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The Buffalo Bills had been itching for a punt return touchdown all season long and as one of the top returners in the league, some might’ve expected Andre Roberts to be the one to do it. But, that wasn’t the case on Sunday as the Bills dominated the Miami Dolphins 56-26.
While Roberts rested in order to stay healthy for Buffalo’s postseason run, Bills utility man, Isaiah McKenzie, who has thrown and caught at least one touchdown this season, returned punts and kickoffs on Sunday and he finally gave Buffalo its first punt return touchdown since 2014.
“The guys have been trying to get Dre (Roberts) into the end zone all year and we finally did it today,” McKenzie said during his post-game video conference call. “We talked about it all week, we want a touchdown, we want a touchdown before the season is over and we ended up getting it.”
With about five minutes to go in the first half, the Bills defense had just forced a three and out and Josh Allen and the offense were getting ready to go back out onto the field. But, right before the Dolphins punted, McKenzie saw Allen and told him to just wait a minute before he got ready.
“I told Josh, don’t worry about it I’m gonna go score,” McKenzie said during a post-game video conference call on Sunday. “He said go ahead then and I was like ‘alright, cool.'”
McKenzie fielded the punt around Buffalo’s 15-yard line, made a quick move to his right past a defender, then cut back to his left just as quick to make another defender miss, then he saw a hole and blasted through it up the field.
He went untouched down the field but after crossing the 50-yard line, Dolphins punter Matt Haack had a decent line on McKenzie and he was the final man to beat.
The former Georgia wide receiver took a step to the left, then cut back right and left Haack in his dust before sprinting the final 35-yards to the endzone to put the Bills up 21-3.
“At the moment, I was just thinking score, then I saw the punter,” McKenzie said during his video conference call. “I knew I couldn’t let the punter tackle me, I just couldn’t let it happen because I would never hear the last of it.”
Although it was just the second quarter, McKenzie’s punt return touchdown was the icing on the cake for the quick wide receiver.
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Mckenzie Had a Big Day for the Bills
Before breaking off his 84-yard punt return, McKenzie had already cemented Buffalo’s lead with two touchdown receptions to start the second quarter on back-to-back drives.
His first touchdown came with 12:09 on the clock in the second quarter and he ran a quick out-route to the front pylon where Allen hit him in stride for the seven-yard touchdown.
Then, just a few minutes later, the Bills got a free play when the Dolphins jumped offsides. Allen danced around the pocket for a few seconds before throwing a no-look floater pass into the back of the end zone that McKenzie ran onto for his second touchdown of the game and his fifth of the season. He also finished the game with six catches for 65 yards and two touchdowns.
Filling In For Cole Beasley
After suffering a knee injury against the New England Patriots last Sunday, wide receiver Cole Beasley was deemed as week-to-week and McKenzie stepped into his role in the slot and excelled in doing so too. After the game, McKenzie had a lot of praise for the veteran wide receiver.
“I’ve learned a lot from him, he’s one of my favorites,” McKenzie said. “When I went out there to play today, he couldn’t be with us, but I did what he taught and I used every single bit of information he gave me and it helped me out a lot.”
McKenzie registered a team-high nine targets on Sunday as well and was only topped by wide receiver Stefon Diggs in receptions.
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