2002 · Week 13 · Division

Final

Dolphins

Miami

QB Ray Lucas

21·38

Bills

Buffalo

QB Drew Bledsoe

Ralph Wilson Stadium · outdoors · astroturf · 25°F · wind 15mph

Closing spread

MIA -2

Total

37

Model margin

+4.7est.

BUF perspective

Push chance

1.9%est.

Win probability

  • Bills
  • Dolphins

How each play moved the game.

Bills winsDolphins wins

Matchup

Where the edges are

Season-long league percentiles for both sides, mirrored. The saturated side of a lopsided row holds the edge.

Dolphinsedge mapBills
  • +0.017EPA / play+0.021
  • 45.0%Success rate47.1%
  • +0.060EPA / dropback+0.091
  • -0.028EPA / rush-0.110
  • 11.0%Explosive rate8.3%
  • 37.0%Third-down rate42.2%
  • 65.1%Red-zone TD rate59.5%
  • 1.85Points / drive1.81
  • 2.9%Turnover rate2.6%
  • -0.083EPA / play allowed+0.022

Bar length is league percentile, already oriented so longer is better. The saturated side of a lopsided row holds the edge; rows within ~12 points are washed as even.

The rivalry

BUF lead 35–20 since 1999

Meetings average 43.2 points. BUF are 29-25-1 ATS in the series.

Previous meetings
SeasonMatchupScoreWinner
2025 · W10BUF @ MIA13–30MIA
2025 · W3MIA @ BUF21–31BUF
2024 · W9MIA @ BUF27–30BUF
2024 · W2BUF @ MIA31–10BUF
2023 · W18BUF @ MIA21–14BUF
2023 · W4MIA @ BUF20–48BUF
2022 · playoffsMIA @ BUF31–34BUF
2022 · W15MIA @ BUF29–32BUF

Possession by possession

How it unfolded

Every drive: who had the ball, how far it went, how it ended, and the score as it settled.

Drive-by-drive log
BallStartPlaysYardsResultMIA–BUF
BUFQ1 15:00511Punt6–0
MIAQ1 11:20145Touchdown7–0
BUFQ1 11:111154Field goal7–3
MIAQ1 6:011168Touchdown14–3
BUFQ1 0:06524Punt14–3
MIAQ2 13:1136Punt14–3
BUFQ2 10:513-4Punt14–3
MIAQ2 9:283-2Punt14–3
BUFQ2 8:011024Touchdown14–10
MIAQ2 3:37937Turnover14–10
BUFQ2 0:38431Touchdown14–17
MIAQ2 0:1100End of half14–17
MIAQ3 15:0036Punt14–17
BUFQ3 13:274-5Turnover on downs14–17
MIAQ3 12:183-5Punt14–17
BUFQ3 10:59958Missed field goal14–17
MIAQ3 7:01364Touchdown21–17
BUFQ3 5:33276Touchdown21–24
MIAQ3 4:35518Turnover21–30
BUFQ3 2:10157Touchdown21–31
MIAQ3 2:01413Turnover21–31
BUFQ4 14:49766Touchdown21–38
MIAQ4 10:30717Turnover on downs21–38
BUFQ4 7:13939Turnover on downs21–38
MIAQ4 2:04434End of half21–38

Box score

Individual performances

Dolphins

Passing

PlayerC/AttYdsTDINT
Ray Lucas6/114010
Jay Fiedler5/91501

Rushing

PlayerCarYdsAvgTD
Ricky Williams272288.42
Travis Minor4348.50
Ray Lucas382.70

Receiving

PlayerRecTgtYdsTD
Jed Weaver22181
Chris Chambers26170
Dedric Ward12110
Ricky Williams4670
Randy McMichael2220
James McKnight0200

Bills

Passing

PlayerC/AttYdsTDINT
Drew Bledsoe15/2730630

Rushing

PlayerCarYdsAvgTD
Travis Henry351514.31
Drew Bledsoe122.01

Receiving

PlayerRecTgtYdsTD
Eric Moulds571301
Peerless Price23932
Travis Henry25270
Dave Moore1180
Jay Riemersma1280
Josh Reed1150

Where this game is likely to land

  • Model
  • Smooth (normal)
  • Betting line

Probability of each final margin. Football scoring clusters — the spikes at 3 and 7 are real, and a smooth model misses them.

line -23.6%6.5%7.5%3.2%4.9%3.2%

Positive margins favour Bills; negative favour Dolphins.

Half-point at risk

1.92%

outcomes that flip if the line moves 0.5

Model home win

61.5%

Expected total

46.2est.

Model

Where the number comes from

Each component is additive, in points of expected margin.

  • Team ratings (opponent-adjusted EPA)-1.16
  • Home-field advantage+2.56
  • Quarterback adjustment+3.27
  • Rest differential0.00
  • Expected margin+4.67