MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Buffalo Bills claimed another victory over the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night, riding a first-half touchdown run from James Cook and two interceptions from Ja’Marcus Ingram to beat the Dolphins 31-10 at Hard Rock Stadium.

The loss wasn’t Miami’s biggest concern, however, as quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion late in the third quarter. Tagovailoa was immediately ruled out after a night in which he threw three interceptions, one of which Ingram returned for a touchdown in the third quarter. Now the Dolphins face an uncertain future as they evaluate Tagovailoa, who has had issues with concussions in the past.

Here are the key things you need to know for both teams on Thursday night:

For much of Josh Allen’s career, he’s been the primary provider of Bills rushing touchdowns. That wasn’t the case Thursday night in a statement AFC East win.

While Allen struggled with a left hand injury sustained on a touchdown run — or jump, to be more specific — in Week 1, Cook had the night of his career, as his three touchdowns helped the Bills to a decisive victory over the Dolphins. In just one game, Cook matched his rushing touchdown totals from last season and the season before (two in each).

Cook’s first touchdown of the night came on the game’s opening drive — following the first of two interceptions by Ingram — on a 17-yard touchdown pass by Allen. The second was a 1-yard rushing score in the second quarter, and the third came on Buffalo’s next offensive play, when Cook sped 49 yards untouched into the end zone to put the Bills up 24-7. Since ESPN began tracking yards before contact in 2006, Cook is the seventh player with an untouched rushing touchdown of 49 yards or more. All of his touchdowns came in the first half.

The team finished with 108 yards on the ground, with Cook leading the way with 11 attempts for 78 yards, along with one reception.

Offensive coordinator Joe Brady continued to emphasize running the ball, as Allen finished the game completing 13 of 19 passes for 139 yards and one touchdown.

There are new characters around Allen in the wide receivers room, but this offense has shown early that it can score points and take advantage of opportunities.

Most surprising achievement: The Bills have had success with defensive backups in the past, but Ingram has made an absolute statement in the first two games of the season. Coach Sean McDermott said Ingram would have been a healthy scratch in Week 1 had defensive end Dawuane Smoot not been injured, but Ingram instead played in the team’s dime package after nickel corner Taron Johnson injured his forearm and Cam Lewis moved to nickel and defended the game-ending play. Against the Dolphins, Ingram — an undrafted free agent out of the University of Buffalo in 2022 who spent the previous two seasons on the Bills’ practice squad — put on a show, throwing two interceptions, including a pick-six. Even with Johnson returning, Ingram should get more opportunities.

Crucial game: Up 10-7, on the Bills’ fourth drive the team really began to break away. On third-and-12 from the Miami 34-yard line, Allen waited in the pocket, then raced to his right and threw a 33-yard toss across his body to running back Ty Johnson. The impressive throw led to a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Cook on the next play, giving the Bills a double-digit lead from which the team never looked back.

Describe the game in two words: Statement making. Any doubts that the AFC East still ran through Buffalo, New York, were erased with this decisive road win. The victory moves the Bills to 20-5 against the division since 2020 and improves Allen’s record over the Dolphins to 12-2. Thursday also marked the Bills’ fifth straight win, including the postseason, against Miami.

Promising trend: The defense limits big plays. The Bills have made a point of discouraging offenses from getting big plays downfield, which was especially noticeable Thursday given the speed the Dolphins are showing. They’ve done that successfully through the first two games of the 2024 season. Tagovailoa went 0-of-4 on passes 15 yards downfield and 2-of-8 on throws 10 yards downfield. In Week 1, Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray went 0-of-6 on passes of 10 or more air yards. — Alaina Getzenberg

Next match: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (7:30 p.m. ET, Monday, September 23)

A nightmare.

There’s no other way to describe the Dolphins’ loss to the Bills.

Not only did they lose their 10th game in their last 11 games to their AFC East rival, they may have lost their quarterback indefinitely. Tagovailoa suffered a terrifying concussion late in the third quarter after a blow to his helmet kept him on the ground for several minutes as players knelt around him.

Fortunately, he was able to walk off the field under his own power and eventually into the locker room. Besides a collective gasp as Tagovailoa writhed on the ground after the impact, Dolphins and Bills fans were stunned inside an eerily quiet Hard Rock Stadium.

Tagovailoa’s concussion history — two diagnosed concussions during the 2022 season — likely means he and the team will be kept under intense surveillance for the next 10 days. What happens if he clears the NFL’s concussion protocol in time for Miami’s Week 3 game against the Seattle Seahawks? Could 10 days be enough for the Dolphins to let their newly crowned franchise quarterback play after yet another head injury?

Perhaps the Dolphins will rule him out longer, perhaps a stint on the injured list? Or even longer than that? At the risk of sounding overly dramatic, nothing is out of the question, as the Dolphins’ 2024 season has taken a serious turn after just two weeks.

Worrying trend: For the second time in as many weeks, the Dolphins offense laid an egg in the first half. Tagovailoa threw his first interception of the season on Miami’s opening drive and his second two drives later. This may have been the biggest hole in the Dolphins’ game plan, as Tagovailoa threw both interceptions to receivers he normally doesn’t throw to — Grant DuBose and Robbie Chosen. The only thing that kept the crowd from going home at halftime was a 78-yard run by running back De’Von Achane. Miami did just about everything it could possibly do wrong in a game against a team it couldn’t afford to make mistakes against.

Describe the game in two words: An unmitigated disaster. The loss was painful enough for the Dolphins to endure, but Tagovailoa suffering the third diagnosed concussion of his career could jeopardize the remainder of this season. Given the events of the 2022 season, the team will likely be under a microscope as they decide how to handle their franchise quarterback.

Forecast for next week: The lone bright spot in Thursday’s loss was Achane’s performance. He stepped up to the plate in Raheem Mostert’s absence, with 96 yards on 22 carries and Miami’s lone touchdown. Regardless of Mostert’s health next week, expect Achane to play prominently in Week 3 against the Seahawks — especially if Tagovailoa doesn’t play. — Marcel Louis-Jacques

Next match: at Seattle Seahawks (4:05 p.m. ET, Sunday, September 22)