Game thoughts: Week 3, Bills at Dolphins

Josh Allen came down to Miami and threw for 400 yards…and lost. In one of the strangest games I’ve ever seen, the Bills’ offense completely dominated the game, but managed to score just 17 points and came up short as the Miami Dolphins won 21-19 in, again, miraculous fashion.

Look at these stat comparisons:
The Bills held the ball for over 40 minutes, the Dolphins for under 20.
The Bills ran 90 plays, the Dolphins ran 39.
The Bills racked up almost 500 yards, the Dolphins barely eclipsed 200.
Josh Allen completed 42 passes, Tua completed 13.

And yet, the Dolphins found a way to win. Tua didn’t get many opportunities as the Phins just never had the ball, but he made the most of them – completing 13 of 18 passes for over 10 yards per attempt and a TD. Tua’s accuracy was on full display, and his best pass was a deep bomb to Jaylen Waddle for 45 yards to set up the go-ahead TD in the 4th quarter. There was a scary moment at the end of the first half, as Tua took a late hit and smashed the back of his head into the ground. He got up and looked woozy, unable to stand. Teddy Bridewater replaced him and looked completely lost before the half mercifully ended. I thought Tua had a serious head injury, but somehow he passed the concussion testing and was back on the field to open the second half. He showed the heart of a warrior, and led the team on a 72 yard TD drive in the 4th quarter - highlighted by the bomb to Waddle – to give the Phins their first lead of the day, 21-17. Chase Edmonds pounded the ball into the endzone for his 2nd TD of the game. Waddle was fantastic, gaining 102 yards on 4 catches. Tyreek Hill was, amazingly, almost invisible, with just 2 catches. River Cracraft scored his second TD of the season, as Tua threaded the needle on a pass in between a couple of defenders in the endzone.

The ending of the game was complete insanity.

After that Miami score, the Bills launched an 8+ minute drive, going 17 plays and gaining 73 yards – but they failed to score as Allen threw incomplete on 4th down. The defense was able to get good pressure at the end and held their ground. The Dolphins went nowhere on the ensuing drive, and had to punt from deep in their own endzone. Thomas Morstead punted the ball into the back of his own teammate, leading to a safety and cutting the Miami lead to 21-19. The Bills got the ball back with about a minute and a half and no timeouts, but they were backed up deep after a gorgeous Morestead 60-yard free kick. The Bills got a few quick first downs, but ultimately the OL buckled under the intense pressure from Miami’s D, and the Bills ran out of time at midfield – giving the Dolphins the victory and causing Buffalo offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey to throw a tantrum in the booth!

This was a true war of attrition, with players on both sides going in and out of the game with injuries and, in the Bills’ case, constant heat-related issues. The Bills lost almost their entire OL and were already playing with a secondary loaded with backups. Just a wild game and both teams showed tremendous heart.

About that Miami defense…where to begin? I can’t kill them too much because they did hold the best offense in the league to just 17 points. They handled the run except for one big play, and sacked Allen 4 times. Pressure was inconsistent, but really made an impact late. The D kept blitzing over and over and Allen just kept completing passes over and over…it was so frustrating to watch – especially on 3rd down, where the Bills converted 11 of 18 attempts. This game took the ‘bend but don’t break’ philosophy to the limit. It was an ugly, ugly performance by the D – but in the end, they were better than the Bills and kept them out of the endzone. Credit to Nik Needham for 2 key pass breakups in the 4th, and Xavien Howard for a pass breakup in the endzone late. And I can’t forget Javon Holland, who had a strip sack on Buffalo’s second possession, recovered by Melvin Ingram and setting up the offense with a short field and leading to the first TD of the game.

There’s a lot more I can say, and I’m sure I’ll post about it all week, but I am physically exhausted! All that needs to be said in closing is this: after three weeks, the Dolphins are the ONLY unbeaten team in the AFC (with three conference wins) and the East now goes through Miami!!!!

Hero of the Game: The entire defense, for shutting down the Bills when they had to and allowing just 17 points.

Goat of the Game: The entire defense, for allowing the Bills to drive up and down the field at will all game.

JMP wrote:There was a scary moment at the end of the first half, as Tua took a late hit and smashed the back of his head into the ground.  He got up and looked woozy, unable to stand.  Teddy Bridewater replaced him and looked completely lost before the half mercifully ended.  I thought Tua had a serious head injury, but somehow he passed the concussion testing and was back on the field to open the second half.

UH oh...get ready for the anti-Fins, anti-Tua mediots to start yammering (I love that word) the next few days about how the league needs to punish them for allowing a "clearly" concussed Tua to start the next game by taking away ALL their draft picks for the next 3 years, or something.

JMP wrote:The Bills got a few quick first downs, but ultimately the OL buckled under the intense pressure from Miami’s D, and the Bills ran out of time at midfield – giving the Dolphins the victory and causing Buffalo offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey to throw a tantrum in the booth!

BAHAHAHAHA!!! Now I'm going to be looking for that moment online!      

This was a true war of attrition, with players on both sides going in and out of the game with injuries and, in the Bills’ case, constant heat-related issues.  The Bills lost almost their entire OL and were already playing with a secondary loaded with backups.

This is what horrfies me, that the Bills could play with essentially their backups except for Allen and STILL almost win       It confirms in my mind that if the Fins hadn't stopped them here and now, they were a lock for 20-0.

About that Miami defense…where to begin?  I can’t kill them too much because they did hold the best offense in the league to just 17 points.  They handled the run except for one big play, and sacked Allen 4 times.  Pressure was inconsistent, but really made an impact late.  The D kept blitzing over and over and Allen just kept completing passes over and over…it was so frustrating to watch – especially on 3rd down, where the Bills converted 11 of 18 attempts.  This game took the ‘bend but don’t break’ philosophy to the limit.  It was an ugly, ugly performance by the D – but in the end, they were better than the Bills and kept them out of the endzone.  Credit to Nik Needham for 2 key pass breakups in the 4th, and Xavien Howard for a pass breakup in the endzone late.  And I can’t forget Javon Holland, who had a strip sack on Buffalo’s second possession, recovered by Melvin Ingram and setting up the offense with a short field and leading to the first TD of the game.

This is how the D is going to play all season and...I'm fine with it. They won't be facing the Lamar Jacksons and Josh Allens of the NFL every week either. Apparently the keys to game winning D in the 2020s is to let the opposition roll up and down the field, but stop them on 4th downs.

There’s a lot more I can say, and I’m sure I’ll post about it all week, but I am physically exhausted!  All that needs to be said in closing is this: after three weeks, the Dolphins are the ONLY unbeaten team in the AFC (with three conference wins) and the East now goes through Miami!!!!

I'm legit concerned for your welfare if they keep playing this kind of nailbiter every time out I'm just saying right now, someone else would have to take your place because your game recaps blow espn.com's out of the water and there's no way I could even come close to doing it justice.[/quote]

BTW the Fins tied a franchise record...for most first downs allowed in a win.

https://stathead.com/tiny/66YiR

I can't wait to see what this team can do with a DC who actually knows what he's doing (coughFangiocough). IF society hasn't collapsed by next year, that is.

I neglected to mention that the 45 yarder from Tua to Waddle was on...THIRD AND 22!!! Amazing!

Tua's injury was supposedly to his back - not his head - according to McDaniel. Apparently the NFLPA (and Bills fans) were not happy about Tua returning to the game. But if it was really his back, it is a non-issue.

JMP wrote:Tua's injury was supposedly to his back - not his head - according to McDaniel.  Apparently the NFLPA (and Bills fans) were not happy about Tua returning to the game.  But if it was really his back, it is a non-issue.

Just brace yourself for the wave of outrage, that's all I'm saying. It'll be like 2020 when everybody in the media suddenly became a medical expert.

DolFan 316 wrote:
This is what horrfies me, that the Bills could play with essentially their backups except for Allen and STILL almost win       It confirms in my mind that if the Fins hadn;t stopped them here and now, they were a lock for 20-0.

Yeah, the Bills are well-coached and have quality depth. To play as well as they did with backups everywhere, shutting down Tyreek...that's impressive. But we stayed together and fought as a team, and came out with the W.

As frustrating as it was to watch the D, they only allowed 17 points. I'll take that every time. But they have to learn to get off the field. The Phins finally have a legit offense...the D needs to allow them to play by getting off the field!

Thanks as always for the support! These damn games are INTENSE! Total roller coaster ride.

BTW I've been drinkin' wine and feelin' fine GF is getting more vino tomorrow too.

Kudos to Chris Grier for bringing Melvin Ingram to Miami. He's been one of our best defensive players so far and he does a little bit of everything. Great, great signing. Some big plays today for sure.

JMP wrote:Kudos to Chris Grier for bringing Melvin Ingram to Miami.  He's been one of our best defensive players so far and he does a little bit of everything.  Great, great signing.  Some big plays today for sure.

Oh, no doubt. I thought Ingram was just another geezer who had nothing left, but instead it seems like he's having a career renaissance!

Great game by Jerome Baker too - all over the field making plays. I think he had 13 or 14 tackles, with a tackle for loss and a shared sack. He brought his A game today!

Tua to Waddle was the momentum play of the game.

We made some Bad Plays and Couldn’t get Off the Field in this Game, But the Worse Play of the Game was Mr McKenzie not getting out and then Holding on too the Football for 3 seconds before giving the Ball to the Official with a Running Clock. Buffalo only Scored 3 Points while I was watching to many People Bothering Me at Work but We Won. This is a Game we would have Lost in the Past.

Good point - a lot of time ran down on that McKenzie play!

i concur with most everything that's been said.

Miami's D was about as bend as one can get without breaking. and how many times in the Bills last 2 possessions did Miami defenders have their hands on a possible potential game ending interception (i thought at least 3)? but yes, the same defense only allowed 17 points and set the offense up with the first short field TD. and also made several solid crucial pass breakups.

on offense the Waddle 45 yarder and the Cracraft TD were incredibly throws by Tua. Connor Williams (and Hunt too, but really, really Williams) was amazing on both Edmunds TD runs. if you get the chance, look at the replays. Williams completely clears the Buffalo d-line to part the seas for Edmunds.

this is a game the Dolphins usually lose - and be honest, we all thought for sure that Buffalo would punch it in on the 2nd to last possession. All day long Allen had been playing pitch and catch and now all of sudden he turfs his final easy pass?!?! and when they didn't, surely we were all convinced the game was certainly going to slip away after the butt punt. all Buffalo needed was FG. hahaha, how stupid was McKenzie for not bee-lining to the sideline (perhaps the kick would've still been too long), but then loafing it back to allow the ball to be spotted. and Allen deserves some blame too. the play started with 18 seconds. he probably would've been best served chucking the ball away after the initial pressure and trying a sideline pass the next play rather than putting the ball in play with the middle of the field completion. but its easy to second guess - harder to do in the heat of the moment. but no excuse for the loafing in getting the ball spotted. even the Bills o-line wasn't hurrying.

also, how "lucky" was Miami that the butt punt actually careened out of bounds for a safety and not worse, into a Bills waiting arms for a TD or dribbled into the field for another short field TD chance for Buffalo. in actuality, if the punt was not to be a successfully long kick, the safety really was the next best option. and even the prior play, the Tua incompletion to Mostert could've been an interception for a Bills TD. i get it, the Dolphins were on their 1 and there was a real chance of giving up a safety on a running play there, but damn, it sure would've been nice to keep the clock running.

curious play of the day - and one that contributed to a 2 point margin of victory. the Bills final play of the 1st half. Allen threw a 9-yarder to Diggs to expire time. a FG there with the remaining 3 seconds from Miami's 34 (granted not a gimme, but within Bass' usually range -although he later missed a shorter one) covers the difference and would seem worth taking a shot at the kick with the half expiring. i did notice that Allen missed handled the snap a bit, so maybe was going to clock it for a FG attempt, but feared he ran out of time - however, Diggs really did look like he was expecting the ball, so i'm not real sure what was called there.

loved the Ken Dorsey coaching booth explosion at the end. wonder what Tua was saying to Allen at the end. i also wonder what Wilkins did to piss Allen off so much that he drew a flag for the helmet yanking. and finally, really curious to see what the NFLPA will say about the back injury versus a concussion.

3-0 and a top of the AFC...but it is early, very early. keep on going Miami!! one game at a time. next up - Thursday night in Cincy.

I was stunned at the win. The Phins O was practically off the entire second half with the exception of the one TD. The D was on the field almost the entire second half. And the Phins managed to win??

Just a strange game all around.

You keep hearing goobers saying the Bills were without their secondary, missing OLinemen, etc... playing in the heat...

Well, the Phins had a veritable revolving door on the Oline as well.

And while I know the Bills O can probably play better, did anyone see how many missed tackles, sacks, and possible INTs the Phins D missed in the game. They had a hand on Josh Allen several times and he just took off for a long run. The first guy rarely stopped Singletary or any Bills for that matter.

So while the Bills can and will play better, I suspect the Dolphins D can and will play better too.

Not to mention the Phins O. I am sure McDaniel will have a new scheme for the rushing attack, which it looked like the Bills D had the playbook on. How many times did a Bills Defender guess right and hit the RB in the hole? Too many times to be just luck IMO. The Bills D had been well schooled on the McDaniel Offense and the rushing plays that worked on the Ravens did not work on the Bills.

I agree with Merc, this is a game the Flores Dolphins would have lost big time. I am still not sure we are seeing the ACTUAL 2022 Miami Dolphins, but at some point, the confidence becomes a self-fulfilling option for a team with talent. If they think they can win, even when things look bleak, then they do win.

Let's hope we are seeing that with these Dolphins.

Sitting atop the AFC East.. in the AFC East Penthouse as it were... We just need to clean up the spilled beer and the broken furniture left by the Bills... I am reminded of the long ago days when the Dolphins had a LOCK on the AFC East and were in the playoffs nearly every year! Mayhap, the return of those days is in the future?

Of course if the Phins go out and lay an embarrassing egg on Thursday night...

Lets hope the Phins Offense and the Defense show up for Thursday night.

finfanatic wrote:Lets hope the Phins Offense and the Defense show up for Thursday night.

I'm just hoping Tua shows up Thursday night, seeing as the media and NFLPA are teaming up in a desperate attempt to keep him out of that game

"ConcussionGate" just sounds way too clunky and unwieldy, so I'm just going to call it what it really is...pathetic.

Miami averaged a point for every minute the offense had the ball. I take that all day long. That's winning football.

It's only week 4 but it's fun hearing Tua when the mention early MVP.

interesting tidbit...

And here was a smart second-half adjustment from defensive coordinator Josh Boyer:

According to ESPN, the Dolphins blitzed Allen 57 percent of the time on Buffalo’s first three drives, and he completed 88 percent of his passes with two touchdown passes on those drives.

After that, Miami blitzed him just 20 percent of the time, and he completed 59 percent of his passes with no touchdowns.

The Dolphins pressured him 31 percent of his dropbacks, more than the Rams and Titans did.

“It was great looks up front, trying to confuse protection and make Josh Allen think he had to get the ball out of his hands fast,” ESPN’s Marcus Spears said. “Josh Allen wants to hit home run balls. This was one of those games you could see him getting a bit frustrated having to go to the backs, having to get the ball out of his hands early. Miami did a phenomenal job not only blitzing but disguising as well. Josh Allen is going to beat out when you blitz.”

https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/barry-jackson/article265289101.html

wow, imagine that. a Miami team that establishes an expectation and then pivots to an adjustment to confuse the opposition.

mercury22nathan wrote:
also, how "lucky" was Miami that the butt punt actually careened out of bounds for a safety and not worse, into a Bills waiting arms for a TD or dribbled into the field for another short field TD chance for Buffalo.  in actuality, if the punt was not to be a successfully long kick, the safety really was the next best option.  and even the prior play, the Tua incompletion to Mostert could've been an interception for a Bills TD.  i get it, the Dolphins were on their 1 and there was a real chance of giving up a safety on a running play there, but damn, it sure would've been nice to keep the clock running.

curious play of the day - and one that contributed to a 2 point margin of victory.  the Bills final play of the 1st half.  Allen threw a 9-yarder to Diggs to expire time.  a FG there with the remaining 3 seconds from Miami's 34 (granted not a gimme, but within Bass' usually range -although he later missed a shorter one) covers the difference and would seem worth taking a shot at the kick with the half expiring.  i did notice that Allen missed handled the snap a bit, so maybe was going to clock it for a FG attempt, but feared he ran out of time - however, Diggs really did look like he was expecting the ball, so i'm not real sure what was called there.

Great point with the safety. I was actually thinking that taking a safety there on purpose would have been a smart move, but McDaniel said he never considered it. That was a crazy turn of events on that last Dolphins drive - could have ended in disaster!

The Bills did a lot of questionable things in this game. I suspect that they were really thrown off by how physical the Dolphins were, and I also think McDaniel outcoached McDermott in a lot of ways. In the end, we made the key plays and they didn't.

finfanatic wrote:And while I know the Bills O can probably play better, did anyone see how many missed tackles, sacks, and possible INTs the Phins D missed in the game. They had a hand on Josh Allen several times and he just took off for a long run. The first guy rarely stopped Singletary or any Bills for that matter.

So while the Bills can and will play better, I suspect the Dolphins D can and will play better too.

Not to mention the Phins O. I am sure McDaniel will have a new scheme for the rushing attack, which it looked like the Bills D had the playbook on. How many times did a Bills Defender guess right and hit the RB in the hole? Too many times to be just luck IMO. The Bills D had been well schooled on the McDaniel Offense and the rushing plays that worked on the Ravens did not work on the Bills.

I think Phins' defenders dropped 5 INTs - seriously. Seemed like we were in good position to make a lot of big plays that could have really changed the trajectory of this game...hopefully at least some of those drops turn into actual picks soon, because this D needs to find a way to get off the field.

I think you're right - the Dolphins can and will play much better moving forward. We are not going to be facing the likes of Lamar, Allen and Burrow every week, so I do expect the D to improve. And I truly believe we haven't even scratched the surface of what this offense will be.

As far as the running game, I don't think the Bills knew what we were running so much as we just failed to block. The Bills' defenders were able to find lanes/gaps to run through and get into the backfield immediately. I've seen the Phins doing a lot of combo blocking this season, and while that can be effective it can also open up space for defenders to get through. Some tweaks need to be made to prevent that from happening moving forward. But I think the running game is close to breaking out...just need to keep plugging away.

Regarding taking the safety: that means they only need a FG to win, so with the choice being to take it intentionally and free kick hoping the coverage nails it (fortunately they did after the safety happened anyway) versus hoping for a great punt out of the end zone and forcing the Bills to get in the end zone from, say, midfield, I like trying to do it without giving them the safety.

Making them burn all the TO's was crucial. You could second guess the decision to throw on 3rd down versus running 45 more seconds off the clock before the punt but I like the confidence it shows in Tua to allow him to try to make the back breaking play himself. "Queasy throwing the ball there" still makes me want to vomit to this day.

Bottom line, we made the key plays and they didn't. Back to back weeks against two teams that will be playing in January. I'm very optimistic we will also be playing then based on what I've seen so far.

2021 draft really looking good right now. Waddle and Holland were the MVP's offensively and defensively Sunday.