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NFL Week 2 Recap: Buffalo Bills 31, Miami Dolphins 10

2Y37DT5 Buffalo Bills running back James Cook (4) runs for a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

The Buffalo Bills kicked off Week 2 with an impressive 31-10 victory over the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on Thursday night.

While most of the pregame conversation surrounded Josh Allen and Tua Tagovailoa, James Cook stole the show, scoring three first-half touchdowns that put the Bills comfortably ahead of their division rival. While a Week 2 loss isn't going to derail their season, it will make the Dolphins' road to the AFC East crown quite a bit tougher, especially if Tagovailoa is going to miss significant time after leaving the game in the third quarter due to a concussion

PFF's dedicated team of graders was hard at work, analyzing every player on every play in real time. The grades and data will be available after a thorough review tomorrow at 12 p.m. EST.

In the meantime, we’ve gathered some high-level data and snap counts from the game to give you an early look. Our expert graders have also nominated the standout player of the game, highlighting exceptional performance on the field.

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PLAYER OF THE GAME

To no one's surprise, the aforementioned Cook was certainly the best player in Thursday's night game. Ultimately, Cook finished with 11 carries for 78 yards (68 of which came after contact) and two touchdowns in addition to a 17-yard touchdown reception, bringing his touchdown total to three on the evening. He also forced a missed tackle on the ground and recorded a touchdown or first down on 50% of his touches. It was incredibly impressive that Cook was able to make such an outsized impact despite only touching the ball 12 times against the Dolphins.

BOX SCORE

Bills Dolphins
Total points 31 10
Total offensive plays 45 75
Average EPA per play 0.153 -0.269
Total net yards 263 351
Avg yards per play 5.8 4.7
Total first downs 12 20
Rushing first downs 7 6
Passing first downs 4 14
Penalty first downs 1 0
Third-down efficiency 33% 44%
Fourth-down efficiency 17% 17%
Possessions 10 10
Avg plays per drive 5.5 7.4
Avg yards per drive 23.9 31.9
Avg points per drive 2.3 0.9
Red-zone posessions 2 4
Red-zone plays 4 17
Red-zone TDs 2 1
Red-zone FGs 0 1
Red-zone scoring efficiency 100% 50%

SNAP COUNTS & PLAYER PARTICIPATION

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