Written by Chad Hahn
Miami Dolphins 21 (0-6)
Buffalo Bills 31 Final (5-1)
Analysis
On Sunday the better team the Buffalo Bills won this game after a serious scare as the Dolphins were winning most of the game until the Bills were finally able to overcome the winless Dolphins.
After the Bills hit two field goals to take a 6-0 lead the Dolphins scored touchdowns on back to back possessions to take a 14-9 halftime lead. The Dolphins were attacking with a mixed rushing and passing attack. The rushing attack was lead by Mark Walton who is steadily approving on a weekly basis as he got his second start at running back. Second-year running back Kalen Ballage lunged into the end zone from 3 yards out to take an early 7-6 lead. Followed up by another Bills field goal Ryan Fitzpatrick hot Devante Parker for a 12-yard touchdown to take a 14-9 halftime lead.
After halftime the Dolphins had an impressive drive where Coach Brian Flores ran a fake field goal and it was successful in extending the drive but in hindsight that field goal would have extended the lead to 17-9 but instead Ryan Fitzpatrick threw a costly interception inside the 5 yard line that sparked the Bills team as cornerback TreDavious White stepped in front of the ill-advised pass.
Following that interception, the Bills mounted a rally resulting in two touchdown throws from Josh Allen including one to John Brown for a 20-yard strike and another one to Cole Beasley from 3 yards out resulting in a 24-14 lead.
Ryan Fitzpatrick continued to try and rally with a late scrambling touchdown in the closing seconds to pull the Dolphins within 3 points but on the ensuing onside kick, Micah Hyde took the kickback for a Bills touchdown resulting in our final score of 31-21.
Without a doubt, the Dolphins have played a lot better and more competitive in the last two games. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has definitely earned another start as the team does seem to rally around him.
Some key observations in this game were the Dolphins missing in action on the defensive side of the ball. Key players like Star cornerback Xavier Howard and Strong Safety Reshad Jones were inactive along with first-round rookie Defensive lineman Christian Wilkins being ejected on the first defensive series for throwing a punch at a Bills player. These missing players definitely had an effect on this game. The offensive line held up better than expected with starting center Daniel Kilgore out with an injury. Taco Charlton continues to play hard and got his 3rd sack in 4 games with Miami. Rookie wide receiver Preston Williams had his best game to date recording 6 catches for 82 yards. In addition, wide receiver Devante Parker scored his 3rd touchdown in 4 games as well.
One important factor in a rebuild like this one is that there needs to be consistency at the top to hold things together during this tough stretch and Brian Flores is definitely the leader and is a consistent leader. Even with the lack of talent on this current roster the team continues to show improvement in almost all phases on a week to week basis.
It’s important that the 0-6 Dolphins continue to fight and improve as they will face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night. A game where the Dolphins own both first-round picks from the teams on the field.