ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — — Tyler Bass has put to rest the doubts, the constant questions about his consistency and the latest challenge to his job.

Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott showed confidence in Bass by sending him out to attempt a 61-yard field goal with 5 seconds left, and the kick was good to give Buffalo a 30-27 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday to deliver.

“It means everything. Very emotional,” Bass, 27, said of a field goal that was the longest of his career and broke the franchise record by 2 yards. Steve Christie had the previous figure, a 59-year-old in 1993.

“I just remind myself that I love this, I love the sport. This is what I dreamed of and when I was there,” he added. “I honestly didn’t think about anything. I just went through my process and trusted my preparation. And that was it.”

The kick capped a tense back-and-forth between Buffalo’s Josh Allen, who threw three touchdown passes after halftime, and Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa. The teams traded leads four times and combined for seven straight scoring drives in the second half.

The Bills continued their dominance over the Dolphins by sweeping the season series. Buffalo (7-2) has won six straight games at home, thirteen of fourteen and nine straight against Miami.

And with their best nine-game start since 2020, the Bills have built a commanding four-game lead in the AFC East over the New York Jets as they seek a fifth straight division title.

The Dolphins (2-6), meanwhile, played what they considered their most complete performance of the season but dropped their third straight game. They lost for the second straight week on a field goal in the final seconds of a 28–27 loss to Arizona on Chad Ryland’s 34-yarder as time expired.

“There are no moral victories in this game,” Calais Campbell said. “It wasn’t enough. … It’s heartbreaking, but we’ve just got to use this to push us and keep preparing this week and find a way to win one next week.

Tagovailoa lost his second straight start after missing four games with a concussion.

“Hats off to Tyler Bass who made this. Hats off to their team, they did a great job. It was a great game,” said Tagovailoa, who finished 25 of 28 for 231 yards and two touchdowns. “There are things we can fix on both sides of the ball, offensively and defensively, but I think as a team we are taking a step in the right direction.”

Miami tied the game one final time when Tagovailoa threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Waddle with 1:38 left to cap an 11-play, 81-yard drive.

The Bills took over at the 30 and their drive was extended with consecutive penalties. Chop Robinson jumped offsides on third-and-14 from the Buffalo 26. On the next snap, former Bills safety Jordan Poyer was flagged for unnecessary roughness for his helmet-to-helmet hit on receiver Keon Coleman on Allen’s deep attempt down the left sideline .

Buffalo’s drive stalled at the Miami 43 after a spike and two incompletions with 10 seconds left. Bass not only split the uprights, but also had enough length to reach the front row of fans in the end zone.

“So proud of him. So happy for him. I got emotional in my little speech after the game just because of the trials and tribulations he’s been in all year,” Allen said. “It’s what stories are made of. And I love him.”

Bass missed an extra point in the third quarter, his third missed PAT of the season, and the Bills signed kicker Lucas Havrisik to their practice squad two weeks ago before releasing him this week. Questions about Bass’ job security dated to last season, when he missed a 44-yard attempt wide in the final minutes of a 27-24 loss to Kansas City in the divisional playoff round.

‘He did it. I didn’t do it,” McDermott said when asked if he felt justified in sending out Bass, who has also missed three of 15 field goal attempts this year.

“I think it is a good example of mental resilience. I think it’s a great example of perseverance and resilience, and for young kids out there,” McDermott added. “Here’s a player who was under the microscope pretty hard. And we brought a player here to compete with him mid-season and he didn’t give up. …And I couldn’t be more proud of him and what he did today.

Allen shook off an inconsistent first half. The Bills settled for field goals on two drives inside the Dolphins 20, and on their other trip to the red zone, Allen was intercepted.

But after the break he was almost perfect. Allen capped three touchdown drives with a 1-yard pass to Mack Hollins, a 63-yard catch-and-run to rookie running back Ray Davis and a 2-yard TD to Quinton Morris, who threw the quarterback forward as he was addressed. by two defenders.

Standing at the post-match lectern, he summed up the outing with a one-word response: “Breathe.”

Miami’s De’Von Achane finished with 12 rushes for 63 yards and a touchdown and had eight receptions for 58 yards and a score. Tyreek Hill had 80 yards receiving for the Dolphins, his highest since Week 1 of a frustrating season.

Khalil Shakir had six catches for 50 yards for the Bills, who had little running game and relied on Allen distributing the ball to eight receivers with Amari Cooper sidelined with a hand injury.

Next

Dolphins: at the Los Angeles Rams on Monday, November 11.

Bills: Next Sunday in Indianapolis.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl