The Buffalo Bills made a statement in the first half of their Thursday Night Football game against the Miami Dolphins.

Buffalo’s defense opened the game with a Ja’Marcus Ingram interception, which led to a 17-yard Josh Allen touchdown pass to James Cook. Miami immediately responded with a nice drive of their own, but from that point on it was all Bills in the first half. James Cook would reach the endzone two more times, while Tyler Bass kicked a field goal.

Buffalo’s defense deserves its fair share of credit for the offense’s success. In addition to Ja’Marcus Ingram’s interception, Christian Benford also had a pick of his own. Later in the first half, Ed Oliver tackled Tua Tagovailoa to force a turnover on downs.

Buffalo kept things rolling in the second half with an early pick-six interception from Ingram. The defense kept coming, forcing multiple turnovers while the offense was happy to run out the clock.

Ultimately, the Bills defeated the Dolphins by a lopsided margin. Now at 2-0, Buffalo can enjoy a mini-bye while hopefully getting healthier in a few spots. After the 31-10 win, here are reasons to be encouraged and concerned about the Bills.

ENCOURAGED

James Kok: Cook returned to Florida and put in a great performance in the first half.

The back opened the game with a 17-yard touchdown reception to open the scoring for Buffalo. He would add two more scores on the ground later in the half. The first came from a one-yard out, while the latter came on a 49-yard score after a turnover on downs by Miami.

With his performance, Cook tied the team record for most touchdowns in the first half.

From Miller: The pass rusher appears to be back to his old self. After a sack in Week 1 against Arizona, Miller recorded another sack against the Dolphins to force a turnover on downs deep in Bills territory. It was more than just a sack, though. Miller consistently won with his pass rushing moves on Thursday night. He had multiple pressures and caused Miami’s tackle to move too early once, earning him a penalty.

Yes’Marcus Ingram: The former UB product had a fantastic summer at St. John Fisher University and carried that into the regular season, where he made some big plays in two weeks.

Accounts OL: Buffalo’s offensive line dominated the Dolphins defensive line for much of Thursday night’s game. The unit opened up run lanes for Cook and Ray Davis and also did a great job of protecting Allen.

Ed Oliver: Oliver didn’t make any plays of note in Buffalo’s home opener against the Cardinals. That wasn’t the case in prime time, however. Oliver made one of the biggest plays of the first half, tackling Tua Tagovailoa to create a turnover on downs. Cook would score a touchdown on the next play.

Christian Benford: Buffalo’s starting cornerback added an interception of his own off Tagovailoa in the first half. Tagovailoa threw an errant pass to Robbie Chosen and Benford waited for the ball.

Bobby Babich and Joe Brady: Buffalo’s coordinators both had excellent nights. Babich’s unit created multiple turnovers, including a pick-six. More than the turnovers, Babich frustrated Mike McDaniels and the Dolphins offense by taking away intermediate and deep shots throughout the game.

Brady showed great feel for the game with his playcalling as Buffalo moved the ball down the field in the first half. The offense wasn’t as dynamic in the second half, but the team was primarily trying to shave time off the clock.

CONCERNED

Terrel Bernard injury: The Bills entered Thursday’s game without a couple of their star defenders. Matt Milano is expected to miss most of the regular season, and All-Pro nickel cornerback Taron Johnson is nursing a forearm injury. Things went from bad to worse Thursday night when Terrel Bernard was pulled from the game in the first half. Buffalo announced that Bernard had a pectoral injury and was questionable to return. Buffalo’s current depth at linebacker is shaky at best. If Bernard’s injury is serious, Buffalo will need to address the position.

Tyler Bas: Tyler Bass was having a good night kicking, until he wasn’t. The kicker came up for a 45-yard field goal in the fourth quarter and the shot was way off. Bass had an inconsistent summer with the Bills and that effort won’t make fans feel any better about the kicker.