Game 12 thoughts: Bills at Dolphins

The Dolphins kept their slim playoff hopes alive with an ugly victory against the Bills today. The Dolphins pathetic offense failed to reach 200 yards, but thanks to a decent defensive effort and a bunch of Bills’ mistakes, the Phins pulled out the close win, 21-17.

Ryan Tannehill did throw 3 TDs, but he did not play a good game. He threw several near-INTs and totaled just 137 yards passing, with an INT. Tannehill was under pressure much of the game and never got in a rhythm. His best drive was the opening drive, where he found DeVante Parker for a TD. It was the second consecutive opening-drive TD for the Phins, after failing to do so in the previous 20 games. The Phins’ next three drives were all tyhree-and-outs. Tannehill threw for just 41 yards in the second half, leading his team to just 7 second half points. Against a good team, that’s losing football.

Parker did nothing in the second half, and newcomer Brice Butler had 4 catches. Kenny Stills complained about his usage during the week, and he responded with 4 catches and the game-winning TD in the 4th quarter. The TEs were quiet, though Mike Gesicki did draw a key 27-yard pass interference.

The running game was mostly non-existent, though Kenyan Drake did have a 20-yard run that set the Phins up for the Stills TD.

The OL was mostly awful, with terrible pass protection and no run blocking. Tannehill was hit numerous times and was sacked 3 times, one almost resulting in a safety.

Overall, despite the 3 TDs, it was a lackluster offensive effort that would have resulted in a loss against almost any other team. Just 15 first downs, 2-9 on third down, and a net of 175 yards. That is what you call piss-poor offense.

One more note on the offense. Adam Gase continues to inexplicably call wildcat plays. One did result in an 8-yard run by Kalen Ballage, but another resulted in a negative run by Ballage on the Dolphins final series of the game, giving the Bills the ball back with plenty of time on the clock. This formation is so done…STOP THE MADNESS!!

The defense played pretty good for the most part, although they had no answer for Bills’ QB Josh Allen’s legs. Allen gained 135 yards on the ground, several times picking up first downs in 3rd and long situations. Inexcusable. Allen threw for 231 yards, the second highest total of his young career, and had a multiple-TD game for the first time in his career. Most of this was due to the absolutely non-existent Dolphins pass rushing – although Bobby McCain and Robert Quinn did help to seal the win with sacks on the Bills’ final drive. It’s worth noting that the Bills missed several long pass plays to wide open receivers, and the final play of the game featured Allen avoiding a Quinn sack and just barely missing a wide open Charles Clay in the endzone for what would have been a game-winning TD for the Bills.

Kiko Alonso made some plays, but also looked foolish several times as Allen ran passed him for big yards. One memorable play saw Allen pushing Alonso aside to gain extra yards. Raekwon McMillan did nothing, getting burned by WR Zay Jones for a TD. Minkah Fitzpatrick had a rough game; he missed an easy INT in the first half, was flagged for pass interference which led to a Bills’ TD, and he failed to defend a pass on the Bills’ final drive on a near-catch that fortunately hit the ground. Xavien Howard was beat in coverage a couple of times, but he did have 2 INTs for the second consecutive week, giving him 7 on the season.

This game was won in large part due to Bills’ special teams miscues. Late in the second quarter, the Bills muffed a punt that was recovered by Sinorice Perry of the Phins and led to a Miami TD. The Bills’ kicker, Steven Hauschka, missed a 55-yard FG and an extra point. Those mistakes were the difference in the game.

One final note: this was one of the sloppiest games I’ve seen in awhile, with the teams combining for 21 penalties for over 200 yards. UGLY.

So, yeah, the Dolphins are now 6-6. Despite getting a win and still being in the playoff hunt, this looks like a sloppy, undisciplined team going nowhere fast. The offense looks worse every game, and the defense is hanging on by a thread, relying on opponent mistakes to prevent TDs. Once again, I’m feeling like crap even after a win.


Beer of the Day: DUBCO IPA (Destination Unknown Brewing Company, Bay Shore, Long Island). Great beer - thumbs up!

Hero of the Day: Not really sure anyone played well enough to earn the honor, but I’ll give it to Xavien Howard for the 2 INTs.

Goat of the Day: Right guard Jesse Davis – 2 penalties (one in the red zone) and 2 sacks allowed. Brutal.

Great write up, JMP.

Is Gase gonna come out and say, "It doesn't matter that we won, people need to focus on how bad we played."  No?  Yeah, I didn't think so

P.S. - Every time I see the old jerseys I want them to stick with them in perpetuity.

Xavien Howard is quietly having a pro bowl season.

I love how quick the Game Thoughts got up this time

So let me get this straight...Fins are outgained by 240 yards (only twice have they been outgained by more in a win) and Josh Allen runs for more yards against them than any QB ever has? And they won because Charles Clay for whatever reason decided to drop the winning TD with no Fins defender in the same zip code?

Well that settles it then, we'll be hearing about Gase's contract extension tomorrow. Wednesday at the latest.

Also, espn.com is spinning it as Jordan Phillips going rogue and singlehandedly costing the Bills the game. Seriously, that's what they decided to focus on. Clay's dropped pass just gets a passing mention.

The Phillips penalty was bogus, unless he said something. Regardless, he did make some good plays today.

JMP wrote:The Phillips penalty was bogus, unless he said something.  Regardless, he did make some good plays today.

Well supposedly the second time he taunted could have been a penalty as well from what they were saying. But in all reality Miami should have lost that game. several missed FG and too many drops from their WR. They should have blown Miami out and I think Gase would have been fired then. Bills saved Gase job today.

rightchea wrote:But in all reality Miami should have lost that game. several missed FG and too many drops from their WR. They should have blown Miami out and I think Gase would have been fired then. Bills saved Gase job today.

Hmmm...maybe that was the Bills' devious, diabolical plan, to let Gase keep his job as long as possible since they know the Fins will never be good with him

Nah, an organization that's made the playoffs once this century isn't that smart

Seems to me like a simple case of two teams each trying to out-suck the other.

The sad part is, the Phins probably don't win this game without the 27-yard pass interference penalty on Bills' LB Milano. I thought it was a terrible call - didn't seem like Milano actually did anything...Gesicki looked like he was running knee-deep through mud and never would have caught the pass anyway. Regardless, without that penalty, the Phins probably lose the game.

BTW, for all the talk about how 'athletic' Gesicki was when the Phins drafted him, he looks like one of the most non-athletic players I've ever seen. His running style is so awkward...seems like a very low-ceiling player to me, but I guess we'll see if he develops.

when you win the turnover battle 3-1, are gifted 120 yards in penalties and the opposition misses a FG and extra-point, but you only win by 4...well, you're a bad team. yeah, the Phins won. and are now that much farther down in the draft and will keep their coach - yippee.

JMP wrote:Kiko Alonso made some plays, but also looked foolish several times as Allen ran passed him for big yards.  One memorable play saw Allen pushing Alonso aside to gain extra yards.

and speaking of Kiko, i thought PFF's write-up about him after this game was pretty accurate...

Kiko Alonso has never recaptured the form of early in his career, and his second stint in Miami has not helped him rediscover it. His instincts reading plays don’t appear to be quite at the same level, highlighted by a busted coverage that allowed a big gain to wide open fullback after play action. He can still make plays in the run game, particularly when he’s kept clean, but the skills that made him such a useful modern linebacker appear to have deserted him.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-refocused-nfl-week-13-miami-dolphins-21-buffalo-bills-17

and this is after a victory in which he led the team with 11 tackles (albeit many downfield) mind you.

There's just WAY too many instances of Alonso getting easily blocked, taking a bad angle, mis-reading the play, etc. And then all the questionable hits. He's just not a good player.

And then we have Charles Harris, who looks worse every time he plays. Yesterday Charles Clay blew him the fuck up on a block...just completely unacceptable. Harris is a wasted roster space...total liability on the field.

The Phillips penalty was bogus, unless he said something. Regardless, he did make some good plays today.

I haven't changed my mind on Phillips, and I won't. He's a rotational guy at best and I pity the team that makes any financial commitment to him long-term. "Just Another Guy" sums him up perfectly. 2nd round pick? BUST.

I hated seeing some of the players we've released over the years go, but Phillips is not one of them. I celebrated that move, and have no regrets in hind sight.

And then we have Charles Harris, who looks worse every time he plays. Yesterday Charles Clay blew him the fuck up on a block...just completely unacceptable. Harris is a wasted roster space...total liability on the field.

Just great. What a bust. We have too many misses like this and they just keep happening. If Fitzpatrick pans out, and it looks like he probably will, that's ONE good 1st round pick in a row. We need like 4 or 5 in a row, at least.

Gesicki is doing nothing to help with our 2nd round failures...

JMP wrote:The sad part is, the Phins probably don't win this game without the 27-yard pass interference penalty on Bills' LB Milano.  I thought it was a terrible call - didn't seem like Milano actually did anything...Gesicki looked like he was running knee-deep through mud and never would have caught the pass anyway.  Regardless, without that penalty, the Phins probably lose the game.

BTW, for all the talk about how 'athletic' Gesicki was when the Phins drafted him, he looks like one of the most non-athletic players I've ever seen.  His running style is so awkward...seems like a very low-ceiling player to me, but I guess we'll see if he develops.

But, boy wonder said in his press conference today that gisucki is pretty much on pace with the other rookie TE's in the league this year at around 18-20 catches so far. I for one was ecstatic about the pick. I thought we FINALLY have our modern-era TE. I guess I thought wrong. He just does nothing to impress me.

Could it be he is not being utilized properly? I do not recall him ruining many seam routes. I can not recall many possession type, move the chains routes up the middle. Look how gronk and Kelsie are utilized. They find all different ways to get them involved. We run this guy on a 3 yrd route on 3rd and 6 and expect him to do the rest.

Regardless, the guy has seriously underachieved IMO. I loved the pick, but the more I think about it, II have to think he is not being coached up correctly.

I leave this game thinking that the jills are so much worse of a team than the Fins. If they can not beat the Fins when they hold them to less than 200 yards and their QB gains just about as many yards RUNNING as the Fins QB did PASSING, then that tells you all you need to know. The jills really stink.

By all rights, the jills should have won this game. They dropped at least three TD passes and committed stupid penalty after stupid penalty.

This was two BAD football teams.

CarsonChris wrote:Xavien Howard is quietly having a pro bowl season.

Agreed, and the 2016 draft is looking fairly decent with Tunsil, Howard and Drake. It isn't fantastic, but it isn't bad. Would certainly look better without the ridiculous trade for Carroo.

Unfortunately, the 2017 draft is looking like a total, complete failure at this point. Harris and Tankersley look like complete busts. In a draft that had so many DB's and pass rushers......

scotgif wrote:I leave this game thinking that the jills are so much worse of a team than the Fins. If they can not beat the Fins when they hold them to less than 200 yards and their QB gains just about as many yards RUNNING as the Fins QB did PASSING, then that tells you all you need to know. The jills really stink.

By all rights, the jills should have won this game. They dropped at least three TD passes and committed stupid penalty after stupid penalty.

This was two BAD football teams.

I left that game with a different view. I think the Bills have a bright future with Allen. They already have a good defense. Allen needs to learn the concept of "touch". If he does that, and they can add some offensive weapons and fix the OL, that could be a very good team very quickly. Allen is an ascending player with a high ceiling - exactly what you want in a rookie QB.

scotgif wrote:

JMP wrote:The sad part is, the Phins probably don't win this game without the 27-yard pass interference penalty on Bills' LB Milano.  I thought it was a terrible call - didn't seem like Milano actually did anything...Gesicki looked like he was running knee-deep through mud and never would have caught the pass anyway.  Regardless, without that penalty, the Phins probably lose the game.

BTW, for all the talk about how 'athletic' Gesicki was when the Phins drafted him, he looks like one of the most non-athletic players I've ever seen.  His running style is so awkward...seems like a very low-ceiling player to me, but I guess we'll see if he develops.

But, boy wonder said in his press conference today that gisucki is pretty much on pace with the other rookie TE's in the league this year at around 18-20 catches so far. I for one was ecstatic about the pick. I thought we FINALLY have our modern-era TE. I guess I thought wrong. He just does nothing to impress me.

Could it be he is not being utilized properly? I do not recall him ruining many seam routes. I can not recall many possession type, move the chains routes up the middle. Look how gronk and Kelsie are utilized. They find all different ways to get them involved. We run this guy on a 3 yrd route on 3rd and 6 and expect him to do the rest.

Regardless, the guy has seriously underachieved IMO. I loved the pick, but the more I think about it, II have to think he is not being coached up correctly.

I had high hopes for Gesicki too, and he's definitely being misused. I don't know why the coaches are trying to force him to become a blocking TE. That's not his game, at all. That said, he looks slow, soft and unathletic - I'm now leaning more towards "bust" than "star". But, we'll see...

white1 wrote:

The Phillips penalty was bogus, unless he said something. Regardless, he did make some good plays today.

I haven't changed my mind on Phillips, and I won't.  He's a rotational guy at best and I pity the team that makes any financial commitment to him long-term.  "Just Another Guy" sums him up perfectly.  2nd round pick? BUST.  

I hated seeing some of the players we've released over the years go, but Phillips is not one of them.  I celebrated that move, and have no regrets in hind sight.

I don't hate Phillips being gone because he probably wouldn't have been re-signed anyway, but IMO getting rid of him was a big mistake this season. He's a rotational player that makes big plays from time to time. Right now, we have nothing at DT. Godchaux is a JAG, Sylvester Williams is a JAG, and Ziggy Hood sucks. Phillips may not be a star, but he absolutely could have helped the Dolphin defense. Dumping him was a knee-jerk reaction by a coach that doesn't know how to deal with players.

HalCHorn wrote:

CarsonChris wrote:Xavien Howard is quietly having a pro bowl season.

Agreed, and the 2016 draft is looking fairly decent with Tunsil, Howard and Drake.  It isn't fantastic, but it isn't bad.  Would certainly look better without the ridiculous trade for Carroo.

Unfortunately, the 2017 draft is looking like a total, complete failure at this point.  Harris and Tankersley look like complete busts.  In a draft that had so many DB's and pass rushers......

Howard has really turned the corner. I still don't like him against faster receivers, and he still gets beat too often for my liking, but the dude is a playmaker.

It's just too bad we really have no other consistent playmakers in the secondary. As good as Fitzpatrick has been, he isn't really a playmaker...he does his job well overall, but the big plays aren't there yet. I'd love to see another dynamic, playmaking corner opposite Howard. Add it to the huge list of needs...

Every time I watch the Phins, I keep wondering what somebody like Wade Phillips would do with these defensive players?

Again, you can't make chicken salad out of chicken shyte, but... The scheme just seems to be read and react. Keep it in front of you and make the tackle. HOPE the other offense makes a mistake. Instead of trying to force the issue and win the game, play to not lose the game.

It drives me absolutely to the point of distraction!

Yeah, it seems the Bills have some foundation to build around. They recognized that the QB they had was at best a backup, and jettisoned him to get a better QB. A lesson the Phins need to learn in a hurry.

Anyway, the Phins stunk it up and should have lost the game. I got to see the very last play and how in heck Clay got THAT OPEN is a question Burke should be answering as he cleans out his office with pink slip in hand. THAT was inexcusable!!

I don't think you can blame burke for that one. Miami secondary didn't keep good track of everyone that was in the endzone and should have done better with their coverage. Burke get a pass for that one.