The Buffalo Bills visited the division rival Miami Dolphins on Thursday Night Football to open Week 2 of the NFL season. Like we’ve seen a lot recently, Buffalo took care of business against its division rival.
Buffalo’s defense intercepted Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa twice in the first half alone. He also exited the game in the second half due to another concussion.
Meanwhile, stud young running back James Cook took it to the house with a 49-yard touchdown run. That was pretty much all she wrote, with the Bills opening up a 24-10 halftime lead. From there they won going away by the score of 31-10. Here, we look at five winners and losers from Thursday’s game.
Related: NFL Week 2 expert picks
Winner: James Cook, Buffalo Bills
This stud young running back was absolutely dominant early Thursday night. That included Cook becoming the first Bills running back ever to score three touchdowns in one half of action. His 49-yard touchdown late in the first quarter gave Buffalo a 24-7 lead. All said, Cook tallied 95 total yards on just 12 touches in the 21-point victory. This came after he put up 103 total yards on 22 touches in Buffalo’s season-opening win over the Arizona Cardinals. Without Stefon Diggs in the mix at wide receiver, the Bills need more balance on offense. Cook has provided that through two weeks.
Read more: Buffalo Bills standing in Sportsnaut’s NFL power rankings
Loser: Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
After a drama-filled past few days following Sunday’s incident with the Miami Police Department, most expected Hill to do his talking on the field. After all, the All-Pro receiver tallied seven receptions for 130 yards mere hours after being detained on Sunday. About that? Hill was not his typically dominant self against the Bills. He tallied a mere two receptions for 16 yards in the first half, and was blanketed by Bills cornerback Rasul Douglas throughout. Hill finished the game with three receptions for 24 yards. Ouch!
Related: Miami Dolphins standing in Sportsnaut’s NFL defense rankings
Winner: Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills were hopeful that this former fifth-round pick from Boise State would step up in 2024. After all, they lost both Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis during the offseason. After scoring a touchdown last week, Shakir was the best receiver on the field Thursday. He caught all five of his targets for 54 yards. Shakir might never be a No. 1 receiver. But getting consistent performances like we’ve seen the first two weeks is going to be huge moving forward.
Read more: NFL Playoff and Super Bowl predictions
Loser: Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
People subject Tua Tagovailoa to criticism due to a perceived lack of overall skill set. It’s not fair criticism considering how well he’s played in recent season. That’s especially true when we talk about not turning it over. After all, he’s thrown just 37 interceptions in 54 career games. Heading into Thursday night, he had just 10 multiple-interception games. We can now add an 11th to that. Tua threw three picks, including a pick-six in the loss. Unfortunately, that’s not close to the story. He also suffered a concussion in the third quarter and was ruled out. It’s scary given the concussion issues he has had in the past.
Read more: Buffalo Bills standing in Sportsnaut’s NFL offense rankings
Winner: Buffalo Bills cornerbacks
Led by Christian Benford and Rasul Douglas, Bills cornerbacks held Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle to a combined five catches for 36 yards in the first half Thursday night. The two ended up catching seven passes for 75 yards. Buffalo’s cornerback group was seemingly questionable heading into the 2024 season. Through two weeks, it has looked like a strength.