ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Don’t let the score fool you.

Oh, on Sunday afternoon at Highmark Stadium, as the sun finally broke through a game-long heavy cloud cover, the Bills headed up the tunnel having just annexed a 26-11 victory over the hapless Dolphins, at 1-7, and tied with Houston for the worst record in the American Football Conference.

That 15-point margin was exactly the one set by Las Vegas bookmakers shortly before kickoff.

But if you think this one was easy … so was Florida’s Bush-Gore presidential vote recount in 2000.

With barely 3½ minutes to play, this was a 6-point game and Miami was desperately trying to get the ball back for a potential game-winning drive.

Tyler Bass’ 39-yard field goal proved the eventual game-decider, putting Buffalo up 20-11, and an oh-by-the-way 8-yard rushing touchdown by quarterback Josh Allen with 67 seconds to play made the final sound much more respectable.

BUT THIS was hardly a game that will have Buffalo coach Sean McDermott puffing his chest out.

Oh, there were some positives.

After struggling to score touchdowns in the red zone (inside the opponents’ 20-yard-line) most of the season, the Bills were 3-for-4 on those efforts against Miami.

Wide receiver Cole Beasley, the NFL’s poster guy for anti-vaxxers, silenced the critics in the home crowd who had booed him earlier this season, logging game highs in catches (10) and receiving yards (110). Eight came after the 3-3 intermission tie, three of them for key third-down conversions.

And, Buffalo never turned the ball over, though it wasn’t for a lack of trying.

BUT, IT’S also important to remember the Bills beat the Dolphins by five touchdowns on the road back in September, that 35-0 victory one of Buffalo’s two shutouts in a span of three weeks.

But back at home, before a mostly partisan crowd of 69,355, Buffalo played as if an easy victory was a foregone conclusion.

Only two first-half possessions lasted more than four plays and at halftime Miami had the edge in yards (167-122), plays (38-25) and time of possession (nearly 7 minutes).

Those Bills numbers — yards (334), plays (41) and possession time (plus 10 minutes) — did improve dramatically after the break.

Still, there was reason for concern.

Allen, who finished with respectable numbers, was 29-of-42 passing for 249 yards with two touchdown passes (wideouts Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis) with no picks, a 100.2 passer rating and that rushing TD. But at halftime he was 10-of-17 for 80 yards with a 70.7 rating.

But even in the second half there were concerns as, with Buffalo up by six and 6½ minutes to play, Allen, being chased on a rollout and tried to lateral to running back Zack Moss. His ill-considered effort bounced out of bounds before the Dolphins could cover it.

And, earlier, on a screen pass that was botched, Allen’s attempt to connect with Moss ricocheted off two Miami defenders before the ball fell incomplete.

Finally, on Buffalo’s first possession of the second half, Bills kick returner Isaiah McKenzie, who occasionally stirs concern when catching a punt, muffed a Dolphins kick at the Bills 8-yard line. The ball scooted through the end zone, but was covered by Buffalo wide receiver Jake Kumerow, making it a merciful touchback.

BUT, WITH all that, the Bills, now 5-2, prevailed and are now tied with Baltimore and Las Vegas for the AFC’s second-best record, behind Tennessee (6-2).

Next up for Buffalo, back at Highmark come Sunday, is Jacksonville (1-6) with the conference’s second-worst record.

But, based on yesterday, the Bills would do well to take the Jaguars more seriously than they did the Dolphins.

(Chuck Pollock, a Times Herald senior sports columnist can be reached at cpollock@oleantimesherald.com)