The Buffalo Bills defeated the Miami Dolphins 31-21, improving to 3-0 on the season.
Josh Allen passed for 213 yards and three touchdowns, reaching 200 career passing touchdowns.
The loss drops the Dolphins to 0-3, increasing pressure on quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and coach Mike McDaniel.

Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills are 3-0 for the second straight season.

The Bills defeated the Miami Dolphins 31-21 on in a hard-fought ‘Thursday Night Football’ AFC East tilt. Buffalo’s defeated the Dolphins seven straight times, including the playoffs.

Allen passed for 213 yards and three touchdowns.  

The Dolphins tied the matchup in the fourth quarter, however, the Bills scored the deciding, go-ahead touchdown after a Miami roughing the kicker call. A late interception by Tua Tagovailoa sealed the Dolphins’ comeback chances.

The loss dropped Miami to an 0-3 hole to begin the regular season, with questions surrounding Tagovailoa, Mike McDaniel and the rest of Miami’s players and personnel continuing to be asked.

USA TODAY Sports provides the winners and losers from the Thursday night AFC East matchup:

James Cook

The Bills running back rushed 19 times for 108 yards and one touchdown. He provided consistent offense through four quarters. He averaged an impressive 5.7 yards per carry.

Cook tallied eight runs for 73 yards in the first half.

Josh Allen on Thursday night

Allen is 8-0 as a starting quarterback in Thursday games.

Allen tied Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott and Kirk Cousins for sixth fastest in NFL history to reach 200 career passing touchdowns during the win.

Allen completed 22 of 28 passes for 213 yards, adding three touchdowns, resulting in a 134.1 passer rating. It was just another night in the office for the Bills quarterback.

Terrel Bernard gets clutch interception

Late in the fourth quarter when Miami was approaching the end zone for a game-tying score, Bernard read Tua Tagovailoa’s eyes and stepped in front of the QB’s pass intended for Jaylen Waddle, successfully snagging the interception.

Bernard’s pick proved to be the final blow to Miami’s comeback bid.  

Bills continue winning ways

The Bills are 3-0 for the second year in a row and fourth time since 2017. Buffalo’s won 13 consecutive regular-season home games, the longest active home winning streak in the NFL.

Losers

Tua Tagovailoa

Questions are beginning to circulate surrounding Tagovailoa’s standing as a franchise quarterback.

Tagovailoa’s gotten off to a slow start this season. He came into Week 3 with a 90.6 passer rating, which ranked in the bottom half among starting quarterbacks.

The Dolphins quarterback does deserve some credit for game-tying touchdown drives in the second and fourth quarters, but he threw a bad interception in the fourth quarter when the Dolphins were threatening to score.

Tagovailoa didn’t achieve 100 passing yards until his 26th pass of the night. He finished with 161 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception, resulting in an 83.2 passer rating. He averaged 4.6 yards per completion. He was under four yards per completion for most of the contest.

Mike McDaniel on the hot seat

McDaniel’s team fought hard throughout the game. Dolphins executives will certainly take the team’s effort into account, but McDaniel’s job might be in jeopardy. His seat seemingly gets hotter with every Miami loss.

The Dolphins offense

Despite two of the fastest wide receivers in the NFL at its disposal, the Dolphins offense lacks explosiveness. Tua Tagovailoa doesn’t have elite arm strength, but in the past Miami’s offense was able to manufacture explosive plays with creative play designs, intermediate passes and occasional long balls. All of those have been nonexistent through the first three weeks of the season.

Zach Sieler

On fourth-and-7 with 10:20 left the fourth quarter, the Dolphins captain made a bone-headed decision when he ran into Bills punter Cameron Johnston on a desperate attempt to block the punt. Officials called Sieler for roughing the kicker and the penalty extended Buffalo’s drive.

The Bills scored a go-ahead touchdown five plays later to lift them to a 28-21 lead.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

One side of the WNBA semifinal bracket is locked in. The Las Vegas Aces will face the Indiana Fever beginning Sunday.

The Fever stunned the Atlanta Dream by scoring the final seven points to win 87-85 on Thursday in College Park, Georgia. Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana with 24 points.

“Kelsey puts us on her back a lot,” Fever coach Stephanie White said. “We run her ragged, but she’s so dangerous in those ball screens. … She makes the right plays, she makes the right reads. You put the ball in her hands to make plays for us and she’s been able to do that.”

A’ja Wilson and Aces staved off the upset-minded Storm, 74-73, on Thursday in Las Vegas. Wilson had 38 points and Jackie Young, who finished with 14 points, hit the game-winner with 12.4 seconds remaining.

The Minnesota Lynx, who punched their ticket to the semis on Wednesday, await the winner of the New York Liberty-Phoenix Mercury game Friday (9 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

Here are the winners and losers from Thursday’s first-round games:

Winners

Down but never out Indiana Fever

The Indiana Fever are a gritty, resilient group of players who do not quit. They walked into Atlanta with everything on the line and walked out with a stunning two-point win, 87-85. They did not lead until the final seven seconds of the game. Aliyah Boston made the go-ahead basket and Lexie Hull slammed the door shut with a back-breaking steal in the closing seconds. They move on to the semifinals after winning their first playoff series in a decade.

Las Vegas Aces MVP candidate A’ja Wilson

A’ja Wilson is the best player on the planet.

This isn’t a commentary on the MVP race. Whether Wilson wins her fourth MVP award or not, there’s still no one better. Just look at the game she had against the Seattle Storm to lift the Las Vegas Aces to the WNBA semifinals for a seventh consecutive season.

Wilson matched her career playoff high with 38 points. She had 11 in the fourth quarter alone as the Aces survived a furious rally from the Storm.

“Tonight it didn’t matter who guarded her. She was on a heater,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said.

But what sets Wilson apart is that she doesn’t need to be shooting to hurt you. She had five rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks while committing one turnover.

“At some point, A’ja just took over the game,” Hammon said.

Caitlin Clark’s black Air Force 1s

Caitlin Clark may not have been able to play in Game 2, but she clearly tried to influence her teammates with her shoe game. Clark, who is out with a right groin injury, wore black Nike Air Force 1 sneakers. The shoes exude toughness.

‘I fear you mean business,’ Aliyah Boston joked before Game 2. ‘Black Forces?! Them (refs) better watch out.’ 

Ever a superstitious type, after the Fever won Game 2, Clark wore same outfit and Air Force 1s for Game 3. After the Fever upset the Dream, they celebrated the shoes on the court.

Stephanie White’s chess move

Down five, White subbed in veteran Shey Peddy around the six-minute mark of the fourth quarter. Peddy immediately came in and sank a massive 3-point shot to pull the Fever within two. Peddy immediately changed the energy in the game, and moments later, she caused a deflection. It was a small moment, but huge in the grand scheme of the Fever’s comeback that helped extend their season.

Pace, pace, pace

It would be amazing if we knew just how much ground (in feet) players at this game covered. Everyone was flying up and down the court at Gateway Center Arena from opening tip to the end. There were five lead changes in the first quarter alone. It was a very visible difference in the first two games. Atlanta dictated the pace early, but Indiana answered right back, and the teams just traded basket after basket. It was gorgeous basketball.

Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young

Jackie Young made A’ja Wilson look good.

A few days ago, Wilson was talking Young up, saying the Aces don’t win without her. Now Las Vegas is moving on to the WNBA semifinals because of Young.

Young saw that Wilson’s layup attempt with just under 25 seconds left was a little off target. She knew the ball was either going to bounce in or fall to the right, and she positioned herself perfectly to snatch the ball when it came off the rim.

Young caught and shot in one motion, and the bucket put Las Vegas up 74-73 with 12 seconds left.

Young finished with 14 points, second to Wilson, two rebounds, one assist and four steals.

“Her work ethic, the way she approaches the game — you want someone like that in the locker room,” Wilson said. “Let’s not forget who Jackie Young is and why we drafted her and how she’s evolved into this perfect two-way player.

“We don’t do anything without Jackie Young, and it’s going to continue to be that way.”

WNBA fans

The rest of the WNBA playoffs has a lot to live up to.

The first round of any playoffs can be a crapshoot, the gaps between seeds creating the potential for blowouts. But with few exceptions, the first round this year has been tremendous.

Consider that:

Three of the four series went all three games, and the Minnesota Lynx had to dig themselves out of a hole to beat the Golden State Valkyries in two.
The three deciding games so far – the New York Liberty are at the Phoenix Mercury on Friday night to close out the first round – were won by a combined four points.
The Indiana Fever stunned the Atlanta Dream on Thursday night to advance to the semifinals.

It’s been wild, it’s been chaotic, it’s been stressful. Most of all, it’s been a whole lot of fun.

More of this, please.

Losers

Also WNBA fans

The only complaint with this fantastic first round is that it isn’t long enough.

The WNBA has outgrown the best-of-three format for the quarterfinals. The closely contested games and impressive individual performances (we see you, Napheesa Collier and A’ja Wilson) are all the argument you need for the league going to a best-of-five format.

“I think you go best-of-five if you’re not going back to the old format,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said, referring to the lower seed hosting the first two games in previous years. “This setup, I prefer a five-game series.”

Wouldn’t we all. 

Nneka Ogwumike’s cold shooting

This was a most inopportune time for Nneka Ogwumike to have a poor shooting night.

The Seattle Storm veteran matched Erica Wheeler with a team-high 16 points. But Ogwumike was just 4 of 13 from the floor against the Aces. She missed her first six shots and didn’t have her first field goal until midway through the third quarter.

Even with Ogwumike’s cold hands, Seattle was in it until the very end. The Storm had the lead twice in the last 93 seconds, and Erica Wheeler’s last-second shot bounced off the rim. 

But imagine if Ogwumike had made even half the shots she missed. It would be Seattle moving on, not Las Vegas. 

Atlanta Dream’s foul trouble

Because of their aggression on both sides of the ball, Atlanta found itself in foul trouble quickly. Three players in the starting lineup — guard Allisha Gray and forwards Naz Hillmon and Bri Jones — had two fouls each before the end of the first quarter. Gray had three just before the half. What’s more, there were six players with at least one foul by halftime for a total of 11 personal fouls, and Indiana had 16 attempts at the line as they headed to the locker room. The Fever finished with 24 free throw attempts to the Dream’s 11.

Atlanta’s offense in the second half

After scoring 56 in the first half, the Dream only scored 29 points in the second half, including just 12 in the fourth quarter. The ball movement got very stagnant. Atlanta also had 14 turnovers (which produced 15 Indiana points) due to the Fever’s defensive pressure and shot an ugly 33 percent in the fourth quarter.

Two double-doubles aren’t enough

Atlanta’s backcourt was fantastic but it wasn’t enough to get the Dream to the next round. Allisha Gray put up 19 points and 12 rebounds. Jordin Canada added her own double-double with 18 points and 10 assists. That’s one of the best performances the Dream’s backcourt has put together all season, and if not for the two of them, the Dream’s night might have been much harder.

LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles police arrested Raja Jackson, the son of UFC fighter Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, on Sept. 18 in connection to an alleged attack on a professional wrestler, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department records.

He was arrested on Thursday by the LAPD and is facing a felony charge, records say. The 25-year-old had a bail amount set for $50,000, according to the booking records.

He was seen on a live-streamed video picking up, slamming and repeatedly punching Stuart Smith, who wrestles under the name Syko Stu.

The two had agreed that Jackson would make a scripted interruption after a heated interaction prior to the show. The wrestling academy said that the wrestling spot turned into a “selfish, irresponsible act of violence against Mr. Smith” in a statement posted Aug. 24.

Syko Stu update

Per an Aug. 31 Facebook post on his page, Smith had been released from the hospital and was home resting.

Smith was said to be ‘unconscious upon arrival at the ER.’ Other injuries included trauma to his jaw, a laceration to his upper lip, and a fracture to the maxilla bone (upper jaw bone), which resulted in several teeth being lost. 

‘He was choking on his own blood and teeth,’ Douglas Malo, a wrestler who was involved in the ensuing melee to stop Jackson’s alleged attack, previously told USA TODAY. ‘Somebody reminded me there’s kids there and then I was like ‘oh my God.”

Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson shares his thoughts

Jackson’s father, Quinton Jackson, was a notable MMA fighter during the 2000s and spoke about his son’s situation on ‘The AH Show’ on Sept. 3.

‘I think (Raja) should do a little time,’ Quinton Jackson told Ariel Helwani during an interview. ‘Do a little community service and go to anger management classes.’

This story was updated with new information.

Utah is in an offensive renaissance under new quarterback Devon Dampier and offensive coordinator Jason Beck.
A dual-threat quarterback, Dampier has excelled in both passing and rushing.
Utah’s offense, combined with its traditionally strong defense, has made the team a formidable contender.

Since Kyle Whittingham arrived at Utah in 1994 and eventually rose to head coach, college football opponents have known a tough defense awaited when facing the Utes.

It’s what carried Utah’s success from the Western Athletic Conference to the Mountain West to the Power Five with the Pac-12 and now the Big 12.

Unfortunately, offensive struggles are what held the Utes back the past two seasons. And the main problem was at quarterback, where injuries and lack of experience hampered productivity.

How quickly the narrative has changed. Whittingham responded to the situation by bringing in offensive coordinator Jason Beck from New Mexico, and joining him was quarterback Devon Dampier. Together the two have reinvigorated the offense. The Utes rank seventh in rushing (290 yards) and 15th in scoring (45.7 points) through three games.

Now paired with its excellent defense, Utah has returned to a squad that looks like a potential College Football Playoff contender with a quarterback who could soon see himself in the Heisman Trophy conversation.

“I think that we couldn’t have asked any more from him to this point,” Whittingham said.

Utah’s offense grows under Devon Dampier

Just two years ago, Utah was coming off back-to-back Rose Bowl appearances, largely thanks to the play of Cameron Rising. With him under center, the Utes were a top 15 scoring offense in 2021 and 2022.

Rising was expected to return to the field in 2023 but missed the season due to a knee injury in the Rose Bowl. He came back in 2024 but only managed to play in three games due to finger and leg injuries. His absence led to a chaotic carousel of quarterback play.

Utah slumped to 98th in scoring in 2023 and 102nd in 2024. Quarterbacks threw 35 touchdowns to 28 interceptions while barely completing half of their passes. The Utes went 13-12 during that span and missed a bowl game with their first losing season since 2013 last year. Something had to change. 

Dampier’s arrival in Salt Lake City didn’t draw significant national attention – likely because he was coming from a relatively underachieving program in New Mexico. The Lobos only won five games in 2024, but Dampier lit it up in Albuquerque. His 2,768 passing yards were second in the Mountain West and his 1,166 rushing yards were third in the conference. 

Now imagine what Dampier might do with an offensive line – led by future NFL players in Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu – that returned every starter and has played more than 200 games combined? 

In the season opener against UCLA, when the spotlight was on Nico Iamaleava, Dampier stole the show. He threw for 206 yards and added 87 on the ground to account for three total touchdowns as the Utes routed the Bruins, 43-10. It was more of the same in subsequent defeats of Cal Poly and Wyoming.   

Through three games, Dampier is throwing for 209 yards and running for 66 more per game. He is the team’s leading rusher and ranks seventh in the country in rushing among quarterbacks. 

“My personal goal was to come in here and show that Utah can score on offense, too,” Dampier said after the UCLA win. ‘We made an emphasis that we are going to play all four quarters and put points on the board.”

Behind his talented offensive line, Dampier has been comfortably and steadily leading the offense. There aren’t many explosive plays. Utah’s 71.1% third-down conversion rate is second-best in the country and it has only allowed two sacks. With Dampier on the field, Utah has 11 drives that have gone at least 10 plays, including ones that lasted 19 and 21 plays. Of those drives, eight resulted in touchdowns.

“There’s certainly a place to have those extended drives, give your defense a rest, wear out the opposing defense, control the ball, impose your will,” Whittingham said. 

When everything is successful, it only makes sense to celebrate. Which is why Dampier takes his offensive line out to dinner once a week, beefing them up for another week of domination.

Devon Dampier draws Kyler Murray comparisons

It’s become a tall task to figure out Utah, and the next one on assignment is Texas Tech. The Red Raiders visit Rice-Eccles Stadium in Week 4 in a matchup of ranked Big 12 opponents that could heavily impact the College Football Playoff picture.

Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire compared Dampier with 2018 Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray, who led Oklahoma to 66 points against Baylor when McGuire was with the Bears. Whittingham has also made the same comparison.

“Their quarterback is dynamic,” McGuire said of Dampier. “I wish that they had a pro-style quarterback. I’d feel better than ‘he’s a dual threat.’ Man, he does a phenomenal job of pulling it down whenever he gets pressure.”

The game on Saturday, Sept. 20 will be the true test for how dynamic Utah’s offense is. If it can outduel Texas Tech, the Utes have a great path toward a conference title game appearance considering they have a schedule that doesn’t look as difficult as it did in the preseason.

So far, Whittingham gives Dampier an A+ for what he has done for the team. He’s become so valuable, his coach is emphasizing trying to make sure the quarterback will “stay out of harm’s way as much as possible” given the past history at the position.

“Not only is what he’s doing on the field, but his leadership, his impact on the team overall,” Whittingham said. “He’s just been exactly what we hoped he would be.”