Watch: Bills' aggressive fourth-down call results in early TD

Buffalo Bills players celebrate with running back James Cook after a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins during the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Watch: Bills' aggressive fourth-down call results in early touchdown

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Sep 12, 2024 8:40 PM ET

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott had no interest in playing for field goals in the first quarter of Thursday's game against the Miami Dolphins.

With the Bills facing a fourth-and-three from the Miami 17-yard line, McDermott elected to keep his offense on the field and go for it, passing up what was probably an automatic three points.

It paid off as quarterback Josh Allen found a wide-open James Cook out of the backfield who then sprinted into the end zone for the game's first touchdown.

4th down? Make that a touchdown.

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McDermott's decision to go for it there so aggressively probably came down to two factors.

For one, any time you can keep Allen on the field and give him a chance to make a play, it is probably a smart decision. He is one of the best players in football and a fourth-and-three is very manageable for him.

The other factor is that McDermott must know Miami has one of the NFL's best offenses and has a chance to put up a lot of points in a hurry. He probably figured this is not a game that is going to be won on field goals.

The aggressiveness paid off on their opening drive.

That series was set up by a Ja'Marcus Ingram interception on Miami's first offensive series to open the game.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz

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