seahawks 21-20 Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears 9-17 Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs 13-12 Los Angeles Chargers

Denver Broncos 14-27 Las Vegas Raiders

Philadelphia Eagles 10-27 New York Giants

Los Angeles Rams 21-20 San Francisco 49ers

Dallas Cowboys 38-10 Washington Commanders

National Football Conference wild card bracket (away teams come first):

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Green Bay Packers vs. Dallas Cowboys

Los Angeles Rams vs. Detroit Lions

American Football Conference wild card bracket (away teams come first):

Cleveland Browns vs. Houston Texans

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Buffalo Bills

Miami Dolphins vs. Kansas City Chiefs