ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – Sean McDermott walked to his seat in front of the media with one thing on his mind. It was all about kicker Tyler Bass – the man of the hour – who nailed a 61-yard field goal with just five seconds left against the Dolphins.

‘What a story, man. What a story,” McDermott said proudly after his team’s thrilling 30-27 victory. “I think it is a good example of mental resilience. I think it’s a great example of perseverance and resilience for young children. Here’s a player who was under the microscope pretty hard. We brought a player here to compete with him mid-season, and he didn’t give up. I think that says a lot about who he is.”

Bass, who had missed the late tying goal against the Chiefs in the divisional round last season and had struggled with consistency all summer, in the regular season and even in the Dolphins game, batted away nearly a year of frustration. with a kick so clean it could have been good from 70.

The Dolphins had managed to tie the game with less than two minutes remaining and appeared to be on the verge of stopping the Bills twice, shy of even attempting a field goal. On one of those third downs, almost poetically, the old Bills safety changed. Dolphin Jordan Poyer made a crucial personal mistake to revive the Bills.

Especially after missing an extra point attempt earlier in the game and pushing in his next extra point attempt from the left side, many fans’ nerves about Bass continued to grow. The good thing about the Bills’ successful season is that they haven’t needed a late, game-winning field goal before Week 9. The bad thing is they didn’t know how things would go after the postseason loss to Kansas City. .

But after he hit the ball, there was no doubt anymore. Bass helped the Bills to their 7-2 record. The kicker was visibly emotional during the team’s postgame meeting in the locker room after McDermott awarded him the game ball.

This moment is EVERYTHING. #MIAvsBUF | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/cHTI4qO1Lh

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) November 3, 2024

“He’s our guy,” franchise quarterback Josh Allen declared after the game, admitting he got emotional on behalf of his kicker after the game.

Bass was a little more pragmatic.

“This means a lot,” says Bas. “But at the end of the day, I’m only as good as my next kick. So take the confidence with you and keep it moving.”

Here’s what stood out in the Bills’ win on Sunday, starting with what this moment could mean for Bass.

Why Sunday was more than just the big rush for Tyler Bass

Bass’ 61-yard performance is undoubtedly the biggest event of the game and his season, but of what has plagued him most since late last year, it was a strong day for the Bills’ kicker. Starting with his 44-yard miss against the Chiefs in the postseason, the weak area for Bass throughout the spring, summer and now fall has been on kicks of 40 or more yards. While he missed a few extra point attempts in the first six games, that wasn’t the main concern. After all, he was perfect on nine field goal attempts from under 40 yards. It was more about whether they could trust Bass to make a kick from longer distance without hesitation in a regular setting. That certainly extended to confidence with the game on the line. The Bills were forced to step up against the Jets when Bass missed a 47-yard attempt that could have given the Bills a 23-17 lead. That brought his season percentage of kicks from 40-plus to 50 percent, which amounts to just three of six. The Bills immediately signed kicker Lucas Havrisik to the practice squad, but released him a few days before the Dolphins game.

TYLER BASS!!!!!!!!!!!!

: @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/0YUMp5a5qI

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) November 3, 2024

Not only did Bass get the game winner from 61, but he also added a 40-yard lead in the first quarter and another key goal from 49 at the end of the first half. That doubled his total of 40-plus and brought his winning percentage to 67 percent. He is also now 2-on-2 from 50 yards or more. The Bills have always held out hope that Bass would turn things around, both because they believe in him and because they invested heavily in him with a lucrative contract extension. The team has to hope that this game against the Dolphins is the moment that propels him forward for the rest of the season and, quite frankly, for the rest of his Bills career.

Josh Allen’s numbers weren’t impressive against the Dolphins, but he played a patient game. (Gregory Fisher / Imagn Images)

Josh Allen remains patient and impresses

While his 25-of-39, 235-yard stat line won’t read as one of his best of the season, the context of Allen’s game was mighty impressive considering how the Dolphins defended him for much of the game. The Dolphins played with a heavy emphasis on zone defense, forcing Allen and the Bills to play the game with patience. At least early in the game, the Dolphins were not going to allow the Bills to burn them with big plays in the same way Allen and his receivers had done the previous two weeks. Early in his career, Allen struggled with staying patient, but over the past two years, the quarterback has grown tremendously in that area. They thrived when faced with a zone-heavy approach in early 2024, allowing teams to pivot and put more pressure on Allen to get the then-struggling boundary receivers to beat them. Once Allen and the offense overcame that beast, it was back in the zone, and Allen nicked and dimed them well.

Whether it was short throws to Khalil Shakir or dump-down attempts to Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox and the running backs, Allen took exactly what the Dolphins gave him and waited for them to make a mistake. And they did, in a big way. They fell asleep in coverage and left running back Ray Davis wide open on one side of the field, giving him plenty of room for a runway, and he exploded past two would-be tacklers to reach the end zone. Allen didn’t push the ball far down the field much the rest of the time. Above all, he was efficient, making the right reads and, most importantly, keeping the ball out of the way with so many defenders hanging around trying to force one through. His only “mistake” was a throw that hit rookie receiver Keon Coleman in the hands, bounced off his chest and into the arms of a Dolphins defender for an interception. The play should have been a touchdown, but instead a key scoring opportunity in the first half was taken away. Regardless, Allen didn’t try to force the issue as the game evolved.

Perhaps most impressively, Allen had to play the game without Amari Cooper in the lineup. Cooper was inactive due to a wrist injury and McDermott made it sound like they expected him to be able to play on Sunday. The pre-Cooper Bills showed some serious deficiencies in the passing offense that forced the team to trade for him, which certainly helped the overall environment. But without him, Allen turned to the likes of Mack Hollins and even Quintin Morris in tough moments. It was the kind of effort where Allen helped steal a win in a game most other teams would have lost, all because he was patient and never tried to force the issue.