The Buffalo Bills celebrated a convincing 31-10 victory over the Miami Dolphins in the duel of the AFC East contenders on Thursday. But in the third quarter, the story quickly turned to the condition of Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who suffered a concussion when he was tackled at the end of a run.

The scary moment comes two years after Tagovailoa suffered multiple head injuries throughout the 2022 season. Miami immediately ruled him out of Thursday’s game – meaning he will be placed in the league’s concussion protocol.

For Buffalo, which improved its record to 2-0, running back James Cook set a new career high with three touchdowns and the Bills defense intercepted three passes from Tagovailoa in a dominant effort.

What we learned and what’s next:

How the Bills dictated the pace of the game

The Bills dominated the running game on offense so much that they averaged over 8 yards per run in the first half.

Cook’s 49-yard touchdown was the culmination of what stunned the Dolphins in the first 30 minutes. It minimized the need for franchise quarterback Josh Allen to go into takeover mode like he did the previous week against the Arizona Cardinals. Allen only had to attempt six passes in the second half to keep the clock ticking en route to the win.

Scores his THIRD touchdown of the night 🔥#BUFvsMIA on Prime Video
Streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/hPFdtSTyK8

— NFL (@NFL) 13 September 2024

Under offensive coordinator Joe Brady, the Bills have continued their trend from late 2023 of being a team that wants to dictate the tempo by establishing a presence in the running game. Because of this, the Bills have been an extremely dynamic offense entering 2024. — Search

Bills cornerback Ja’Marcus Ingram spent most of Week 1 thinking he was out of the game, but an injury on the defensive line forced the Bills to reshuffle their lineup for game day. Ingram found himself in a defensive role. In Week 2, he was the unexpected star of the night.

Ingram, who had few defensive snaps in his dime role, intercepted two passes from Tagovailoa and scored a touchdown. His second interception decided the game for the Bills. It was also a critical moment because the Bills, who led only 24-10 at the time, had to force their offense off the field early in the second half. Ingram’s great play put the Bills ahead by three touchdowns and for the rest of the night there was no doubt about their victory. — Search

Ingram to the house. 😤

📺 #BUFvsMIA: @PrimeVideo pic.twitter.com/DxG541K8w8

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) 13 September 2024

A concern for the Bills

Even during an impressive win, the Bills left Miami Gardens with another big question about their defense. Starting middle linebacker Terrel Bernard, one of only two captains on the roster, left the game in the first quarter with a pectoral muscle injury. The team declared Bernard’s night over shortly after halftime, much like it did in its Week 1 win over the Cardinals with nickel corner Taron Johnson.

The Bills had to finish the game against the Dolphins without the three players they expected to start alongside the linebacker unit – Bernard, star linebacker Matt Milano (torn biceps in August) and Johnson, their de facto linebacker. The Bills will have to hope for good news as they have an extended break from play before their Monday night game against the Jaguars on Sept. 23. – Search

Dolphins season depends on what’s next for Tagovailoa

Tua Tagovailoa leaves the field after suffering a concussion on Thursday. (Megan Briggs / Getty Images)

The Dolphins endured a sobering Friday morning as they analyzed how they were destroyed at home by a division rival. But all the issues that surfaced in the loss became secondary when Tagovailoa took a blow to the head after colliding with Bills safety Damar Hamlin during a red zone scrum and suffered another concussion.

Tagovailoa’s history of head injuries is well-documented. He suffered two of them during the 2022 season. The second occurred when his head slammed into the turf during a nationally televised game in Cincinnati and he had to be carried off the field. When he returned before the 2023 season, Tagovailoa admitted he had considered retirement.

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“Yeah, I think I’ve thought about it for a while,” he said in April 2023. “I’ve sat down with my family, with my wife and had conversations like that, but it would be really hard for me to give up this game with my son and my age – I’ve always dreamed of playing as long as possible so my son knows exactly what he’s watching his dad play. It’s about my health, it’s about my body and I think that’s the best thing for me and my family. I love football. If that wasn’t the case, I would have quit a long time ago.”

Last season, Tagovailoa earned his first Pro Bowl nod after throwing for over 4,600 yards and 29 touchdowns. He worked on his self-protection throughout the offseason, even taking mixed martial arts classes to learn safer falling. He came through the season healthy and his health must now be the Dolphins’ top priority. — Cosmider

The Dolphins have a Bills problem

The Dolphins have not won an AFC East title since 2008. That title, won in a season Tom Brady missed due to injury, was the only interruption in New England’s dominance of the division, which lasted from 2003 to 2019.

The Dolphins are a better team than they were during the Patriots’ dominance, but they still have an obstacle in their way. The Bills, who have won four straight division titles, have now beaten the Dolphins in 12 of the last 13 meetings between the two teams since the 2018 season. The gap between the Bills and the rest of the division may not be as wide as it was when Brady and Bill Belichick were winning title after title, but the Bills could be an even bigger kryptonite for the Dolphins.

The Bills represent a hurdle for the Dolphins that they must overcome if they want to be more than a team that starts the playoffs on the road and finishes quickly in the postseason. — Cosmider

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(Photo: Jasen Vinlove / Imagn Images)