MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. - Nothing like an early season AFC East showdown to get the blood pumping, especially when it’s the Buffalo Bills coming south to play the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium, otherwise known as Highmark Stadium South.

The annual trip to South Florida is always one of the highlights for Bills fans who book vacations or quick getaways around the game, though this one is a bit unusual because rather than a weekend game, it’s Thursday night.

It may only be Week 2, but this game obviously carries enormous importance because the Bills and Dolphins, along with the Jets, are all expected to be in contention to win the division, so winning AFC East games is a must.

And in this one, the winner will be 2-0 on the season and at the very least be tied for first place by the end of the weekend, depending on what the Patriots do Sunday in their home opener against Seattle.

Stay right here for updates throughout the afternoon and evening:

Final score: Buffalo Bills 31, Miami Dolphins 10

Buffalo went into Miami and roughed up the Dolphins. The Bills defeated the Dolphins for the 12th time in 13 games, including the playoffs.

James Cook scored all three offensive touchdowns for Buffalo, rushing for 78 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries and making a 17-yard touchdown catch. Josh Allen completed 13 of 19 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown. Damar Hamlin, Baylon Spector and Dorian Williams each made 10 tackles for the Bills defense, which intercepted Tua Tagovailoa three times. Ja'Marcus Ingram had two of the interceptions, including a pick six.

Tagovailoa completed 17 of 25 passes for 145 yards with a touchdown and interception before leaving with a concussion. De'Von Achane led the Dolphins with 96 receiving yards on 22 carries and 69 receiving yards and a touchdown on seven receptions. Buffalo held Tyreek Hill to three catches for 24 yards.

Buffalo improves to 2-0 and hosts the Jacksonville Jaguars at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 23 on Monday Night Football.

Dolphins turn ball over on downs for fourth time - 2:02 4th quarter

Skylar Thompson made two 16-yard completions to De'Von Achane and Grant DuBose reeled in a 13-yard reception to get into the red zone but Thompson threw incomplete on fourth-and-2 from the Bills' 11-yard line.

Tyler Bass misses field goal - 7:54 4th quarter

Tyler Bass' 45-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left.

Dolphins turn ball over on downs again - 11:47 4th quarter

Skylar Thompson completed a 15-yard pass to De'Von Achane for a first down but then Thompson threw three straight incompletions and scrambled for 4 yards on fourth-and-9.

Buffalo punts - 14:14 4th quarter

The Bills gained one first down and then Sam Martin punted 65 yards into the end zone.

Tua Tagovailoa suffers concussion - 2:40 3rd quarter

Miami Dolphins Tua Tagovailoa left the game against the Buffalo Bills with a concussion on Thursday Night Football.

Miami trailed Buffalo 31-10 in late in the third quarter and faced a fourth-and-4 from the Bills' 13-yard line. Tagovailoa scrambled for a first down and rather then choosing to slide, lowered his shoulder and plowed his head into the midsection of Bills safety Damar Hamlin. Tagovailoa appeared woozy, wobbling and raising his head off the ground after the play. He reached up with his right arm, flexing his fingers, and then held his helmet with his left hand.

Skylar Thompson entered the game at quarterback with first-and-goal but on fourth-and-goal he was sacked by Von Miller to turn the ball over on downs.

Buffalo Bills 31, Miami Dolphins 10: Tua Tagovailoa throws pick six to Bills cornerback Ja'Marcus Ingram

Miami had a chance to cut it to a one-score game. Instead, the Bills are up three touchdowns. On third-and-5, Tua Tagovailoa faced pressure and tried throwing the ball away off his back foot. His pass didn't go far enough and cornerback Ja'Marcus Ingram made his second interception of the day near the sideline and went untouched 31 yards for a touchdown.

Bills punt to start second half - 12:10 3rd quarter

Miami got a stop to begin the second half. Josh Allen completed a pass to Dalton Kincaid for 9 yards and James Cook rushed for 5 yards and a first down. Curtis Samuel made a 3-yard catch, Cook was held to no gain and on third down, Allen threw incomplete for Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Sam Martin punted 39 yards to the Dolphins' 11-yard line.

Terrel Bernard ruled out for the remainder of game

Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard has been downgraded to out for the rest of the game with a pectoral injury.

Halftime score: Buffalo Bills 24, Miami Dolphins 10

James Cook has three touchdowns, rushing for 60 yards and two touchdowns on five carries and adding a 17-yard touchdown reception for the Bills. Josh Allen has completed 9 of 13 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown.

Tua Tagovailoa has completed 13 of 18 passes for 97 yards with a touchdown and \two first-quarter interceptions. Tyreek Hill has been held to two catches for 16 yards. De'Von Achane has 69 yards rushing on 14 carries and a 5-yard touchdown reception.

Miami has the two interceptions and also turned the ball over on downs. The Dolphins have outgained the Bills 192-189.

Buffalo Bills 24, Miami Dolphins 10: Jason Sanders makes 34-yard field goal

Desperate for something good to happen before the end of the half, the Dolphins put together a nice drive that ended with Jason Sanders’ 34-yard field goal with four seconds remaining.

Tagovailoa made a big play with his legs when things looked like they were stalling. On third-and-11 from the Buffalo 46, still out of field goal position, he got loose on a scramble to the left side and gained 14 yards. That enabled the Dolphins to continue on their way and the drive ultimately covered 54 yards in 13 plays.

Buffalo Bills 24, Miami Dolphins 7: James Cook rushes for 49-yard touchdown

Wow, the Bills have erupted for two touchdowns in less than two minutes as James Cook ripped off a 49-yard run around right end on the first play after the Buffalo defense forced a turnover on downs.

Miami went for a 4th-and-2 at the Buffalo 45 and Ed Oliver blew in to sack Tua Tagovailoa. Cook then took a first-down handoff, bounced to the outside and the Dolphins were nowhere to be found.

Dolphins turn ball over on downs - 3:45 2nd quarter

Miami's drive started promising but turned into a mess. De'Von Achane raced up the middle for 17 yards and crossed midfield on a 5-yard run. Achane ran for 4 yards on second-and-5 but on third-and-1, fullback Alec Ingold was dropped for a 1-yard loss by linebacker Dorian Williams. The Dolphins went for it on fourth-and-2 and Ed Oliver sacked Tua Tagovailoa for a 7-yard loss. Miami turned the ball over on downs at its 49-yard line.

Buffalo Bills 17, Miami Dolphins 7: James Cook walks in on touchdown run

Josh Allen must drive Miami fans nuts. He so routinely kills them in every way possible and this time, it was a great play on a third-and-12 where he was flushed from the pocket, scrambled out to the right, and just when it looked like he would try to run for the first down, he pulled up and threw a dime to Ty Johnson for 33 yards to the Miami 1.

On the next play, James Cook plunged through a gaping hole for the touchdown to give Buffalo a 17-7 lead.

That was an eight-play, 85-yard drive that was helped by a 15-yard personal foul penalty on former Bills safety Jordan Poyer on Khalil Shakir.

Miami punts after penalty negates first down - 10:54 2nd quarter

Dolphins rookie running back Jaylen Wright received his first carries, going for 4 yards. His 9-yard run was called back due to a holding penalty on offensive tackle Terron Armstead. Tight end Jonnu Smith took a short pass 14 yards to set up third-and-3 but Tua Tagovailoa's pass to Tyreek Hill was incomplete. Jake Bailey punted 48 yards to the Bills' 15-yard line.

Buffalo Bills 10, Miami Dolphins 7: Tyler Bass makes 43-yard field goal

Tua Tagovailoa threw his second pick of the first quarter, this one to Christian Benford, and the Bills turned that into a Tyler Bass field goal for a 10-7 lead.

The Bills began the possession at the Miami 44, but unlike their first series after a  Tua pick, this one didn’t get far as Allen threw a pair of incompletions to end it at the Miami 25. He did complete a third-down pass to Khalil Shakir for a first down which helped shorten the Bass field goal.

Tua Tagovailoa throws second interception of first quarter - :40 1st quarter

Tua Tagovailoa has thrown two interceptions in the first quarter. Tagovailoa and wide receiver Robbie Chosen weren't on the same page and Tagovailoa's pass was overthrown. Christian Benford picked it off at midfield and returned it 6 yards to the Dolphins' 44-yard line.

Bills go three-and-out - 2:00 1st quarter

Buffalo went three-and-out on its second possession. Josh Allen dropped a shotgun snap on third-and-1 and defensive tackle Calais Campbell batted down Allen's pass. Sam Martin punted 45 yards to the Dolphins' 16.

Terrel Bernard injury: Bills linebacker hurts shoulder

Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard has headed into the locker room with an injury. Sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung said on the Amazon Prime broadcast that Bernard went into the blue medical tent and shortly after headed to the locker room grabbing his left shoulder.

Bernard is officially questionable to return with a pectoral muscle injury.

Buffalo Bills 7, Miami Dolphins 7: Tua Tagovailoa touchdown pass to De'Von Achane ties game

No trouble there for the Dolphins. They spotted the Bills a quick touchdown thanks to a turnover, but on their second possession, they marched right down the field with hardly any resistance.

The 70-yard drive was flawless, even despite a pair of false start penalties as Tua Tagovailoa threw a five-yard TD pass to De’Von Achane who was wide open in the right flat to tie the score at 7-7.

The only third down the Dolphins faced was a third-and-4 and Tagovailoa hit Jaylen Waddle over the middle for 17 yards to the 1.

Buffalo Bills 7, Miami Dolphins 0: Josh Allen throws touchdown to James Cook on fourth down

The Bills defense made a huge play to start the game as Ja’Marcus Ingram picked off a third-down pass intended for Grant Dubose that caromed off his shoulders so the Bills started their first possession at the Miami 37.

Six plays later, Sean McDermott decided to go for a fourth-and-3 at the 17, and Josh Allen made an outstanding play as he read a blitz off the left edge and simply flipped a pass into the vacated area to James Cook who scooted into the end zone for a touchdown.

Tua Tagovailoa throws interceptions on Dolphins' first possession - 10:43 1st quarter

Miami received the ball first and then gave it back. Fullback Alec Ingold ran for 3 yards and a first down on third-and-1 but Tua Tagovailoa threw an interception three plays later on third-and-13. Tagovailoa's pass was intended for Grant DuBose, who didn't appear to get his head around for the ball. It was tipped by Christian Benford and intercepted by Ja'Marcus Ingram, who returned the pick 25 yards to the Dolphins' 37-yard line.

Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins inactives

Once again, offensive lineman Ryan Van Demark is inactive and like last week, it’s a bit of a surprise after he spent all of 2023 active on game day as the swing tackle. It appears he has yielded that position to rookie Tylan Grabler.

The other inactives are no surprise: Edge rushers Dawuane Smoot and Javon Solomon who are both injured, cornerback Taron Johnson (also injured), plus rookie linebackers Joe Andreessen and Edefuan Ulofoshio.

For the Dolphins, the big name is running back Raheem Mostert who was already ruled out of the game Wednesday with a chest injury. Running back De’Von Achane, battling an ankle injury, is active.

Miami weather for Bills vs Dolphins game

The weather in Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding area has been volatile the last 24 hours or so with heavy rain at times, on top of hot and extremely humid temperatures.

It poured at the stadium at around 4 p.m. and the streets around Hard Rock Stadium featured massive puddles, but that passed through and the radar looks pretty clear for the rest of the night, though you never know down here because rain can arrive quickly.

As for the temperature, it’s gross, plain and simple. It’s 84 degrees but because of the high humidity, the feels-like temperature is clocking in at 95 degrees.

Report: Taron Johnson won’t go on IR

There is a report from Matt Bove of channel 7 in Buffalo that a source indicates nickel cornerback Taron Johnson will not be placed on injured reserve due to his forearm injury.

Johnson was hurt on the seventh play of the season opener against Arizona, and is not playing in Miami. With the Bills getting a mini bye after this game because they don’t play against until Monday, Sept. 23 when they host Jacksonville, the Bills apparently believe he could return in time for that game, or perhaps the week after against Baltimore.

If Johnson had been placed on IR, he would have had to sit out a minimum four games, meaning he would not have been eligible to return until the Oct. 14 game against the Jets on Monday Night Football in New York.

Bills elevate Kingsley Jonathan

The Bills used only one of the two practice squad elevations available to them, and they used it on edge rusher Kingsley Jonathan.

With veteran Dawuane Smoot already ruled out, and rookie Javon Solomon doubtful for the game, the Bills have only three edge rushers on the 53-man roster in Greg Rousseau, AJ Epenesa and Von Miller.

Last week, edge rusher Kameron Cline was brought up against the Cardinals, but Cline did not play a single snap on defense; all 17 of his snaps came on special teams as the Bills used Rousseau, Epenesa and Miller exclusively. That led to a career-high 79% of the snaps which certainly paid off as he had three sacks.

However, in the heat at Hard Rock Stadium, the Bills need to get a fourth edge rusher into the mix and Jonathan has more experience than Cline and will likely get snaps on defense.

What time is the Bills vs Dolphins game?

• Date: Thursday, Sept. 12

• Time: 8:15 p.m.

• Place: Hard Rock Stadium

Who is favored to win Bills vs. Dolphins game

• Betting line: Bills +2.5

• Over-under: 48.5

• Money line: Bills plus-117 (bet $100 to win $117) and Dolphins minus-137 (bet $137 to win $100).

Who is announcing the Bills vs. Dolphins game

• Play-by-play: Al Michaels

• Analyst: Kirk Herbstreit

• Sideline reporter: Kaylee Hartung

How to watch Buffalo Bills vs Miami Dolphins game on TV, streaming

∎ TV streaming: This is an Amazon Prime only broadcast, with the exception of the local Buffalo market (which does not include Rochester). In Buffalo, the game can be seen on the ABC affiliate, WKBW, channel 7.

∎ Online streaming services: You can also watch on NFL.com and the NFL mobile app, and if you have a subscription to NFL+, the league’s own streaming service, but in that case you can’t cast the games to your TV so you must watch on your phone or tablet.

On the radio: How to listen to the Bills vs Dolphins game

You can listen on SiriusXM satellite radio on SiriusXM channel 225 (Bills feed) and channel 226 (Dolphins feed), and on traditional radio, the Bills Radio Network has stations all across the state. Chris Brown has the play-by-play, Eric Wood is the analyst, and Sal Capaccio is the sideline reporter. The network includes:

• Rochester (WCMF 96.5 and WROC 950 AM)

• Buffalo (WGR550, 550 AM)

• Syracuse (WTKW 99.5/WTKV 105.5)

• Binghamton (WDRE 100.5FM)

• Ithaca (WIII 99.9/100.3 FM)

• Bath (WVIN 98.3 FM)

• Newark (WACK 1420 AM)

• Dansville (WDNY 93.9 FM)

• Elmira (WNGZ 1490 AM)

• Auburn (WAUB 98.1 FM/1590 AM)

• Geneva (WGVA 95.9 FM, 1240 AM)

Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 35 years as the full-time beat writer for the D&C, and he has written numerous books about the history of the team. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana. https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Buffalo Bills vs Miami Dolphins: Final score, highlights, stats