Game thoughts: Week 15, Dolphins at Bills

The Dolphins lost a heartbreaker in Buffalo tonight, falling 32-29 to the Bills in a game they should have won. Coaching was ultimately the demise of the Dolphins, and they lost any chance of winning the division and now hold onto slim hopes of making the playoffs.

I have all these notes I took during the game, but I’m too disgusted to type them up. This is a game that was in our hands, and we lost it because of coaching. Horrendous playcalling on 3rd downs by Mike McDaniel, and just a gutless defense called by Josh Boyer.

The Dolphins ran all over the Bills, but continually turned to the pass in 3rd and short situations – and continually failed. I have no idea what McDaniel was thinking, and why this supposed run game guru refused to run the ball in key situations – despite the fact that the run game was all but unstoppable all night.

Trent Sherfield and Tyreek Hill both dropped sure TD passes on the same drive, and that certainly played a big role in the loss. But in the end, McDaniel’s inexplicable resistance to run was the team’s undoing.

As for the defense, I’ve never seen so many wide open receivers in my entire life. How in the world do you play 10 yards off the receivers against the Bills??? On what planet does that make sense? Josh Allen absolutely shredded the defense, and even with a 3rd quarter lull he dominated the 4th quarter. Boyer’s soft defense gave the Dolphins absolutely no chance to win the game.

The Dolphins hung in there and played a tough game, but in the end the coaching staff let the team down and allowed the Bills to win. Add in horrible officiating – again – and the Dolphins just had too much going against them to win. I really feel bad for the players, who did everything they could to win this game only to be screwed by their coaches.

Now, at 8-6, the Dolphins need to win out to have a legit shot at the playoffs. After losing 3 in a row, the prospects of now winning 3 in a row seem slim at best.


Hero of the Game: The running game, for dominating the Bills defense and rolling up 188 yards on the ground. But even with that, McDaniel refused to let the unstoppable run game win this contest.

Goat of the Game: The Coaching staff for an absolutely disgusting game. Mike McDaniel’s playcalling was embarrassing, especially in short yardage situations. I’m sure everyone will blame Tua for this loss, because that’s the cool thing to do even when it isn’t true, but the FACT is that McDaniel lost this game by refusing to call running plays when the run game could not be stopped. The Dolphins win this game running away – pun intended - if McDaniel didn’t have his head up his ass. And don’t even get me started with Josh Boyer – I don’t usually use bad language in these posts, but all I can say is fuck that piece of shit Boyer. What a disgusting display on that final Bills drive, giving them easy completion after easy completion. The coaches lost this game, plain and simple. If anyone tells you different, they’re WRONG.

I've been an unflappable Mike McDaniel supporter since day 1. No more. Fuck him. He lost this game with his bullshit playcalling. Run game guru my ass. How the FUCK do you not run the ball on 3rd and short tonight?

And PLEASE just fire Josh Boyer RIGHT NOW!!! This guy is an absolute disaster. Look, I get we are down players in the secondary. But you CANNOT give the Bills receivers a 10 yard cushion all night long, especially not when you're blitzing. All you're doing is making Josh Allen play pitch and catch.

I am absolutely livid right now...best that I walk away and stop posting for tonight.

One more:

Fuck the bullshit refs. Josh Allen threw the ball to an offensive lineman with no eligible receiver within 10 yards - and it wasn't called grounding. Are you fucking kidding me????? So sick of seeing the Dolphins get screwed on these absolutely bogus calls.

And BTW, Jae Phillips was held all night - again - and no penalties called. Tyreek Hill was held all night - and no penalties called.

And how about the refs warning the fans that the Bills would get a 15 yard penalty the next time they threw snowballs? That announcement was met with - you guessed it - snowball throwing. And surprise surprise - no penalty.

So obvious what's going on here.

BTW there was absolutely NOT clear evidence that the ball crossed the goalline in the Bills 2 point conversion that tied the game at 29. Just another bullshit call against the Dolphins.

Looking at those back to back endzone drops by Hill and Sherfield is killing me...absolutely perfect passes by Tua, and the receivers just choke. Either one of those guys catches the ball, we probably win. Even with the horrendous defense.

Sometimes I have this feeling the NFL has determined the outcome of the game before it's played and the referees do everything to make that happen. Almost feels like our elections!

If we get another shot at them, just run and run and keep running. We have a huge advantage at the LOS now against them. It will also keep Golden Boy off the field (in addition to the officiating shenanigans it seems that every announcer is slobbering on Allen’s knob like they did Brady’s the last decade).

Being a Dolphin's fan just breaks you down and defeats you. This team does not know how to win and finish season after season.

Last week: Chargers close out the game with a 17 play, 80 yard, nearly 8 minute FG drive.

Last night: Bills win the game with a 15 play, 86 yard, 6 minute FG drive.

FIRE JOSH BOYER NOW

JMP wrote:Last week: Chargers close out the game with a 17 play, 80 yard, nearly 8 minute FG drive.

Last night: Bills win the game with a 15 play, 86 yard, 6 minute FG drive.

FIRE JOSH BOYER NOW

agreed!!

and had McDaniel decided to run against the Chargers as well as they did last night (even with the lack of 3rd and short runs), they would've won that game and wouldn't be in the soon-to-be-eliminated from the playoffs position they are currently in.

this building the defense from the backend forward must stop. get a real D coordinator in Miami now! the game is won at the line of scrimmage.

While the other team has a long drive to close out the game. We are lucky to even get a 1st down before punting.

Is the middle of the field gone for us? We can't use a TE to get 6-7 yards? Every play has to be 30 yards deep hoping one of the WR catch it for a huge play then we punt and watch a long drive pick us apart. It just deflates you.
Yes we are still in the hunt and can finish strong but this just screams same old Dolphins. Fool me once. Fool me twice. Fool me for 50 years.

JMP wrote:And how about the refs warning the fans that the Bills would get a 15 yard penalty the next time they threw snowballs?  That announcement was met with - you guessed it - snowball throwing.  And surprise surprise - no penalty.

oh, so now Josh Allen has an issue with snowball throwing...

Josh Allen was trying to stop fans from throwing snowballs at the NFL Network set before his postgame interview.

https://sports.yahoo.com/bills-qb-josh-allen-dolphins-105510538.html

Actually this morning I realized the Dolphins will make the Playoffs as either the #5 or #6 seed depending on what KC and Buffalo do. The NFL WANTS Hill against KC in KC in the Wildcard. That's why all the crappy calls.

A couple of days later, I look at it like this: at one point last week, I thought we'd lose 41-0. But we only lost by 3 on a last-second FG in a blizzard, and actually had the lead pretty late in the game. I'm not asking for a participation trophy - just saying that at the very least we showed up and battled hard. That in itself is a big difference from past seasons when we really would have lost 41-0. As bitter as I am about the loss, I do think McDaniel has this team headed in the right direction long-term. And, even with the 3 game losing streak, we still have a chance to finish 11-6. Time to shake off the dirt and move on to the next game.

Haven't posted in this thread but I have been meaning to. JMP you hit the nail on the head and your thoughts were echoed in the weekly PFT power rankings. They said "Yes, they lost. And yes we are bumping them up a spot." The response and sentiment has been pretty much universal across the media outlets I have watched this week.

While the Dolphins lost the game, it was a hard fought playoff-caliber battle. Far from being embarrassed, were it not for our consistent troubles on defense, or a few key short 3rd down conversions we likely win this game.

I was absolutely impressed with the running game. What a nice change of pace from the pass-happy game plans that failed against SF and SD. We will have to accept growing pains from McDaniel as he is a first time head coach and first time playcaller. I loved the combination of power running, with the added element of the quick strike passing play illustrated by TDs to both Waddle and Hill. Tua looked very good in this game, against a strong Buffalo defense.

The defense deserves its own thread but honestly we have pretty much drained that topic. Setting all emotions and knee jerk reactions aside, the statistics tell the story of this season. We are ranked near the bottom of the league in virtually every key category. You can see it on the field. One bright spot: J Phillips had an excellent game, and his strip sack of J Allen was outstanding. We have definitely found a very good pass rush threat in Phillips, and pairing him with Chubb makes the future bright at that spot.

Speaking of the defense here's the good news: The next three offenses we face are bottom half performers. If the Jets start Zach Wilson, it only gets worse for them. These are teams where our defense typically feasts, no different than we saw last season during the winning streak. It's setup for us again. Highly likely we may face Love instead of Rodgers - but even with Rodgers that offense has been not good. Mac Jones and his offense have been horrible. The frustration between the QB and OC in New England is threatening to implode the entire region. It has been hilarious to watch.

Am I predicting a sweep? Probably not. But I think we get into the playoffs, and that would be a total victory for year 1 of the new staff.

FWIW the rankings are improved in yards per play overall:

Offense: passing 2nd, rushing 20nd
Defense: we are 16th in yards per play allowed on both.

True, stats don't tell the entire story, but the AFC still looks like another "who's hot at the right time" scenario right now. Buffalo's the best and there's no reason for us to fear them.

Buffalo definitely looks like the best team overall using YPP, but there's one key weakness, and Miami exposed this Saturday night:

Offense: 7th pass, 3rd rush
Defense: 9th pass, 19th rush

If a team dares to just run all day at the Bills I think they stand a great chance to beat them. Miami would have if they'd done it Saturday night IMO.

white1 wrote:

The defense deserves its own thread but honestly we have pretty much drained that topic.  Setting all emotions and knee jerk reactions aside, the statistics tell the story of this season.  We are ranked near the bottom of the league in virtually every key category.  You can see it on the field.  One bright spot:  J Phillips had an excellent game, and his strip sack of J Allen was outstanding.  We have definitely found a very good pass rush threat in Phillips, and pairing him with Chubb makes the future bright at that spot.  

Speaking of the defense here's the good news:  The next three offenses we face are bottom half performers.  If the Jets start Zach Wilson, it only gets worse for them.  These are teams where our defense typically feasts, no different than we saw last season during the winning streak.  It's setup for us again.  Highly likely we may face Love instead of Rodgers - but even with Rodgers that offense has been not good. Mac Jones and his offense have been horrible.  The frustration between the QB and OC in New England is threatening to implode the entire region.  It has been hilarious to watch.

Am I predicting a sweep? Probably not.  But I think we get into the playoffs, and that would be a total victory for year 1 of the new staff.

The Dolphins have one of the worst defenses in the league - that has become obvious to anyone that watches this team. It puts us behind the 8-ball in almost every game, because we are now in a position where the offense can no longer have a bad game or even a bad couple of series. If the offense falters, that's it - game over. Because the defense cannot make key stops and cannot force turnovers or make game-changing plays. It really is a shame, because it is a relatively easy fix: just stop playing 10 yards off receivers when a blitz is called. I truly believe that one change could make a huge difference.

I do love the Chubb addition - the pass rush, and in particular Jae Phillips, has gotten so much better since he was brought in. Chubb commands a double team on almost every play, and that frees everyone else up. Unfortunately, pressure is useless when the QB can just immediately throw to a wide open receiver before the pressure gets there. If we actually covered receivers, that would force the QB to hold the ball longer, and would lead to more hits and sacks.

We absolutely, positively, 100% should sweep the final three. But will we? I just don't know, because I have zero faith in this defense. I'm just picturing Aaron Rodgers drooling at all the wide open receivers he'll see when he drops back. And I also have zero faith in our STs, which is troubling because Green Bay has an excellent returner in Keisean Nixon, and New England has their own with Marcus Jones.

With all that laid out, I think the path to victory is clear: Tua and the offense must dominate. Not just play well for a half, but actually kick ass for 60 minutes. TDs not FGs, limited 3 and outs, stop all the damn drops and pre-snap penalties, stick with the running game for a full game - just go out there and pile on the points. Defense and STs cannot be trusted, so it is time for Tua to once and for all put this team on his back and steamroll opposing defenses. We haven't seen that on a consistent basis at all, but if it's ever going to happen this season now is the time.

The Play that Still Hurts was the Last Play of the 1st Half when Allen actually screws up by Running out the Clock but got a Td because on the DL they Lined Ingram & Chubb on the Outside and put Phillips at DT which makes no Sense to Me, Ingram should be Inside because of his Size and Strength and Phillips at his Normal Position and Allen could have been sacked on that Play. The PI'S all night on Hill and Waddle was Terrible Like they were scared to Flag the Bills because the Crowd might start throwing Ice Balls at them too. Out of the 3 Teams they have Left Packers are the Most Dangerous because of the Two Headed Monster at RB , Jones and Dillon are a Hand Full but at least Rodgers doesn't have much Mobility left so we should be able to get after Him.

finskev wrote:The Play that Still Hurts was the Last Play of the 1st Half when Allen actually screws up by Running out the Clock but got a Td because on the DL they Lined Ingram & Chubb on the Outside and put Phillips at DT which makes no Sense to Me, Ingram should be Inside because of his Size and Strength and Phillips at his Normal Position and Allen could have been sacked on that Play. The PI'S  all night on Hill and Waddle was Terrible  Like they were scared to Flag the Bills because the Crowd might start throwing Ice Balls at them too. Out of the 3 Teams they have Left Packers are the Most Dangerous because of the Two Headed Monster at RB , Jones and Dillon are a Hand Full but at least Rodgers doesn't have much Mobility left so we should be able to get after Him.

Great post, Kev.

Some of those defensive alignments were headscratchers for sure. I'm not sure what Boyer was thinking on that play in particular.

The officiating was some of the worst I've seen. I swear White was holding or interfering on nearly every play - and it was never called. The non-call on the Wilson play was just disgusting....he was mugged. And Hill was held literally all night long - with no flags. Nothing tops the absurd non-call on the clear intentional grounding, but that entire game was so obviously called in the Bills favor. I've been watching football a long time, and as far as I know when the QB throws the ball to an ineligible OL with no eligible receiver in sight, it is - by rule - intentional grounding. I just can't wrap my head around the non-call there...the only explanation that makes sense is that the refs were trying to make the Bills win.

and add to the list that the Bills' starting center was concussed during the game, but allowed to continue playing...

The Buffalo Bills (11-3) lost center Mitch Morse due to a head injury.

Morse sustained it during his team’s 32-29 win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 15.

Following the contest, it was revealed Morse has a concussion. Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott made that known via video conference on Monday that Morse is in the NFL’s concussion protocol.

https://sports.yahoo.com/bills-mitch-morse-concussion-protocol-105542470.html

i could've sworn i read somewhere that the NFL was doing something about this...hmmm... oh that's right, its only enforced when it applies to the Dolphins.

mercury22nathan wrote:and add to the list that the Bills' starting center was concussed during the game, but allowed to continue playing...

The Buffalo Bills (11-3) lost center Mitch Morse due to a head injury.

Morse sustained it during his team’s 32-29 win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 15.

Following the contest, it was revealed Morse has a concussion. Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott made that known via video conference on Monday that Morse is in the NFL’s concussion protocol.

https://sports.yahoo.com/bills-mitch-morse-concussion-protocol-105542470.html

i could've sworn i read somewhere that the NFL was doing something about this...hmmm...  oh that's right, its only enforced when it applies to the Dolphins.

What a joke. Just amazing how this blatant disregard of the rules - and blatant favoritism - just continues week after week with no repercussions. And if anything, it's getting worse every week.