The Japan Times - Bills hand Dolphins first NFL defeat as 49ers, Eagles stay unbeaten

Allen threw for four touchdowns and ran for another as Buffalo's offense stole the spotlight from a Dolphins squad that had hung 70 points on the Denver Broncos last week.

Stefon Diggs had six receptions for 120 yards and three touchdowns and the Bills defense clamped down to limit the explosive Dolphins offense led by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

Meanwhile Christian McCaffrey ran riot for the 49ers, scoring a career-high four touchdowns in a 35-16 victory over NFC West rivals Arizona that saw San Francisco improve to 4-0.

In another key division matchup, the Eagles improved to 4-0 with a 34-31 overtime victory over the Washington Commanders sealed by Jake Elliott's 54-yard field goal.

In Buffalo, the Bills scored on eight of their first nine possessions and never trailed on the way to a third straight victory, denying Miami's bid for a two-game lead atop the AFC East division.

A game that promised plenty of offensive fireworks saw the first five drives produce five touchdowns that left the Bills with a 21-14 lead.

But Buffalo's defense began to get the measure of Tagovailoa and the Dolphins, piling up four sacks and limiting Miami to six points after halftime.

Diggs's first touchdown put Buffalo up 21-14 and his second, a 55-yard catch and run that saw him shake off two defenders as he raced up the sideline, took it to 28-14.

Buffalo had pushed the lead to 31-14 before the Dolphins opened the third quarter with a TD, but the Bills scored 17 points from there.

The victory left both teams at 3-1, with Buffalo holding a slight edge on a tiebreaker.

Allen was outstanding, but said the big home win was due to meticulous preparation by the whole team.

"I thought our guys were very locked in on details this week and in terms of game plan specific things and making sure we had a good presence in our locker room," he said.

But Bills Coach Sean McDermott said he wasn't surprised to see Allen and Diggs setting a tone.

"Big-time players have big-time games in these type settings," McDermott said.

McCaffrey put on a scintillating show at the 49ers' Levi's Stadium, gaining 177 yards from scrimmage and scoring on three runs and one catch.

Now with a touchdown in 13 straight games, including playoffs, he broke a franchise record set by the great Jerry Rice.

The mark fell when McCaffrey scored on a one-yard run on the opening drive. On the second he took a lateral pass and leapt over a defender to reach the end zone and he caught a six-yard touchdown pass from Brock Purdy in the second quarter.

McCaffrey added a two-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter that put San Francisco up 28-16.

- Eagles show up -

The Eagles had to work overtime to remain unbeaten atop the NFC East. Quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for 319 yards and two touchdowns.

His 28-yard scoring pass to A.J. Brown with 1:28 left in regulation gave Philadelphia a 31-24 lead, but the Commanders responded with a drive capped by Sam Howell's scoring pass to Jahan Dotson to force overtime and it needed Elliott's fourth field goal of the contest to seal it.

"We showed up when it mattered the most," Hurts said.

In Dallas, the Cowboys handed iconic New England coach Bill Belichick the most lopsided defeat of his career with their 38-3 drubbing of the Patriots.

Dallas cornerback DaRon Bland returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown and the Cowboys' Leighton Vander Esch ran a fumble back for a score.

Pats quarterback Mac Jones, who was responsible for all three of those turnovers, was benched in the second half of the defeat that left Belichick, who guided the Patriots to six Super Bowl titles, still in search of a 300th regular-season win.

The Patriots' previous worst defeat under Belichick was a 31-0 loss at Buffalo in 2003.

The rout made for a rough homecoming for former Dallas star Ezekiel Elliott, despite the Cowboys' video tribute before the game.

Y.Ishikawa--JT