It was a dominant statement win for the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night from start to finish. The Buffalo Bills won the game convincingly 31-10, and made sure it was known they aren’t going anywhere. For Buffalo, they moved to 2-0 (1-1 division). For Miami, they move to 1-1 in both their overall record and division record. It was an eventful game, specifically for Miami. There are questions that Miami will need to answer, while Buffalo can stay the course and should be the heavy favorite to win the AFC East. Below I will give a recap of the game, as well as talk about where Miami can/should go for the rest of the season.
The first drive of the game set the tone for the Bills, as they picked off Tua Tagovailoa on a dig route intended for new Dolphins wide receiver Grant Dubose. Tagovailoa put it on Grant Dubose’s shoulder, but he was not ready for the ball. JaMarcus Ingram was the cornerback who brought in the interception, he played in place of injured Bills corner Taron Johnson. The Dolphins stood tough against the Bills offense, but on 4th and 3 Josh Allen found a wide open James Cook for a 17 yard touchdown. The Dolphins were able to bounce back with a long sustained drive, ending with a touchdown pass to DeVon Achane. However, from there, Buffalo took over.
The next Miami drive, Tua threw an interception to Christian Benford, the ball was intended for Robbie Chosen. Like Dubose, Chosen was recently signed with the Dolphins and does not have the reps that other Dolphins receivers have. He slipped running his route, and it looked like it was cut short. Excuses are irrelevant in the NFL however, whoevers fault it was does not matter. The half ended 24-10 where Miami looked complacent coming away with 3 points, interesting clock management.
Buffalo got the ball to start the third quarter and Miami was able to force a punt. However, Buffalo capitalized on yet another interception from Tua. This one, no one can defend Tuas decision, as he threw the ball to the sidelines but it could not get to the sideline. JaMarcus Ingram picked it off and brought it to the endzone, Buffalo was then leading 31-10.
The next drive was scary, the Dolphins were driving before they were faced with a big 4th and 4. Tagovailoa saw a crease in the defense and took off running, he got the 1st down but did not slide. Tagovailoa initiated contact with this head, and Bills safety Damar Hamlin made the tackle. Tagovailoa hit the ground and it was immediately clear he was not ok. He was on his knees and his hands were making a reflex from the hit. It was a scary sight for all, and it was similar to the night Tua got hurt against Cincannatti in 2022.
The game ended 31-10, neither team scored another point. It was a dark moment for the Dolphins, who have a lot of decisions to make.
Let’s start with the quarterback position. There was a lot of controversy regarding Tuas injury, and rightfully so. It is the third major head injury for Tua in the past three seasons that will naturally stir up conversations. However, it was announced today that Tua has no plans on retiring. It is worth noting that studies from people who study concussions say that there is not hard evidence he should retire. Personally, I trust the people who study the human brain for a living.
Tagovailoa will miss time however, the timeline should be at the very least two weeks. It will likely be longer. The Dolphins in the meantime named Skylar Thompson the starter, and signed former pro bowler and current Ravens practice squad quarterback Tyler “Snoop” Huntley. Huntley has shown flashes of great quarterback play, but overall should just be a placeholder until Tua Tagovailoa returns to the field. Huntley has made great plays with his legs, he was a great backup style wise for Lamar Jackson. It is interesting to see what the Dolphins do with him.
There are more issues with this Dolphins team however, let’s move onto maybe the biggest issue. The Dolphins offensive line played extremely poorly. Their best player Terron Armstead, exited the game with an injury. This is common for the veteran, he has never played a full season healthy in his 12 seasons in the NFL. Left guard is a massive glaring issue for Miami, Robert Jones has been nothing short of disappointing. He was supposed to be a breakout player for Miami this year, but that has not come to fruition. He also exited the game with an injury, and his backup Lester Cotton wasn’t any better. Center Aaron Brewer and right guard Liam Eichenberg have been solid, there haven’t been many issues with them. Right tackle Austin Jackson played extremely poorly against Von Miller, he dominated in the trenches.
The Dolphins need to figure out how to protect their highly paid QB, as well as create push in the run game. Maybe a move for a veteran offensive lineman is a necessity.
It may seem strange to say, but I do believe there are issues in the Dolphins receiver room. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are outstanding, but they do not have a serviceable consistent receiver behind them. Braxton Berrios has 0 catches this year, and promising veteran River Cracraft got hurt in preseason play. Two interceptions were caused by poor execution by Grant DuBose and Robbie Chosen. The Dolphins better hope Berrios steps it up, or they better hope that Odell Beckham Jr and River Cracraft can come back from their injuries and play to their standard.
The Dolphins defense also had issues. James Cook and Buffalo’s offensive line won the day for Buffalo. Josh Allen was sacked zero times, while James Cook was able to rush for 7.1 yards per carry. That performance is not up to standard for any defensive line. The Dolphins desperately need a guy to step up next to Zach Sieler, one man on the interior cannot make up for others lacking.
I thought both Jordyn Brooks and David Long Jr had good days at linebacker, Long Jr had a few missed assignments but still made big run stopping plays. Brooks is very good at playing the pass, he brings a skillset that Miami has not had in a while.
In the secondary there were issues, it started with Jalen Ramsey. Ramsey allowed multiple big plays to give Buffalo a lead. The first touchdown for Buffalo was Ramsey’s assignment, he let James Cook get loose out of the backfield for a long touchdown. Later in the game, he let Ty Johnson beat him for a 33 yard reception. Ramsey was recently paid to be the highest paid cornerback in the NFL, so he is not meeting the standard he is paid for. Jordan Poyer also had a rough day, he had a personal roughing the passer foul as well as taking a poor angle on a long James Cook touchdown run. Outside of those two no one was an issue, but no one made a great play either.
All in all, the Dolphins have A LOT of questions, at some extremely important positions. They have too many right now to just sit back and not make a move. Maybe trading for Commanders interior defensive lineman Jonathan Allen could help make the Dolphins defense a dominant force. That is a solution to stopping the run and not letting dominant offensive lines take over. At offensive line they might be out of luck, it is rare for a team to trade their offensive lineman, the good ones are way too valuable.
The Dolphins have decisions to make, the clock is ticking. We will see what happens coming up these next few weeks.