Buffalo have won the AFC East division title in each of the past five seasons and have now won 13 of their past 14 regular-season meetings with Miami.
Rookie running back Ollie Gordon II gave Miami the lead before Buffalo tight end Dalton Kincaid forced the ball in after collecting an Allen pass and last season’s Most Valuable Player then made a shovel pass to Jackson Hawes for the rookie tight end to score.
Miami made it 14-14 at half-time as Tagovailoa found Waddle with the first of his two touchdown passes, before James Cook – who finished with 108 rushing yards – matched a team record by making it seven regular-season games with a rushing touchdown.
Miami levelled again as Tagovailoa found receiver Hill in the back of the end zone before they handed Buffalo a reprieve as Zach Sieler was penalised for roughing the punter, giving the Bills a new set of downs.
Five plays later, Shakir got in from a screen pass – the 200th regular-season touchdown pass of Allen’s career – before Bernard’s interception gave Prater the chance to clinch the win with a 48-yard kick.
“I thought the grit, the mental toughness of our football team was on display throughout the game, particularly in the fourth quarter there,” said Buffalo coach Sean McDermott.
The Bills host the New Orleans Saints in week four while Miami welcome another AFC East rival, the New York Jets.