Bills fall to Dolphins in first loss of the season
The Bills have been dominant throughout the first two weeks of their season, tearing apart last year’s Super Bowl Champions THE Los Angeles Rams and American Football Conference (AFC) #1 seed Tennessee Titans. Buffalo went into Sunday’s matchup against the Miami Dolphins looking to begin their season 3-0 with their first division win of the year. Miami had done well for themselves as well so far, coming off of a hard-fought victory against the Baltimore Ravens and also sitting at 2-0 for the season. But Injuries took a toll on Buffalo last week, as notable inactives for week three included starters defensive tackle Ed Oliver (ankle), safety Jordan Poyer (foot), cornerback Dane Jackson (neck), and defensive tackle Jordan Phillips (hamstring). Safety Micah Hyde has also been ruled out for the season with a neck injury, a huge blow to the Bills’ defense.
Buffalo’s offense was clicking early on, as quarterback Josh Allen opened the game with a 28-yard strike to wide receiver Stefon Diggs down the middle. Running back Devin Singletary caught a two-yard reception for a Bills’ touchdown to finish the drive. The defense was also off to a good start, silencing the Dolphins on a quick two-minute drive.
The Bills second drive ended with a sack on Josh Allen, which resulted in a fumble recovery by Miami, setting up the Dolphins at Buffalo’s six-yard line. Miami drew up four quick plays to push in running back Chase Edmonds for their first score and to tie the game at seven.
After getting the ball back, a 27-yard connection between Allen and WR Isaiah McKenzie brought the team just outside of the end zone, and the team was able to force a score after another reception by McKenzie, putting Buffalo ahead 14-7 early in the second quarter.
Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa quickly was able to get the ball in the end zone via an eleven-yard touchdown pass to WR River Cracraft, again tying the game. Their next drive also proved noteworthy, as the Bills’ linebacker initiated a huge late hit on Tagovailoa, leaving the quarterback dazed and barely able to walk under his own power. Miami put in backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to finish out the first half.
The Bills got the ball back for one last drive of the half, with the team coming within field goal range for kicker Tyler Bass. However, after a spike and reception by McKenzie left one second on the clock, a mishandled snap forced Josh Allen to pass the ball instead of spiking it to stop the clock again. The misstep squashed the Bills’ chances of a last-second field goal and Allen was visibly angry after the clock struck zero.
Tua was miraculously able to come back into the game to begin the second half, but a quick Miami drive gave the ball right back to Buffalo. The Bills put together a long drive but were only able to muster a 30-yard field goal by Tyler Bass, putting them up 17-14. Another quick drive by the Dolphins led to a Bills’ possession opened by RB Zach Moss with a 43-yard rush. This was just about all the Bills could do, though, as the team again settled for a field goal. However, Bass missed this one from 38 yards away early in the fourth quarter.
Another Chase Edmonds rushing touchdown gave the Dolphins the lead 21-17 before multiple bad passes by Josh Allen at the end zone gave Miami the ball back in the fourth. The Fins started their drive from their own two-yard line, which resulted in a punt that went off their own player’s backside and ended in a safety and two points for the Bills. Buffalo was given one last chance with 1:25 left in the game, but after gaining some yardage towards a possible field goal to win it all, poor time management came back to bite them again as the clock ran down. Allen and offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey were both visibly livid at the end of the game, as the Bills dropped this one 21-19 for their first loss of the season.
After their first loss to the Dolphins since Dec. 2018, The Bills look to bounce back against the Ravens in week four on Sunday Oct. 2.