Tyler Bass' 61-yard field goal saves the day, ends Buffalo's kicking woes: Bill's observations

ORCHARD PARK, NY – Sean McDermott walked to his seat in front of the media with one thought in mind. It was all about kicker Tyler Bass – the man of the hour – who hit 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 win. “I think it's a great example of mental toughness. I think it's a great example of the persistence and resilience of young kids out there. Here's a player who's been under a hell of a lot of scrutiny. We brought a player here in the middle of the season to compete with him and he didn't back down. I think that says a lot about who he is.”

Bass, who missed the game-winning kick against the Chiefs in the divisional round last season and struggled with consistency throughout the summer, into the regular season and even in the game against the Dolphins, left nearly a year's worth of frustration behind him With a kick so clean, he could have been good from 70.

The Dolphins had managed to tie the game with less than two minutes left and appeared to be on the verge of preventing the Bills from even attempting a field goal twice. On one of those third downs, Dolphin Jordan Poyer, the Bills' longtime safety, almost poetically picked up a critical personal foul to breathe new life into the Bills.

Especially after he missed an extra point attempt early in the game and sank his next extra point attempt in from the left post, many fans became nervous about Bass. The good thing about the Bills' successful season is that they didn't need a late, game-winning field goal until Week 9. The bad thing is that after the postseason loss to Kansas City, they didn't know what would happen next.

But after he hit the ball, there was no longer any doubt. Bass helped the Bills to their 7-2 record. The kicker was visibly emotional in the team's postgame huddle 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 said after the game, admitting he got emotional on behalf of his kicker after the game.

Bass was a little more pragmatic.

“It means a lot,” Bass said. “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 from the Bills' win on Sunday, starting with what the moment could mean for Bass.

Why Sunday was more than just a big kick for Tyler Bass

Bass' 61-yard strike is undoubtedly the headline event of the game and his season, but after 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 in the spring, summer and now fall has been kicks of 40 or more yards. Although he missed two 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 less than 40 yards. It was more about whether they could rely on Bass to throw a kick from a longer distance without hesitation in a regular situation. That certainly contributed to the game being on the line. The Bills were forced to take action against the Jets when Bass missed a 47-yard attempt that could have given the Bills a 23-17 lead. As a result, his season rate of kicks fell from over 40 to 50 percent, so that he only made three out of six kicks. The Bills immediately signed kicker Lucas Havrisik to the practice squad only to release him a few days before the Dolphins game.

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

: @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/0YUMp5a5qI

– Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) November 3, 2024

In addition to scoring the winning score from 61 yards, Bass also caught a 40-yard pass in the first quarter and another game-winning score from 49 yards at the end of the first half. This doubled his total from over 40 and increased his make percentage to 67 percent. He is also now 2 of 2 from 50 yards or more. The Bills have always hoped that Bass would turn things around 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 defining moment that propels him forward for the rest of the season and, frankly, 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 impressed

While his 25-of-39 and 235-yard stats aren't among his best of the season, the context of Allen's play was extremely 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 weren't going to let the Bills burn them with big plays like Allen and his receivers had done the past two weeks. Allen struggled with staying patient early in his career, but over the past two years the quarterback has developed greatly in that area. They thrived going against a zone-heavy approach in early 2024, only for teams to pivot and start putting more pressure on Allen to get the then-struggling boundary receivers to beat them. When Allen and the offense defeated the beast, it was back in the zone, and Allen nickeled and dimed it well.

Whether it was short throws to Khalil Shakir or dump-down attempts against 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 so on a grand scale. They fell asleep in coverage and allowed running back Ray Davis to get wide open on one side of the field, giving him plenty of room for a runway, and he darted past two would-be tacklers and into the end zone. The rest of the time, Allen didn't push the ball far up the field. Most importantly, he was efficient, made the right plays and, most importantly, kept the ball out of danger while there were so many defenders standing around trying to get him to force a pass. His only “mistake” was a throw that hit rookie receiver Keon Coleman in the hands, bounced off his chest and fell into the arms of a Dolphins defender for interception. The play should have been a touchdown, but instead it denied the Bills an important scoring opportunity in the first half. Regardless, Allen didn't try to force the issue as the game progressed.

Perhaps most impressively, Allen had to play through the game without Amari Cooper in the lineup. Cooper was inactive with 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 dire moments. It was the kind of effort that helped Allen secure a victory in a game that most other teams would have lost, all because he was patient and never tried to force the issue.